Necessity is the mother of . . .

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Necessity is the mother of . . .
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THEVIRTUAL LECTURE
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• When a Course Director has to be two places at
  once,

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• when course content and context make it difficult
  to bring in a substitute lecturer,

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• whats a poor professor to do?

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• ???

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• This is the story of one quick experiment with,

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• and some student responses to,

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• a Virtual Lecture,

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• including . . .

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• fireside chats,

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• PowerPoint presentations with commentary,

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• and edited film clips

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• Youve listened to the lecture
• now watch the DVD!

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Necessity Is the Mother of the Virtual Lecture

• The Problem
• The Solution
• The Implementation
• The Delivery
• The Response
• The Next Time

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The Problem
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The Problem

• lecture conflict
• How to be in two places at once?

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The Problem

• introduce adult nostalgia for childhood and
  limitations of memory
• view and discussThe Sweater (10-minute film)
• introduce innocence and experience
• introduce utopia and dystopia
• study excerpts from Roald Dahls utopian
  autobiography Boy
• introduce and view excerpts from feature film of
  Frank McCourts dystopian memoir, Angelas Ashes
• introduce and explicate William Blakes Songs of
  Innocence and of Experience

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The Solution
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The Solution

• cancel class?
• No time, no time!
• have tutorial instructors present lecture?
• voluntary basis
• one instructor volunteers to present one topic of
  the lecture
• invite guest lecturer?
• content and context of course and
  interdisciplinary approach would make it
  difficult to find someone to maintain continuity
  about topics, concepts, and approaches

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The Solution

• because there are already two films to watch
  during that class
• because one tutorial instructor will introduce
  and lecture on one of those films
• to maintain continuity in the course
• professor will be two places at once by doing a
  virtual lecture
• tutorial instructors will play the DVD

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The Implementation
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The Implementation

• fireside chats
• scripted
• video camera
• digitized video
• edited video
• PowerPoint presentations with audio commentary
• created PowerPoint presentations
• recorded commentary while playing PowerPoint
  presentation

• film clips
• digitized
• edited
• Virtual Lecture DVD
• authored all materials on DVD
• menus and auto-play

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The Implementation

• Hardware
• video camera (or WebCam)
• computer sound card
• computer TV capture card
• DVD player
• DVD burner

• Software
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• PowerPoint presentations
• HyperCam
• convert PowerPoint presentation to a movie with
  audio commentary
• (PowerPoint 2001 for the Macintosh can output to
  a QuickTime movie natively.)
• Pinnacle Studio
• capturing movies
• editing movies
• adding transitions
• authoring and burning DVDs

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The Implementation

• time
• the advantage of this was that this lecture was
  time-managed right down to the minute (unlike my
  live lectures)
• the disadvantage of this is that this is
  enormously time-consuming
• 40 hours of preparation for one hour of lecture

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The Delivery
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The Delivery

• tutorial instructors called class to order
• one tutorial instructor introduced, played, and
  lectured on short film
• tutorial instructors put the Virtual Lecture
  DVD in player and pressed Play
• virtual lecturer outlined what would happen in
  the rest of the class
• virtual lecturer introduced concepts
• virtual lecturer discussed current readings
• virtual lecturer introduced film clips
• virtual lecturer told students when to take a
  break
• Press Pause
• virtual lecturer played film clips
• virtual lecturer introduced new text and
  explicated poems

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Press PLAY
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The Response
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Student Responses (Unsolicited on WebCT
Discussion Board the day of the lecture)

• I was just wondering if todays lecture notes
  will be posted. I found it very hard to keep up
  with the slides and instead took notes which were
  not found on the slides.
• At the beginning of the video he said that he
  was going to post the notes. I was pretty
  worried as well because the slides were going
  really quickly. . . .

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Student Responses (Unsolicited on WebCT
Discussion Board the day of the lecture)

• I actually wasnt expecting anything today, I
  thought that it was really nice of him to do the
  video and pretend that he was actually in class
  with us. I think everyone really appreciates
  that, not only me. Thanks, Prof.
• I completely agree with you, I still cant
  believe we watched our prof on the big screenlol
  ! Another prof would have cancelled class if
  they couldnt be present! I must say it was an
  unforgettable lecture, especially when he said,
  After the break. . . .

