Stephen McCleanSchool of Biomedical Sciences University of Ulster

Twitter: @PlanetChemistryBlog: StephenMcClean.comEmail: s.mcclean@ulster.ac.uk

Encouraging student social networking by creating and sharing laboratory reflective video documentaries 

What Prompted This Practice?We wanted to… Promote student engagement Prompt reflection on practical work Engender inclusivity in a large

year one group Provide additional skills /

enhance employability skills

Image Source: bit.ly/9JZLc2

Introductory Chemistry ‘service teaching’ module

Provides foundational chemistry for further study in biochemistry, clinical biochemistry, molecular biology etc.

Taken by students in Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Dietetics, Food and Nutrition, Human Nutrition

Average of 140+ students in each academic year

The context:

I hope she read the protocol before lab because I didn’t!

I hope he read the protocol before lab because I didn’t!

Student Engagement in the Lab

Student Engagement in the LabSocial interaction was highlighted by students as one of the better features of university laboratory classes

Students claim they sometimes do not see the relevance of practical sessions

Practicals are time & resource-intensive teaching sessions

How can we add value to the lab experience? Can we “extend the lab experience?”Collis et al 2007 Report: The Student View of 1st Year Laboratory Work in Biosciences. Centre for Bioscience. Collis et al 2008 Bioscience Education electronic Journal, volume 11.

You TubeTM has been used and evaluated as a teaching tool (Skiba, 2007; Agazio & Buckley, 2009; Jones and Cuthrell, 2011)

Auditory/verbal and visual/pictorial stimuli increase students’ memory, comprehension and deeper learning of a topic than when either stimulus is used by itself. Berk (2009)

Background….

To prompt critical reflection during and after practical classes to help students to engage better with practical work, see how the material relates to lectures and fits with the

course content as a whole

To develop a website to facilitate video sharing and social networking thereby engendering friendship networks in a large and diverse first year group

Specific Objectives…

Materials & Methods 5 x Video Cameras (though

students often used their own) 1 x Webserver Vidiscript.co.uk software

(to make a You Tube clone site) Video conversion software

(www.any-video-converter.com) Domain name

(YouTestTube.com)

Materials & Methods (continued) Students (in groups of 3 or 4) make a short (less than

10 minutes duration) video about one of their practicals

A “reflective prompt” sheet is provided to each group as to what should be included in the video

Final video is published following editing on the YouTestTube.com website

Materials & Methods (continued) Students “join” the Chemistry Practicals Group on

YouTestTube.com

Students may then view, rate & comment on their colleagues’ videos

They may also ‘make friends’ as part of the social networking aspect of the site.

A prize for the most ‘Popular’ and ‘Highly Rated’ videos.

What is this practical all about?

What skills have I developed?

How does this practical tie-in with the lectures?

How will this be important for other parts of my course? 

Reflective Prompts

What parts of the practical were difficult?

What was most/least enjoyable about the practical?

If someone else was about to conduct this experiment; what advice (about the practical) would I give them?

Reflective Prompts

Students given a tutorial on the use of Windows Live Movie Maker to edit video (available on all University computers)

Many “how to” tutorials available on You TubeTM, eg: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZZij3NNyVg

Some students chose to use other tools eg iMovie

Students given direction on how to upload the video to the YouTestTube.com site

Final Production of Video

Image source: bit.ly/Z0RTBe

http://www.youtesttube.com/

But Was it Any Good…?Feedback received from students via anonymous questionnaire

Via staff-student consultative meetings

Via evaluative comments when completing their assignment on “The YouTestTube.com Experience”

Feedback from the Ed Wood Award (Bioscience Teacher of the Year) process in 2009/10

Further evaluation in 2012/13

Evaluation Statements

Were You Initially Apprehensive About Making Videos?

Was the Camera Easy to Use?

Did You Enjoy Making Video?

Did the Process Make You Think More About the Practical?

Did You Enjoy Viewing Colleagues’ Videos?

Did You Find the YouTestTube Site Easy to Use?

Did the Exercise Help You to Make Friends?

