My Mediasite

• First, visit the UTHSC My Mediasite webpage and log in with your UTHSC credentials to access your account and start using My Mediasite.
• Then, once you are inside your account, you can upload and manage your videos as well as download the My Mediasite Desktop Recorder (MDR) to create new videos. 

With Mediasite Capture, recording is effortless. Simply use a web browser to capture your video learning. No manual setup, no software installation. It’s the ideal solution for independent content creators who need a fast, intuitive way to share knowledge. 

·                              The MDR offers four basic options for creating and capturing lecture content:

• Record Video In Browser: Record your screen and camera directly in your web browser. Watch a helpful video here.
• Record Video With App: Record your screen and camera using an app on your PC or Mac. Download.
• Add Video: Upload a video file from your computer.
• Add Video: Link a video from an external source.

Before you begin recording, it is important to make sure your recording environment is conducive to recording high-quality video and audio. You also want to think about how you want to present your information and the type of content you want to include. Understanding what your content will be in advance will help you decide which recording option to choose.

If you need to record your whole screen, it’s a good idea to tidy up your desktop a bit. Tone down any distracting desktop wallpaper, maybe clean up the files that are showing, and be sure to turn off notifications.

Recording equipment and environment

Before you get started, make sure your equipment and environment are ready for recording:

• Audio. For audio recordings, you need either a built-in microphone or an external microphone. If your computer does not have a built-in microphone or if you are recording in a location with significant background noise, use a headset with a microphone to eliminate ambient noise.
• Video. For recordings that include video, you need a microphone and a webcam. Make sure your webcam rests at or slightly above eye-level and you are centered in the video capture area.
• Sound. Adjust and test your microphone so that you sound clear and audible. Try to keep the microphones 6 to 8 inches from your mouth to avoid picking up breathing. If you are using a headset for recording, make sure that the microphone is roughly one inch from the corner of your mouth. Do an audio recording test to ensure that the audio sounds clear during playback.
• Lighting. Use bright, even lighting whenever possible. Appropriate lighting is critical to obtaining a high-quality video for your presentation. Illuminate yourself and reduce glare from the monitor by using a lamp. You can also use background lighting, such as ceiling mounted lights, but make sure they are not as bright as your main light source.
• Background. Avoid using a plain white wall or a wall with small or busy patterns. Whenever possible, use a solid color background. If necessary, hang a solid color sheet as a backdrop. Videos with a solid-color backgrounds compress cleanly and efficiently.
• Reduce ambient noise. Turn off unneeded appliances or electronics that may create ambient noise. Keep your recording space quiet, turn off your phone, and if others are working in the area, let them know you will be recording.
• Clean up recording area. Make sure to clean up your recording area and remove any clutter or items that may distract your audience.

Recording Presentation

Here are some best practices that will help you record a professional quality presentation.

• Practice presentation to avoid verbal pauses. Read your presentation aloud a few times prior to recording. Practicing should help you reduce verbal pauses such as "um" when recording your presentation.
• Avoid reading slides. Do not read slides to your audience. It will quickly bore your audience if you are reading something they can read for themselves.
• Do not move around excessively. Minimize excessive movements that may be distracting to your audience, such as twirling your hair or fidgeting with an item in your recording area.
• Engage your audience. To keep your audience's attention, your goal is to be as engaging as you would be if you were presenting to a live audience. Speak in a conversational tone, smile, and vary your intonations.
• Don't worry about mistakes. Don't restart the recording for mistakes. You can continue as normal and bridge the mistake by pausing and repeating yourself (if you feel it is necessary) and moving forward.
• Use strong voice inflection. If you are not using video in your presentation, make sure to use strong voice inflection and to repeat key points in the presentation for emphasis.

