Using a mix of resources he borrowed from the Canisius College Media Center and supplies from his own research lab and recording gear, Jonathan O’Brien, PhD, has set up a make-shift television studio from which to broadcast his lectures.
“I knew from prior experience that audiences connect much better when they can see your face,” says the associate professor of biology. “So I record all my lectures as a mix of PowerPoint slides, animations and cuts of myself presenting the material.”
The green screen, O’Brien explains, is a backdrop for the recordings and enables him to change the backgrounds during the editing process in Adobe Premier Pro. O’Brien uploads the completed videos to a YouTube account and then links them to D2L.
“My goal is to keep the learning experience as engaging and informative as possible for the students,” O’Brien continues. “The setup allows us to have a bit of fun while presenting material that could otherwise be rather dry or difficult. “It is probably a bit more effort than other lecture recording tools and methods but so far, the students seem to like and appreciate the the results.”
Submitted by: College Communications