Evaluation Statements 2008/09 Academic YearTotal respondents n = 105

McClean, Stephen and Hagan, William (2010) 'YouTestTube.com': using user-generated video to engage students. Perspectives on Pedagogy and Practice, 1 . pp. 31-39. eprints.ulster.ac.uk/19644/

Feedback from the Ed Wood Award Process

Some students (panel group and surveyed) would have liked to view the previous year’s videos.

Student panel members were hesitant to provide critical comments in a public forum but said if they privately viewed a video they would.

http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/ftp/teachaward/mcclean.pdf

Student feedback from the 2012/13 academic year….

We asked about initial impressions, positives and negatives, editing videos, new skills, challenges, social networking, impact on learning…..

Positive Comments from students…

Good way to learn from peers

Good way to get to know people in the group

Helps with understanding the practical

Useful being able to develop skills in practicals

Fun!

Negative Comments from students…Time Consuming (capturing video & editing)!

Stressful trying to capture video and do practical work

Issues with group member contributions

Some issues with technology / navigating site / uploading videos

Don’t like appearing on camera

Only get involved in the social networking because they are asked to

Other Uses of the YouTestTube site

Year 1 Bioanalytical Chemistry module, embedding and sharing videos on the topic of proteomics

MSc Students embedded, shared and discussed videos on aspects of mass spectrometry / proteomics with peers on the module

Thoughts Towards Developing Your Own Video Resource

Build your own site and host it yourself using free software such as Vidiscript or PHPMotion

Advantages: Create your own branding to a tailored video site. You have control over all content, membership of groups etc. Can be completely closed to the outside world. Set up your own blogs, discussion groups and host teaching materials. No time restriction!

Disadvantages:Requires some technical knowledge on how to set up the software and hosting of the site.

Thoughts Towards Developing Your Own Video Resource

Explore the options available on your institutional VLE

Advantages: You have control over all content, membership of groups etc. Integrates with other learning materials, familiar environment for students. Options such as Kaltura offer “campus You Tube”

Disadvantages:May be cost implications eg Kaltura.

Thoughts Towards Developing Your Own Video Resource

Develop your own channel on You Tube

Advantages: No cost. Relatively straightforward to set upNo knowledge of coding or web design requiredNo concerns about bandwidth usage or webspace.

Disadvantages:No “Group” functions on You Tube. Authentication of students may be an issue.Student perceptions of using a branded social networking site for educational use.

…. All you really need!Access to a few cameras or ask students to use their own phones / cameras (Free)

Use Windows Live Movie Maker for Editing (Free) – or similar free product

Utilise free online tutorials to support students in editing video

Ask students to bring their final videos to class on a memory stick so that everyone else can view, comment and learn from them.

Have go yourself!Image credit: bit.ly/Z0WKCj

AcknowledgementsStudents on BMS105, especially Sean Denny,Victoria Morrow and Jackelyn Scott

Kenny McCartan

Olivier Riché

Nigel McDowell

Sheryl Meskin

Sharon Malcolm

www.ulster.ac.uk/star

More about YouTestTube at:

bit.ly/ayjRw3

Image credit: bit.ly/VupF3E

Agazio, J. & Buckley, K.M. (2009) An Untapped Resource: Using YouTube in Nursing Education Nurse Educator. 34, 23-28

Berk, R.A. (2009) Multimedia Teaching with Video Clips: TV, Movies, YouTube, and mtvU in the College Classroom, International Journal of Technology in Teaching and Learning. 5, 1-21.

Collis, M., Gibson, A., Hughes, I.E., Sayers, G. & Todd, M. (2008) The Student View of 1st year Laboratory Work in the Biosciences - Score Gamma? Bioscience Education e-Journal 11 http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/journal/vol11/beej-11-2.aspx

Collis, M., Gibson, A., Hughes, I.E., Sayers, G. & Todd, M. (2007) Report: The Student View of 1st Year Laboratory Work in Biosciences., Higher Education Academy, UK Centre for Bioscience, Leeds.. Retrieved online on 8/8/11 athttp://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/themes/practicals.aspx

Jones, T. & Cuthrell, K. (2011) YouTube: Educational Potentials and Pitfalls Computers in the Schools 28, 75-85.

Skiba, D.J. (2007) Nursing Education 2.0: YouTubeTM Nursing Education Perspectives 28, 100-102.

References