Video Assignments:
Managing large submission files
Chris Boon
Background
• Electronic submission developed for
BTEC courses
• Being used across curriculum areas
The problem
• Can we use this to hand in videos?
The scenario
• Level 2 Childcare course
• Design an active assessment which
would meet these criteria
P5: Demonstrate understanding of how to interact and communicate with adults
P6: Describe a policy in a child care setting that concerns confidentiality and the
sharing of information
M4: Explain why it is important to have a policy with respect to confidentiality
and the sharing of information in a child-care setting
The assignment
• Working in groups of three make a video
of one of these scenarios:
•
•
•
Telling a parent their child has nits
Dealing with a parent who needs a phone
number
Witnessing an accident outside the
childcare setting
The solution: #1
• Use the existing Blackboard
Assignment tool
The results: #1
• Poor user experience for students
uploading large video files
• Lecturer did not have space to
download large video files
• Blackboard course archives became
very large!
The solution: #2
• Students still upload videos to Blackboard
using Assignment tool
• Once the due date has passed ILT Team
uploads on bulk to college video system
• Lecturer watches videos on video system
• Assignment files removed from Blackboard
to save space
The video system
• Planet eStream launched at CCN
The video uploads
• Use Assignment File
Download in Grade Centre
• Bulk upload videos to
eStream with common name
tag – course ID
• Make videos private to the
lecturer
Watching the videos
The tidy up
• Use Assignment File
Cleanup in Grade Centre
The results: #2
• Poor user experience for students
uploading large video files
• Much easier for lecturer to watch videos,
but not tracked to specific student
• Course archives no longer growing
• Needs manual process from ILT Team
The solution: #3
• Students upload video to eStream
• Students use MashUp tool to add
video to Assignment
• Lecturer watches video directly in
Grade Centre
The solution: #3
• Students upload video to eStream
The solution: #3
• Students upload video to eStream
The solution: #3
• Students use MashUp tool to add
video to Assignment
The solution: #3
• Students use MashUp tool to add
video to Assignment
The solution: #3
• Students use MashUp tool to add
video to Assignment
The fix
• Embed code needed to be white listed in
Safe HTML Filter
• Go to System Admin > Safe HTML Filters
> Safe HTML Filter for Content Editor
• Download default-policy.xml; add line:
<regexp value="http[s]?://estream.ccn.ac.uk/.*" />
The solution: #3
• Lecturer watches video directly in
Grade Centre
The results: #3
• Much better user experience for
students; upload shows progress bar
• Much easier for lecturer to watch videos,
and now clearly linked to student
• Large videos not stored on Blackboard
• No assistance needed from ILT Team
The lecturer feedback
• Marking process was very simple
• Although 85% of students have a
smart phone (May 2013) some
borrowed flip cams for better quality
• Students used Microsoft Movie Maker
to add music, transitions, titles etc
The lecturer feedback
• Students with less confidence could make
audio recordings or use visual aids
• Self-selected groups allowed lecturer to get
to know group dynamics of new class
• Blackboard was invaluable in managing
submissions – 148 students in year group
The lecturer feedback
• Students enjoyed the assignment – fun ‘ice
breaker’ first task – happier to complete
subsequent written tasks
• Students complained about eStream but
actually enjoyed it more than written task in
previous year
• Students learnt technical skills: useful life
skills about video recording and editing
The improvements
• Give a time limit for videos – some took
too long to mark!
• Don’t assume ‘digital natives’ know
about video editing – more guidance
needed on file formats, sizes etc
• Try Group Assignments to avoid
duplicated uploads
Questions
Chris Boon
[email protected]
@c1boon