Pedagogy

• 6 Ways to Raise the Bar on Higher Ed Videos - Weaver, J. (March, 2016), Inside Higher Ed
• 10 Tips for Creating Effective Instructional Videos - Smedshammer, M. (March, 2017), Faculty Focus
• Adapting PowerPoint Lectures for Online Delivery: Best Practices - Moore, E. (January, 2013) in Faculty Focus
• Effective Educational Videos - Center for Teaching, Vanderbilt University
• Screencasting to Engage Learning - Ruffini, M. (October, 2012), Educause Review
• Screencasts: Best Practices - Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo

 Design

• Start with a storyboard that outlines the sequence of what you will say and show. You can save time by using a storyboard template such as this TLC sample or by downloading other free samples. Write a script so that you will have a transcript to upload in order to meet accessibility requirements.
• Utilize effective instructional design techniques to meet your course goal by inserting course objectives, intended outcomes, and linked opportunities. Consider using video annotations to list aligned objectives and outcomes as well as providing links to external resources. In addition, using polls and short quizzes within the video helps students self-assess and reinforces learning. Quiz results can be used for students to self-assess and for faculty to gain feedback. 
• Consider the science of learning when you design your video. Along with good instructional design, keeping distractions to a minimum supports student learning. Mayer's 12 Principles of Multimedia Learning, as explained in the video by Dr. Kacz (2017), offers a plausible foundation for effective design and organization. Mayer (2001) established that people learn better from words and pictures than words alone. Faculty can enhance student leaning with appropriate, high-quality images such as those in the NHGRI Image Gallery at no additional cost.
• Increase engagement with such methods as chunking content, establishing presence, and inserting relevant visuals. The concept of chunking is particularly important. George Miller's early research (Cowan, 2013) on information processing discovered that by breaking large bits of information into 5-9 smaller, meaningful parts, faculty can support student knowledge retention. Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1988) affirms that chunking increases germane load which is dedicated to processing and building schemas. Schemas are acquired when individuals put the 'pieces' together. As explained in this 3 Minute Ed Theory video, faculty as instructional designers can manipulate content in a way that affects germane load and promotes long-term information storage. Use a video editor to break apart larger videos into more manageable parts. For example, faculty can cut a 60 minute video into six 10-minute videos, or microlessons. 

References

Debue, N., & van de Leemput, C. (2014). What does germane load mean? An empirical contribution to the cognitive load theory. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1099. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01099

Cowan N. (2013). Working memory underpins cognitive development, learning, and education. Educational Psychology Review, 26(2), 197-223.

Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12, 257-285.

Below are links to recent research pertaining to teaching and learning with screencast videos and lecture capture.

Teaching

Cranny, D. 2016. Screencasting, a tool to facilitate engagement with formative feedback? AISHE-J. The All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 8 (3), pp. 2911-2927.

Dona, K. L., Gregory, J., & Pechenkina, E. (2016). Lecture-recording technology in higher education: Exploring lecturer and student views across the disciplines. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology. doi:10.14742/ajet.3068

Kaltura Fifth Annual State of Video in Education 2018 Report

Marchand, J. P., Pearson, M. L., & Albon, S. P. (2014). Student and faculty member perspectives on lecture capture in pharmacy education. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 78(4), 74.

Pickering, J. (2014). Anatomy drawing screencasts: Enabling flexible learning for medical students. Anatomical Sciences Education, 8(3), pp.249-257.

Learning

Brame, C. J. (2016). Effective educational videos: principles and guidelines for maximizing student learning from video content. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 15(4), es6. doi:10.1187/cbe.16-03-0125

Gupta, A. and Saks, N. (2013). Exploring medical student decisions regarding attending live lectures and using recorded lectures. Medical Teacher, 35(9), pp.767-771.

Hussain, A., Tabrez, E., Basu, A., & Dsilva, C. S. (2018). Medical students’ perception of the usage of lecture recording software. Cureus. doi:10.7759/cureus.2963

Morris, C., & Chikwa, G. (2014). Screencasts: how effective are they and how do students engage with them? Active Learning in Higher Education, 15(1), 25–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787413514654

Topale, L. (2016). The strategic use of lecture recordings to facilitate an active and self-directed learning approach. BMC Medical Education, 16(1). doi:10.1186/s12909-016-0723-0

Wilson, K. E., Martin, L., Smilek, D., & Risko, E. F. (2018). The benefits and costs of speed watching video lectures. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 4(4), 243-257.