Student Attitudes about Classroom Clips Videos

Last (Fall) semester, I incorporated some newly-developed technological skills, related to Apple's Clips app, to augment my upper-division biology majors class in genetics using instructor-created and brief videos for students to use in various scenarios. I've blogged about these before:

• Introducing yourself; your classroom

  http://tabletpedagogy.blogspot.com/2017/09/clips-power-use-cpu-2-higher-ed.html

• Class "trailer" videos to on-board students to the topic of each class period

  http://tabletpedagogy.blogspot.com/2017/09/teasing-with-trailers-aka-clipmercials.html

• Jigsaw exercises and remote instruction

  http://tabletpedagogy.blogspot.com/2017/09/cpu-3-jigsaw-clips-engagement.html

  http://tabletpedagogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/active-learning-week-meets-clips.html

• Describing and annotating processes in locations it is difficult to get your entire class to

  http://tabletpedagogy.blogspot.com/2017/09/cpu-4-real-world.html

Separately, I created a digital course manual (which, sadly, is not in iBook format yet) where I curated these Clips and other movies and resources I created, as well as open-education resources. I distributed this resource, called "GATC" (for "Genetics Assets and Tools Companion"), to my class at the start of the term.

  My intro Clip for students on using the GATC: https://youtu.be/YJv4DWraPmg

I'm happy to report that I just received my written comments from student ratings of instruction, and here are excerpts from those related to these videos and digital content I was able to produce using Clips and other Apple (and related) software and hardware: iPad, MacBook Air, QuickTime, and ExplainEverything (for lecture capture video recording)

  http://tabletpedagogy.blogspot.com/2014/10/tablet-tech-and-blended-learning.html

I'm sharing these to suggest that the blog posts above may contain some valuable practices for using short videos in the context of a student's classroom experience. For full disclosure, I should also mention that, as part of my course augmentation with technology, I also employed pre-class video lectures that students watched before coming to class; this was not accomplished with Apple hardware or software (see an example of one of my Lighboard, a.k.a. Learning Glass, videos at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnfpWBduB-A).

Student comments

"I love the GATC Course manual because he highlights the exact topics that we should focus on and he makes lots of information easily available to his students."

"I appreciate the recorded lectures that are posted on YouTube. Sometimes I don't get stuff down in time and it's nice to be able to go back and listen to Dr. Ross' explanations again."

"The class discussions made it easier to learn the information. The before class videos were also very helpful."

"The way in which Dr. Ross incorporates technology allows for his students to better understand the material at hand."

In all, I think a critical point here, for dissemination as broadly as possible, is that educators can make positive impacts on students using mobile technology even if the students don't all have a device. Apple technology only in the hands of the instructor can still help engage and inspire students!