Author: Brian

Insights from SXSW EDU 2022

I had the good fortune of virtually attending SXSW EDU events this week, including sessions on lessons learned from pandemic education, the hybrid university, the science of learning, and accessibility & inclusion. All of these areas touch on the value and possibility of instructional multimedia.

woman talking at podium
The online “channel.”

The Live Stream

One of the more interesting aspects of attending the conference online was seeing how they used their website(s) to organize, broadcast, and network content. And in what ways they failed.

The image above shows the web-based “channel” view of the conference, and I understand they also published live video and VOD (“videos on demand”) to TV apps (e.g. Amazon Fire, Roku, Apple TV, etc).

Online, they dedicated space on the right for “Chat” and “Q&A,” although in the 6 live sessions I attended, there was not much interaction. In fact, it was mostly used as a space to bring technical issues to the attention of the event staff (and I am certainly guilty of this!), such as:

  • – Looping ads and schedule issues (running late?)
  • – No or low audio.

Despite there being ample SXSW website presence, there was no other “channel” for solving these problems. Other attendees reported no response form the virtual Helpdesk.

Virtual Networking

Crickets. A total dud. For most of the week, the “Social Networking” link on any event brought you to a centralized networking website with a searchable A-Z directory. The plug-in that tied this app into the video platform was evidently broken until the last day of the conference. But it’s hard to know if it was used. Here’s an effort I made to say hi to a presenter:

social networking example

No response.

The Schedule

Overall I found the web experience confusing, with an unclear relationship between the pre-event website and the paid/login-only “SXSW EDU SCHEDULE” platform. However, the web-based tool to create my own conference schedule by “favoriting” sessions was helpful, as it became my go-to starting point each day.

Each event was coded (see below), but it was not always clear how or when a session would be accessible via video (or not):

the online schedule
“Live” events are live-streamed, and also available as video-on-demand (“VOD”).

I still am not sure what “online” means, because nothing about a session with only that code was online except the description. And it was not clear when “VOD” sessions would be made available, or for how long.

Final Thoughts

While claims of “moonshots” and “radical transformations” abounded, the main takeaway from many sessions was that the COVID-19 pandemic caused educators to use increasingly mixed modalities to support student learning outcomes, and that this was a good thing. As a recent meta-analysis shows, adding video elements to any kind of course can enhance learning outcomes.

March Update

Groundhog Day
Six more weeks of winter?

February was our first full month of service! This post is a brief report on what’s been happening in the OLC.

By the numbers:

  • •  11 hours of consultations with faculty in Dyson, Health/CHP, and Lubin.
  • •  318 minutes of video produced for 2 courses

Outreach:

  • •  Webinar delivered in partnership with Pace’s Instructional Design team on “Creating Engaging Video for Classes” with 38 attending faculty.
  • •  Follow-up emails sent to 113 faculty across all schools and colleges.

Technology updates:

Highlights:

instructor at podium presenting
Professor Steve Rolandi recording a lecture for a Dyson asynchronous course.
webinar speakers
Brian (OLC) and Joe (Instructional Design) led the faculty webinar.

Creating Explainers with Explain Everything

Explain Everything is a powerful (and subscription-based) application for creating multimedia video tutorials. Here’s an elevator pitch that caught my attention for our work here in the OLC:

video tutorials ad

A professor of mathematics at Pace brought her recent work with this app to my attention today. Over the past two years, she has recorded hundreds of “explainer” videos featuring math problems. Very cool!

Though it does not yet support adding live video to a workspace, it does record live audio, so you can talk while you work. Here’s what a blank canvas looks like:

blank canvas
When you see a canvas this blank, you know you have some production work ahead.

Once you’ve recorded a session, you can use the editing tools within the app to make changes. This is very handy, and a good opportunity to add details to your presentation. Here’s a quick overview by a co-founder of the company:

Visual elements like backgrounds and gifs can make recordings fun, and also help demarcate content sections for re-watching ease.

Here in the OLC, you can create similar content by using our Wacom One and Open Broadcaster Software.

Have ideas for creating media like this? Contact us to set up a consultation or book studio time!

 

 

OLC Overview – The Recorded Webinar

Joe Seijo and I (Brian Hughes) just delivered a Zoom webinar for faculty called “Create Engaging Videos for Classes.” Here is the recording (which, for all of my emphasis on creating layered video, iconically doesn’t include my talking head overlay on my slides due to a heretofore unknown limitation in Zoom).

Brian and Joe
A screenshot from the Q&A sesh.

This session focused on strategies for creating videos as course content using Pace’s Online Learning Center. Whether the goal is a presentation, demonstration, or another format, we covered basic steps, creative options, and best practices for producing engaging videos. We provided an overview of the center’s technology and capacities, and also provided tips and best practices for those who record videos from home.

38 faculty members attended, and about again as many expressed interest in the recorded webinar to view at a later time.

Keep an eye out for in-person workshops in the future.

Please contact us to set up a consultation or production.

 

 

Lighting for video

When the subject of a video is poorly lit for the camera, resolution and color is lost. In general, more light is better (low lighting can be great, but the camera has to be up to the task!). We’re always working against the inverse square law of light, so keep this in mind when calculating the power and placement of your lighting.

Lighting calculation estimate
Source: Unknown.

To better light our subjects and sets, we’ve acquired a new set of lights:

studio lights
Our new GVM LED “Bi-Color Soft 1200D” studio lighting.

You’ve never looked better in the OLC!

OLC Tutorial: Create Your Presentation with iMovie

For presentations that require basic editing, iMovie might be the right tool to use. With iMovie, you can make simple cuts and transitions, and add audio elements (a soundtrack!). Curious if this is right for you? In this 5-minute tutorial, OLC staff member Lara shows how to create a presentation video in a iMovie using a green screen.

For a more simple approach with only one “scene” (a slideshow presentation), see Lara’s tutorial on using Zoom.

OLC Tutorial: Record Your Presentations with OBS

For presentations that require several “scenes,” OBS is a great (and free!) solution. For example, with OBS, you can transition between yourself speaking, your slide presentation, and showing your desktop. Curious if this is right for you? In this 12-minute tutorial, OLC staff member Lara shows how to set up and use OBS make engaging presentations.

For a more simple approach with only one scene (you presenting your slides), see Lara’s tutorial on using Zoom.

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