5.3 Asynchronous online lectures

While developing asynchronous course content can be time intensive, there are advantages to using asynchronous content such as:

Sustainability. After you create a video or textual content you can reuse it for future course offerings and across multiple courses.
Flexibility. Students can access asynchronous content anywhere and anytime. This gives them more flexibility in how they access and interact with content. UBC students have indicated they value this flexibility (McPhee & Lyon, 2020 [pdf]).
Internet and bandwidth. Students have fewer constraints from limited internet connections and bandwidth when accessing asynchronous content.
Students can playback or re-read. Students can replay and pause video lecture content or re-read textual content.

Video content

Recording a lecture video will give your students the option to review your content at their own pace while helping to mitigate technology challenges and conflicting schedules. At UBC we have access to tools such as Camtasia, Kaltura, and do-it-yourself (DIY) on-site studios which allow you to quickly create and share lectures or content videos. The One-Button and the Lightboard studios at UBC Vancouver are open for faculty preparing content for credit courses for both summer and winter academic terms. For information about studio services and equipment loans at Okanagan campus, please contact UBC Studios Okanagan.

Recording synchronous lectures

One approach to developing asynchronous content is recording your synchronous sessions. Collaborate Ultra and Zoom both allow for the session to be recorded. Once you have recorded the session, you can upload it directly into Canvas to share with your students. If you choose to record your synchronous sessions, be sure to let students know in advance.

It is easy to quickly record and share synchronous lectures. This allows students who were unable to attend to view the lecture and learn from the questions other students asked. It also allows students to review the lecture as many times as necessary to feel confident with the material. The downside of this approach is that elements of the session such as breakout rooms are not easily captured. The following strategies can help make your recorded lectures more effective and engaging:

Use an external microphone when you lead your synchronous online lectures. Higher audio quality is important for reusing and replaying.
Download and edit the recording. With editing, you can add annotations and cut out areas that are not useful for replay, such as technical issues.
Consider ways that the recording can be incorporated with other content, such as embedding reflective or quiz questions, or linking the video to course readings or discussions.

Pre-recorded course videos

In addition to recording your synchronous online lectures, you can develop videos to replace in-person lecture components and help engage your students. These could include: lecture videos, demonstration videos, virtual field visits/trips, guest speakers, or interviews.

Effective practices for pre-recorded course videos

If you will be using pre-recorded course videos, there are a few easy things you can do to make them more conducive to learning:

Use short chunks. Studies show that a shorter video is the key to engaging students, with approximately 6 minutes as the optimum length. While there is not definitive research showing increased learning from shorter videos, if the students don't watch the video, they can't learn from it.
Emphasize important concepts. Emphasize essential material by highlighting, using pointers, zooming in, and drawing circles, to focus learners’ attention on important points.
Design for accessibility. When possible create video transcripts to make your videos accessible for all learners. More information about accessibility is included later in this module.

You should also try to design your video so it can be reused in other courses or in the same course in the future. Videos can be time-consuming to create, so make sure you can use the same videos from term to term without having to redo them. Avoid including dates and references to current events that will limit the potential of reusing content from year to year.

Watch the following video created by the UBC Studios about recording lectures at home and think about how you might record in your own space.

Live Lecture and Recording Tips Links to an external site. from UBC Studios Links to an external site. on Vimeo Links to an external site..

This information is only a short introduction to developing online video. The Keep Teaching site includes a quick guide for creating lecture videos with Camtasia. If you want to learn more about creating videos yourself, visit the Media Makers site developed by UBC Studios Vancouver.

Integrating asynchronous video into your course

In this section of the module, we explored how you can develop asynchronous videos for your online course. Before you get started on this option, reflect on the following questions:

What content requires limited interaction and could be developed as lecture videos?
What support do you have from your faculty unit for developing video content?
What training or experience do you have using programs like Camtasia and Kaltura for video development?

You can access support for asynchronous video development through the Virtual Learning Technology Hub (Mon-Fri | 9:00-4:30). Okanagan instructors may contact the Centre for Teaching and Learning Helpdesk or UBC Studios Okanagan.