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Student Responses (Unsolicited on WebCT
Discussion Board the day of the lecture)

• I really enjoyed the twenty-minute movie clip
  today. I felt so bad that three of the children
  had died. I thought it was really sad and
  realistic when the child said that they saw them
  put their brother/sister in a box and put them in
  the ground. . . . I remember when I was a child
  and someone in my family had died, I thought that
  they were just sleeping and didnt really
  understand what was going on until much later on.
  I hope that I can watch this whole movie because
  it seems really good and shows a really good
  point of view from a childs perspective. What
  did you guys think?

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Student Responses- Solicited via WebCT Discussion
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What did you like about the Virtual Lecture?

• I liked that we were able to talk about the
  topic at hand right away and that it stayed on
  topic throughout. Oh and especially the little
  jokes the person in the back has a question.
• It was a unique way to communicate and still
  have lecture when the professor was not able to
  make it to class. It was organized really well.
  It was good that there were no TAs or other
  substitutes lecturing, and it was the Professor,
  as we are used to his style.
• I found no difference in you not being there, I
  feel it was exactly like you were with us in the
  lecture hall.
• I actually respected that you went through all
  the trouble. . . . I was impressed at your
  technological skills haha!

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What didnt you like about the Virtual
Lecture?

• I didnt like that people were loud. It was
  like, Oh, hes not here, so we dont have to
  listen.
• It was a bit too fast.
• It was impossible to ask questions or
  communicate in case the students felt you were
  going too fast, or did not understand
  something.

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What worked in the Virtual Lecture?

• It was a good idea to go from the Prof to the
  PowerPoint really quickly and it didnt waste any
  time.
• The clips were integrated properly into the
  lecture it was clear and it was easy to
  comprehend.
• Posting the videos on the WebCT site afterwards.
  I loved the fact you could watch it over and
  pause if u needed some extra time to write some
  notes, or if you didnt understand something and
  wanted to hear it again. Also, I loved that it
  was an option in case you could not attend the
  class.
• I think it all worked. I mean, theres nothing
  like having the professor actually in the lecture
  hall, but I think it was equally as educating.

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What didnt work in the Virtual Lecture?

• A lot of students left because they saw that the
  professor wasnt there, so thought that they did
  not have to stay.
• A little fast. . . .
• We couldnt interact, we couldnt stop it and
  have feedback, move back over things that were
  unclear. Even if we saw things we wanted to
  mention we had to let the video play without
  interruption.

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Did the fireside chats, when the professor was
videotaped talking to you, work?

• Yes, it worked because it was as if he was
  talking to useye contact was great.
• Yep, the lecture was easy to understand.
• Although the fireside chats were corny, they
  worked, and thats really all that matters.

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Did the PowerPoint presentations, with the
professors voice in the background, work?

• Definitely helped because thats what he does in
  class an it helps to listen to his statements
  more than just reading them to yourself.
• Yeah that was helpful too, it felt like the
  professor was still there in the lecture hall.

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What could be done better about a Virtual
Lecture?

• If the professor could speak a bit slower and
  allow time for each section/slide while recording
  a video lecture.
• Maybe you should have a screen in the
  cornershowing you talking to us during the
  PowerPoint presentation so that it feels like you
  are there.

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Positive Responses

• Theres nothing worse than coming into a lecture
  to have a guest lecturer lecture, especially if
  they are uncomfortable in front of the class.
  Many students, in my experience, have either left
  the lecture or just ignored every word and it
  discourages them. I think this VIRTUAL LECTURE
  was a good idea! Two BIG THUMBS UP!

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The Next Time
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Future Considerations

• better technological solutions
• sound quality
• picture quality
• technical assistance
• pacing
• humour
• variety
• direct address
• terms, concepts, and background information in
  PowerPoint presentation
• textual analysis in PowerPoint presentation
• film
• interactivity
• short lecture segments interspersed with
  discussion animated and conducted by live
  tutorial instructors
• posting of lecture for future study by students
• advantages and disadvantages