Catching the Wave or Drowning in the Surf? Production Efficiency, Quality, and Pedagogical Value of Video Teaching.

Following increasing demand from students, institutions, and organizations, there is a considerable push for lecturers to incorporate video in their teaching practice. The Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (RESULT) assists faculty across UiT The Arctic University of Norway in the design, development, and production of video material. Many of the faculty we work with embrace the possibilities of video teaching with enthusiasm. However, the majority of lecturers approach the task of creating and implementing videos in their teaching with a certain apprehension. For many lecturers, incorporating video in their teaching practice can be challenging. On a conceptual level, some may perceive video as a threat to the integrity of their role as subject experts and teachers, or not fitting with their idea of teaching as a process. One an affective level, some may have fears about stepping out of their personal comfort zone, or concerns about changing and experimenting with the established teaching practice. Combined with lack of time and academic resources, this often results in lecturers approaching the task of video planning and production at a rather superficial level. In practice, this typically means following the path of least resistance by staying close to the conventional face-to-face teaching format. In other words, simply transposing the traditional ‘frontal’ lecture format to video. This is done with little consideration as to how and why the material is to be implemented in the instructional design, or indeed whether video is the format most suited for the given purpose. In our experience as faculty developers and educational technologists, the apparent apprehension often stems from a lack of experience, knowledge, and understanding of video as a format. Unfortunately, because of the pressure to produce more video material, we are left with little room to engage in pre-production dialogue and training that would support and challenge lecturers into seeing the potential and exploring the opportunities of video teaching. Thus, we end up perpetuating the practice of producing videos that are merely screen versions of standard lectures. The workshop is based on the premise that video production efficiency and pedagogical value, requires a certain level of competence, knowledge, and motivation on the part of the individuals both in front of and behind the camera, centering on the following question: Instead of simply “going through the motions”, how can we create a situation where the average lecturer sees the pedagogical relevance and better exploits the potential of video teaching?