Recording lectures

Step 1: Choose your preferred approach Options In front of computer In front of class Recording studio style In special location Think about The time you have available Your intended audiences ‘Perfection’ v ‘spontaneity’ The longevity of the content The amount of ‘immediate’ content The level of interaction needed Student input and questions v poor sound quality and possible distractions Your own comfort: pleasure of student interaction v comfort of total focus on content The resources you will use Numbers of students Where your recording will be ‘hosted’ Access considerations

Step 2: Select your audio equipment Options Condenser mike on computer Lapel mike or ‘Madonna’ mike with receiver Wireless or cabled headset with mike Conference camera Computer on Wheels with mike and camera If you want video Conference cam Webcam on computer Computer On Wheels Think about Your movements and presentation style The sound quality you need How the microphone will connect to the computer – jack or usb or wireless How the microphone will be powered – computer or battery Make sure that your mike works with the computer before you start working with the specific recording software

Step 3: Decide what you want in the final product For example: Slides and audio narration Slides, and video stream (with audio) of you giving the lecture Slides, audio, whiteboard work, and document camera work Slides, video stream, and student interaction with the content (for example, completing quizzes as the lecture progresses)

Step 4: Select your recording program Slides and audio only: PowerPoint (might include laser pointing and annotations), TKIEE, ECHO360 LRS, Adobe Connect VC. Produces uploadable PP, uploadable PP show, uploadable video, shareable TKIEE link, LRS link on course website + video stream of you: Adobe Connect or Zoom or Skype, Echo 360 Personal Capture. Produces VC recording link on course website, uploadable video, LRS link on course website. + other apps: Adobe Connect/Zoom/Skype share screen, Echo360 Personal Capture. Produces VC recording link/mp4 video file, LRS link. + whiteboard work: Adobe Connect/Zoom full video feed. Produces VC recording link/mp4 video file. + interactivity: OVAL paired with an uploaded video, PowerPoint interactive presentation, iSprings interactive presentation, Articulate Storyline activities, chunking the lecture up and embedding it into a Moodle lesson.

Step 5: Recording in front of a class Use contrasting colours for slides, keep slides simple, large fonts, high quality images. Keep whiteboard work very clear – consider adding it as a separate video Do at least one dry run, especially for audio, and set up early – check lighting If things go wrong, start the set up process again from the beginning Students can be useful in giving feedback or even helping with the technology Try to remain aware of the microphone and the camera positions throughout the lecture Start by acknowledging all of your students – local and viewing – and keep all your audiences in mind throughout Keep audience-specific content to the beginning or the end, so it is easy to edit out Be careful about choosing examples and references – you want the recording to be relevant for as long as possible Be careful of interactions with the students – ask questions clearly and leave sufficient pause for the viewers to think about their answers too. If students answer, repeat their answers for the recording. If a student asks you a question, repeat it clearly for the recording before giving the answer. If you demonstrate something or use a model, do it again in front of the camera If you show videos in the lecture, make sure they will be included in the recording ALWAYS be aware that you are being recorded – be careful of the language you use, don’t name or single out students, watch out for embarrassing errors that will live forever …..  

Step 5: Recording in front of your computer Use contrasting colours for slides, keep slides simple, large fonts, high quality images. Make sure that your microphone is working properly with your computer before you start. Then make sure that it is working with whatever software you are using PowerPoint and Echo360 Personal Capture are simple programs to use for recording at your desk. Set the microphone (and webcam if you wish) up so that you can forget about it once you start the lecture You can use desktop programs like MS Paint for whiteboard work, but using the mouse can be awkward – try to get hold of a touch screen laptop for a presentation with whiteboard work. Before you start, make up your mind whether you are going to record slides individually or all at once. Recording all at once is quicker but if something goes wrong, you might have to start the whole thing again. Do a short dry run, especially to test audio. Start by acknowledging your students and keep all your audiences in mind throughout. Keep audience-specific content to the beginning or the end, so it is easy to edit out if you later want to use the recording for a different purpose. Be careful about the examples and references you choose – you want the recording to be relevant for as long as possible. Feel free to include interactive elements – for example, ask a question of the students, and then answer it on the next slide.  

Step 6: Edit the recording if necessary Editing programs include: Shot Cut and Movie maker (simple, free editing) PowerPoint (includes some audio editing) YouTube (includes some novely editing of sorts) ECHO360 (includes basic cutting) Adobe Connect (includes basic cutting) Videopad (full editing, but not free) Camtasia, Final cut, iMovie, Adobe Premiere, Corel (for full-on professional editing) The best way to learn how to edit is to do it – YouTube will help You don’t need to go overboard with the editing – don’t try to get rid of every ‘er’ and ‘um’ Keep your version control very clear Remember that some platforms (eg UniSA Media Server) won’t let you update a video and keep the same url You can manually create opportunities for student interaction with even basic editing software – for example, edit in a screen with a question on it, and tell the students to pause the video while they answer the question .

Step 7: Make the recording available You can upload a video to: Your course website Another server - UniSA Media Server (they will send an email with the link), YouTube channel (they will send an email with the link), Vimeo channel. Adobe Connect recordings will be automatically uploaded to the VCS server, with a link on the course website. You can also produce them as a standalone video file. Echo360 recordings will be automatically uploaded to the LRS server, with a link on the course website. You can also produce them as a standalone video file. Online presentations such as iSprings can ONLY be hosted on the course website. They are uploaded as zip files. TKIEE recordings are hosted on the TKIEE server (email is sent). Make sure that you give the students instructions about where the recording is, how to access it and how to view/listen to it. More information on the SHOL website and the HSC Teaching and Learning website