If you want to record teaching content to provide to students through Moodle or another platform, there are a few things to consider, whether at home or on campus:
- Use Moodle or Teams to introduce the video lecture or other recorded content. You could provide a written summary of what is in the lecture, highlight key points in the content which relate to assessment or ask a question for students to respond to before watching the lecture.
- Think about whether you could break a longer piece of content up into a series of shorter recordings. Where you might normally lecture for an hour, might it be easier for you and students if you break this up into a few shorter recordings?
- Consider how you can encourage students to engage with the video content.
- You can add a Microsoft Form to a video in Stream, or ask students to comment on the video through the chat in Stream.
- You could upload the video to H5P and create an interactive video resource.
- Or create a Moodle or H5P Quiz for students to complete after they have watched the video. Please see our web page on quizzing options for more details on how to do this.
- Provide students with the opportunity to ask questions after watching the video. You could set up a discussion board in Moodle, set up a Padlet board for questions, or schedule a drop-in session through Teams where students can discuss any points they didn't understand.
- Sound quality is very important. Try to locate a quiet place to record in. Close windows and turn off any fans or other background noise.
- If you have a headset with a microphone or another external microphone you can use, this will improve the quality of your audio.
- Test your sound after recording a little audio and adjust your microphone if necessary.
- If you are using a webcam, try to face the main source of light in your room. If you have the light behind you, students will struggle to see your face.
- If possible, have a plain background behind you, so as to reduce distractions.
See this great guide from our Technical Specialist Team to shooting video from your phone. If you would like to create a talking head video, this might be an option for you.
See below 4 of the tools we would recommend you look at. You can use all these tools from home, providing you have a microphone and a quiet space where you can record.
When providing video resources to students, it is important to think about how you will encourage students to engage fully with such resources. Our web pages on creating quizzes and designing online activities and projects will provide some ideas for ways you can do this.
Learning Design
Please see our web page on epedagogy models and frameworks in order to consider some of the different approaches that can be taken when designing online or blended learning.
You might find it useful to find this ABC Learning Design Online Planner to build a range of activities into your course. ABC Learning Design is a curriculum design approach based on Laurillard's six learning types concept.
Tools for recording video content
Microsoft Stream
This is a video library available through Microsoft and can be used for storing, sharing and creating video content. You can now record your screen through Stream for up to 15 minutes. For longer recordings, you would need to break your presentation up or use one of the other tools recommended on this page.
If you record lectures or other teaching through Teams meetings, the recordings are automatically stored in Microsoft Stream.
NOTE: You need to specify exactly who will have access to your video through updating the video details and modifying the permissions. *Any uploaded videos default to being available to all staff and students* so you must untick this option and add those who you want to view to the list of viewers.
Access via: Office 365 portal
- Easy to upload and share content internally
- Automatic generation of captions to comply with accessibility requirements
- Ability to add Microsoft Forms to videos to add interactivity
- Availability of chat functionality in video viewer which allows students and staff to start discussion in Stream around video content
- Not possible to share content with externals (you have to download videos and upload these to Media Library or YouTube to share them externally)
- Screen recordings are limited to 15 minutes.
- Some limitations on browsers - screen recording available in Google Chrome and Edge on Windows 10 and macOS but not with Safari. For more details on limitations see the Microsoft web page.
Guides
- Upload a video to Stream
- Create a Group
- Create a channel
- Trim a video
- Add a survey, poll or quiz
- Add subtitles and captions
- Embedding Stream videos into Moodle
- How to Set Permissions on Stream Videos
For more information and guidance, see the Microsoft Stream webpage (via docs.microsoft.com)
PowerPoint Recorder
Many members of teaching use PowerPoint to create presentations for lectures and other teaching. PowerPoint Recorder allows you to record audio over lecture slides using this same software. You can either produce your presentation as a video file or open it in PowerPoint online and then select File, Share and Embed to get an embed code for Moodle.
NOTE: You must save your PowerPoint as a .pptx file before you start recording!! Otherwise your audio will not be saved!! Go to save as and then choose PowerPoint Presentation (*.pptx).
Access via: PowerPoint Slideshow tab - see video below
- You can use a tool you are already familiar with for recording
- You can easily access your slide notes at the top of the screen and use these to write your script
- You can export your PowerPoint recording directly to Microsoft Stream to share with students or upload it to Media Library if you prefer
- Record slide show is similar on Mac PowerPoint on most recent versions but is not available on Mac PowerPoint 2016.
- Record slide show does not work on Chromebooks.
Guides
Pre-record lectures using PowerPoint
Media Library
Media Library is a website which enables you to record, store and share video content.
Access via: hml.yorksj.ac.uk and login with your normal YSJ login details
- You can record, upload and share content from the same platform
- You can share Media Library content with externals e.g. external examiners.
- Captions are only provided as an additional paid service. TEL has a limited number of minutes of captions to use with Media Library. However we would suggest that you autogenerate captions in Microsoft Stream and then download these and upload to Media Library where possible. Please contact tel@yorksj.ac.uk for support with this.
- No chat functionality in Media Library.
- No option to add interactivity into videos.
Guides
Our web page on Media Library contains FAQs and guides.
ScreenPal
ScreenPal is a great screen recorder along with a powerful editor. It contains a full editor to make trims and adjustments to create a finished end product.
York St john have a PRO licence which removes watermarks and length restrictions and adds many other editing tools. Please contact Digital Training for the password.
Access via: AppsAnywhere or please contact Digital Training for the YSJ URL and password.
- Possibility to edit recordings including:
the ability to add overlays including text or arrows
the ability to join different SOM recordings together
the ability to add transitions
the ability to add or remove different audio
- More options for editing can make ScreenPal can seem a bit overwhelming. However, you don’t need to use all the tools. Pick and choose the ones that are useful for you.
- You have to upload the video to either Stream or Media Library in order to share it with others.
Guides