Professional Development Course for Online Teaching and the Production and Use of Instructor-Produced Video

Introduction

College instructors are increasingly faced with moving from teaching face-to-face (F2F) to an online environment, usually through a course management system (CMS). The use of instructor-produced video is suggested as one way to deliver the content within a CMS, a means that provides customized and personalized instruction for content but also media that supports marketing, orientation, formative assessment, and course closure purposes. The chapter provides a design for a hybrid online professional development course with instructor feedback on how to produce and use instructional video in online courses. Instructional design prompts are used to re-examine assumptions behind course teaching decisions.

This section briefly issues behind online higher education PD in higher education and the use of video for instruction. The chapter describes six online PD modules to be delivered within an institution’s CMS. An introductory module briefs participants on the online course and their responsibilities. Module 1 summarizes the challenges faced by instructors who have little or no experience teaching online. The module discusses opportunities provided by the use of video in online settings; in particular, re-examining learning outcomes, the nature of content, the range of students, and the contextual realities of the learning setting. Module 2 addresses key instructional design decisions that need to be made before designing and implementing any teaching. Module 3 focuses on participants producing video using a screencast product to record video and audio, video editing, and post-production. Module 4 discusses how to use self-produced videos in both blended and online courses. Module 5 suggests features for sustained professional development beyond this online course. The chapter concludes with suggestions for administrators, staff, and instructors who will be taking the course. Research opportunities are suggested.