3.1 Recording asynchronous lecture content - key principles

The traditional lecture format cannot be used for Semester 1 courses. Instead colleagues will need to record smaller segments of lecture content and this module explains how.

Remember: Long sections of recorded video impact negatively on active learning. Lecture recordings should be no longer than 30 minutes, and ideally much less (chunks of 5-10 minute lecture recordings interspersed with other activities).

In this module we introduce 3 methods for recording lecture content:

1. Using Blackboard Collaborate
2. Using Zoom
3. Using PowerPoint in Office 365

We also cover how to upload the content you create to the University Video Portal and YouTube (you could also use Vimeo, but we don't cover this here), and how to embed or link to any video recordings in Blackboard directly.

3.2. Recording Lectures in Blackboard Collaborate

Blackboard Collaborate is really versatile. You can use it for synchronous seminars and lectures, but you can also use it to record asynchronous content too. The Faculty eLearning team have a very useful set of guides to this for staff and students, and they offer training and a range of other support.

3.3. Recording Lectures in Zoom

You might be familiar with Zoom because you use it for videoconferencing, however it can also be used to record videos, including recording lectures delivered using PowerPoint slides.

If you want to learn more about using Zoom in general you can click the link below, but for the purposes of this module, we recommend following the step by step video, below, produced by Dr Nicky Nielsen from Egyptology. In this video Nicky also explains how to upload videos to YouTube. This advice can be followed for any MP4 video you wish to upload, whether or not it was recorded in Zoom, Collaborate or PowerPoint.

Because this video is not owned by us, we can not provide a transcript of the text, but you can click on the "closed captions" button on the bottom right of the screen when the video is playing in full screen mode.

3.4. Recording Lectures in PowerPoint

You can record narration over your slides directly into PowerPoint. In Office 365 this can include a video of the speaker too. Most of the guidance available online is for Office 2016, but it is almost the same in Office 365 so you can follow the same steps and it will largely apply.

Make sure you export any PowerPoint with narration to turn it into an MP4. Selecting the option to "export" rather than "save as" allows you to choose the size of the file. Exporting as "internet quality" is recommended if this option is available, or, if the lecture is made of very simple text slides, with a simple narration, then the level which produces a high enough quality is the HD 720p option.

Once it is exported as an MP4 file you can then upload it to the University video portal or YouTube as described below.

3.5. Uploading recorded lectures

Once you have recorded your lecture content you could simply upload MP4 files directly to Blackboard and your students will then need to download them to view them. However if you or your students have any issues with bandwidth this option will present problems, and as a result this option is best avoided. Instead, we advise that you upload your recorded lectures to a platform from which you can then easily embed them in your teaching materials (i.e. in Blackboard, VoiceThread or Adobe Spark) or from which students can stream them directly. Colleagues commonly use the University Video Portal and YouTube (you could also use Vimeo, but we don't cover this here), and the advantage of both of these is that you can request subtitles or transcripts of your recording. We strongly advise doing this to enhance accessibility.

3.5.1. Uploading lecture content to YouTube

This is covered in the video presented by Nicky Nielsen in section 3.3, so please scroll up to watch this.

3.5.2 Uploading lecture content to the University Video Portal

The University Video Portal FAQs page has very detailed information about how to upload videos, including a step by step video that you can watch

3.6. Embedding video recordings

Once you have made recording, as described above, you can embed them within Blackboard directly. The following videos show you how.

You can also embed videos into VoiceThread. You can find more guidance here.

In this unit we have reviewed the main ways in which you can record asynchrnous lecture content, and ways in which you can make this available to your students.

However you decide to make lecture content, it is important to remember that long sections of recorded video impact negatively on active learning. Ideally you should aim to integrate chunks of 5-10 minute lecture recordings interspersed with other activities, such as those introduced in the previous unit.