For
online discussions, more college and university classes are replacing or
supplementing traditional threaded text forums with short video presentations.
Sharing questions or arguments via video is seen as more “authentic” and more
conducive to building community, according to a recent article on EdSurge.
In course evaluations, students say that watching videos of their
classmates enhances a feeling of connectedness. One stated that responding by
video rather than writing made her “more accountable” for her words and
message.
There are free tools available to facilitate creation of threaded
video chats that are only accessible by a course’s instructors and students.
Some course-managements systems also let students submit videos, audio, or text
for their assignments.
However, the idea isn’t to simply forgo text for video. Threaded
text discussions and written essays remain part of many classes, so students
still get experience putting their thoughts into writing.
