By Haiyan Zhou
When teaching her course “Social Determinants of Health: China at the World,” Prof. Sara LeGrand did not have her Duke Kunshan students introducing themselves in the classroom. Instead, she asked them to individually produce a brief video and post it to Sakai.
Each student was required to include the following elements in a three-minute video:
- Background (such as your name, your hometown, your major, etc.)
- Why are you taking this course?
- What interesting things do you do during your spare time?
- What do you want to do after you graduate? What are your career goals?
At Duke University (also at DKU), the multimedia conversation tool Voicethread is integrated into Sakai, which made sharing these introductory videos simple. Students were able to record with their computer webcam, or using an app on a mobile device, directly into Voicethread. Students could practice recording before uploading the final version to share with the class. They prepared written scripts and were able to practice their English before making the final version available, which was very helpful for international ESL (English as a Second Language) students.
According to students’ reflection, creating the videos and commenting on them were both fun and effective. It is a great way to connect the instructor and students. The videos also helped the instructor to form diverse teams based on students’ interests, backgrounds, and majors. Furthermore, it prepared the students for future team video projects.
[Note: The screenshots and the video are from the course site. All rights reserved.]
