Students as Creators: Incorporating Video Assignments – Workshop Summary

Thanks to those who attended Tuesday’s workshop.   We started the workshop of by sharing some benefits for using video assignments in your class, and some challenges that you might face.  We also offered solutions to potential problems.  You can view the full presentation here.

Catherine Spencer, Professor of French, explained how she asked her students to select a film they watched in the course and create a 1.5-2 minute trailer for it.  To create the trailer, students had to analyze the film and select the images, clips, and select (or create!) music that best expressed it.   She found that students took a lot of pride in their work, were excited about the assignment, and created memorable videos.

Our discussion focused on ideas for video assignments in other disciplines – including Education, Botany, English, Dance, and OVCS.  We wondered if all students should create arguments using video, when they may struggle to do so in writing.  Should we give preference to one literacy over another?   Finally, we discussed the importance of structuring assignments so that they met leaning objectives and that students are given the guidance they need.

Finally, Mike provided some helpful suggestions for those interested in pursuing video assignments.  First, we have iMovie available on the Mac computers and Movie Maker on Windows computers in the library.  The ATL has 5 Macs and 1 Windows computer. On these computers, the Macs have Final Cut Pro X and Logic X. One Mac and the PC have Adobe Premiere Pro 6. We have some older software on the Macs, Final Cut Express 4 and iMovie HD 6.

Mike suggests that you contact him if you expect your students will be using the ATL. He can put together a tip sheet for a particular project and make himself available to answer questions. Consider the steps of the project. Are they just re-editing existing video like Catherine’s project, or will they need to produce the video first themselves? Cameras are available from Media Services. Some cameras produce video that needs to be digitized in real time, while iPhones shoot video that’s ready to edit.
Third, consider copyright if they will be re-using video and adding music. This is very important if the video will be made public, especially on services like YouTube which can automatically detect infringement if you use music or video that is copyright protected.
Another item to consider is how students will deliver the final project. They can burn a DVD, email if the files are 25mb or smaller, upload to a service like YouTube, use Google Drive, or upload to Moodle via the Kaltura plug-in.
Last, consider doing the project yourself so that you have a good idea how long each step in the process should take and to show as an example for the students.

Leave a comment