Use multimedia for communication and collaboration

Video is a powerful student engagement tool that can provide connection to their educators and peers and opportunities to establish a social rapport, especially in blended or online units where students may have less opportunities to meet their teachers and peers. Video enables academics to connect with students. This impacts a student’s sense of social presence in online spaces and makes their educators seem more real, present, and familiar. Videos create a social presence and reduce the sense of isolation students feel when they are online.

Videos can foster a sense of closeness and social presence for both students and teachers in an online environment. Research has indicated that this type of engagement is crucial for effective virtual spaces. In your face-to-face teaching you may be familiar with the importance of this kind of connection. You can use video to introduce yourself, give an overview for the class content and methodology.
Recommendations
- Film in an informal setting. Informal videos are more engaging than professional looking studio locations.
- Film in a Microstudio if a quiet environment is required.
- Share your enthusiasm to increase your learners’ engagement with the material. This will help to make you seem more real, present, and familiar to your students.
- Avoid referencing specific weeks or specific links to other content. Instead use generic language like "this week we will be covering..." or “we will build on learning about...". This will allow some flexibility if teaching content is moved around.
- Include a broad introduction to assessment and where students can find the pertinent information.
Example
Dr. Bronwyn Isaac introduces herself and Dr Joash Ban Lee as the unit coordinators for SCI2010: Scientific practice and communication. She shares a brief introduction about her own background in science and provides an overview of the learning outcomes and goals of the unit. This video was created in a Microstudio.
Credits
Dr. Bronwyn Isaac, Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences
Dr. Joash Ban Lee, Senior Lecturer, School of Science, Malaysia
Podcasts allow academics to discuss and explain concepts and theory with each other in a more relaxed atmosphere. Additionally, this style of presentation allows the teaching associate to paraphrase or synthesise multiple student questions, standing in for the student voice, and opportunities to further clarify or explain content in a different way.
This interactive style of delivery facilitates interaction and promotes a sense of community, while retaining the aim of application of knowledge.
Recommendations
- High quality audio makes a big difference. Investment into Audio visual equipment may be required.
- Use student’s names to personalise online engagement. Praising those who engage makes the session more inclusive and will make it feel like a safe space for others to chime in.
- Podcasts can include visual content or be purely audio. Audio only podcasts allow students to listen to content on the go while also reducing required bandwidth.
- This interactive style of delivery requires an investment of academic and technical staff time.
Example
In BIO1011, live-streamed podcasts were introduced as a more interactive style of delivery for online active learning workshops, implementing greater levels of academic support to maximise student:student and student:instructor interaction in a large student cohort(~300). In the example below, a Rode Shotgun Microphone, an EOS 90D Canon Camera w/ video card adapter and Zoom were used.
Credits
Callum Vidor, Assistant Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences
Ben Seyer, Assistant Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences
Dr. Thomas Hiscox, Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences
Dr. Michael McDonald, Senior Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences
In online teaching environments, getting everyone ‘on the same page’ is crucial. One benefit of online learning is the ease of making group work visible. Teaching from a shared online resource (such as a Google doc or online whiteboard) allows students to be active and collaborative in their learning, while also allowing you to highlight great examples of student work, allowing students to learn from what their peers are doing. You can do this using shared google docs or online whiteboards.
Zoom whiteboard
In a Zoom meeting, you or students can share a whiteboard and can collaborate together to write, draw, and brainstorm ideas and concepts. Whiteboards can be saved and posted to a forum, or simply shared in their breakout group. For more information, see Zoom Whiteboard.
Google docs
You can share Google docs with structured questions for breakout groups to work on together. Each group can work on their own section of the document during allocated class time. Afterwards, you can screen share the document for the whole class to reflect on and call on individual groups to talk to their group work. You can also make shared documents accessible so students can access it throughout the semester. For more information, see Google suite.
Recommendations
- Online activities benefit greatly from structure. Make sure to allocate clear time slots for them, e.g. 20 mins group work, 10 mins discussion and signpost clearly throughout so students can stay on track.
- Use Zoom breakout rooms to split large groups of students into smaller groups. For more information, see Breakout rooms.
Credit
Dr Susie Ho, Associate Dean International and Graduate Education, School of Biological Sciences
Sophie Wright, Liaison Librarian
Setting aside a time where you will be available to students is one way to provide support in blended and online learning modes. Like regular consultation hours, students may or may not show up during the allocated time. You can keep your zoom meeting open in the background, while working on other tasks.

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Use multimedia for communication and collaboration

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