The beginning of a session can be an anxious time for students. Where’s the classroom located? Will I have any friends in my class? What if the teacher hates me? Welcome videos (or Subject Introduction Videos as some people call them) are something we’ve been encouraging for a few years now at UTS. The idea is to create a quick 2-5 minute video introducing yourself and the class, and to place it on UTSOnline, so on the students first day of class, they already know who their teacher is and feel a little familiar with what’s going on.
This is a great opportunity to cover what will happen during the session, and to briefly introduce yourself. Some academics recommend readings or provide pre-work, others will explain some basic concepts to try and pique interest, and some will explain the subject’s importance. It’s also a great chance to remind students to read the subject outline and provide contact details as well.
Ultimately, Welcome Videos should be used as chance to create a good first impression, introduce the subject and motivate the students.
How to start
It’s recommended you first speak to a Learning Design and Technology Specialist about creating your Welcome Video. They can give you a consultation and help scope out the project for you, and if necessary they’ll put you in touch with me (IML’s Academic Video Support Officer) to assist with filming & editing the project. You can book a face-to-face meeting here with a Learning Design and Technology Specialist, or you can visit the LX.Lab during drop-in hours, open every day between 11am – 1pm.
So what will you need?
Honestly, not much! The two most popular ways are:
A) Simply going off the cuff and having a chat to a camera, just keeping a few key points in mind.
Or
B) If you’d rather a script, prepare that as well. If you’d like slides or images to appear on screen, have them prepared and send them to the video editor saying where each image will go. Here’s a useful template to help you with that process.
If you have any other requests or ideas – great! Be sure to mention it to them in your consultation, just be sure to book a face-to-face meeting with a Learning Design and Technology Specialist first.
Feeling confident?
If you’re feeling confident, you’re welcome to have a crack at making it yourself. Here’s some information and tips from the HELP pages:
- How to make a video or screencast – examples
- Shooting and uploading video to YouTube using a Smartphone or Tablet
- Preparing and optimising your video for teaching
Want some more ideas? Check this out!