Preparing learning resources

You can replace on-campus lectures with:

• Pre-recorded video using Kaltura Capture or software of your choice.
• Online lectures using Zoom, which can also be recorded. The general Zoom license has a limit of 300 students attending a Zoom meeting (please submit an IT request if you need to increase this limit to 500).
• Written documents or audio recordings (podcasts), which can be just as effective for part or all of your lecture.

It is recommended that you do not use previous semesters’ lecture recordings. Student feedback is very negative regarding the use of previous Echo 360 recordings.

Plan each video

• Consider breaking your video into chunks and presenting a question, activity or discussion point at the end of each chunk. Build feedback into the next chunk.​
• Does each video section:
  • Have a story arc with a beginning, middle and conclusion?
  • Review previous knowledge and consider learning objectives?
  • Highlight the most important information? Consider summarising this information at the end of the video.
  • Show students why and how they should engage with the video. Consider how the lecture content relates to assessment.
• If you have two people in your video, try having a conversation or using a question and answer format.
• If you are alone in your video, turn on your webcam or write on the screen (or both) so students can see.
• Talk to your students in a friendly, enthusiastic, conversational style with suitable and consistent terminology.

Be concise

• Remove any images, text and anecdotes not directly relevant to the point – shorter videos are easier to manage for you and your students.

Engage your students

• Tell students how you expect them to engage with your videos. This could be directions on how to learn from the video (e.g. take notes, pause and check definitions) or participate in activities like quizzes or discussions based on the video. Provide PDFs of PowerPoint notes.

Educational media production workshops

ITaLI offers a range of workshops to build your skills in creating, producing and editing your own educational audio/video content:

• Writing and presenting educational video
• Educational video production
• Lab and prac video making
• Making podcasts and audio for teaching and learning

Students appreciate access to materials like PowerPoint slides before class. Early access can support note-taking. Some learning activities are more effective when ideas are revealed in sequence. It is up to you to decide the best approach for your class – making all materials available in advance, keeping some materials until after class, or providing initial materials with some gaps.

PowerPoint slides are used to support teaching and student revision. These different purposes can lead to quite different slide designs.

Ensure that you have added reading materials (e.g. textbooks, books, chapters and articles) to your course reading list. When selecting learning resources, consider:  

• Access: choose items that are available online through the Library, if possible. Check whether your chosen materials have access restrictions such as user or download limits. 
• Cost: consider the cost of the resource when choosing materials. The Library can support you to adopt or create an open educational resource.
• Reading importance: indicate the significance of the resource clearly (e.g. Required – own copy needed, required, recommended, further). The course reading list system allows you to clearly indicate this by setting the item importance.
• Improve navigation: consider structuring long lists by week or topic. This helps guide student learning. 
• Currency: review your reading lists each semester and remove items no longer relevant. 
• Expectations: consider the length of your list and make reading requirements achievable. It's onerous to maintain a list of hundreds of items and daunting for students to navigate. 

The UQ Library can help you find excellent resources for your students and ensure your course complies with copyright requirements.  

UQ has a long history of recording lectures and sharing them with students. The introduction of Zoom and other platforms, along with the encouragement for active learning in classes, has meant some recordings now include student identities. Therefore, you must advise students that their identities may be captured as part of the recording.

The following information and resources will help you protect student privacy when recording your classes:

• Advise students of the privacy measures in place. The course recording slide provides an announcement for students that you can include at the beginning of classes and solutions for those not wanting to be recorded. When using the class recordings slide, feel free to use clear language to your students (i.e. if there is a specific location where you share your recordings, adjust the wording as relevant).
• If you want to edit something from a recording, Zoom offers a quick way to trim the start and end of recordings, and you can review and edit recordings in Echo360.
• Collaborative spaces have been fitted with ceiling microphones and room cameras to enable students in a class to connect with students online. Please warn students when using these technologies and give students the opportunity, where possible, to not be recorded.
• UQ has restricted access to Echo360. This means students who are not enrolled in the course will not have access to recordings and uploaded videos. If required, Blackboard users with the course instructor or leader access roles can enrol a UQ student or staff member as a ‘Guest’ on a case by case basis by following these instructions. Please note the instructions refer to the enrolment of teaching and administration staff, but the same process is followed to enrol any UQ student or staff member with the ‘Guest’ access role. In the past, ‘Guest’ access has had limited uptake by students.
• Read the lecture recordings and privacy FAQs (PDF, 114 KB) including answers to common questions and guidance for managing proxy student names in Zoom sessions.
• The following message has been posted to Blackboard and added to all ECPs: Please be aware that teaching at UQ may be recorded for the benefit of student learning. If you would prefer not be captured either by voice or image, please advise your teacher/course coordinator before class so accommodations can be made. For further information, see PPL 3.20.06 Recording of Teaching at UQ.