Video Content – Management and Use

If you plan on using video content in your course, do you have a plan for how you will manage your video content for quality, storage, and accessibility? Even if you are already using video in your courses, you should consider the same management and use needs as new video content users.

Establishing a video management plan will help you keep any videos included in your course relevant, accessible, and easy to manage from semester to semester. Some questions to consider when using videos in your course include: 

• What is the purpose of the video in this course? 
• Who owns the video? 
• How do you plan on recording your own videos? 
• Where are your videos stored? 
• Where and how do students access these videos? 
• Are the videos accurately closed captioned? 
• Is the video content still relevant (when reusing a video from semester to semester)? 
• If the video is accessed by a link, is the still active for students to access the content (especially when reusing a video from semester to semester)? 

What is the purpose of the video in this course?

Like with any technology in a course, videos should be used with a purpose, not just for the sake of including them. Identifying the purpose of the video in your course helps ensure that the video content aligns with module-level objectives and assists students with content comprehension. If you have multiple videos that serve identical purposes, you may want to identify a single video to keep in the course so that students can focus their time on the information in one video instead of on the same information over three videos. 

Who owns the video?

Did you create the video or are you using video content from another resource? If you are using content from another resource, it is important to be aware of the copyright use and accessibility features of the video. Many instructors use publisher content, so it is important to review the quality and accessibility of content that you have not created. If you own the video, you will have the opportunity to address quality and accessibility yourself, or with the assistance of an instructional designer.

If you are using online videos, such as from YouTube, please be aware of the limitations of video use from YouTube, such as copyright, close caption accessibility needs, and the reliability (or lack of reliability) that the YouTube link with remain stable. This is particularly true of reusing video content from semester to semester. See the topics below for more detail.

How do you plan on recording your own videos?

If you have not yet created your own videos in the course but plan to do so, have you decided what software you plan to use? The software you intend to use may be decided by what elements you wish to include in your video as well as your comfort level with video technology. Salisbury University provides Panopto, a lecture capture software that can be used on SU or personal computers, tablets, and phones by faculty, staff, and students alike. The software is free to use when associated with your SU account. Panopto allows for many uses such as to capture video, or capture a Powerpoint as you narrate it and/or annotate it, upload an existing video, and even add quiz questions for interactive knowledge checks as students video the video content.

You may choose to use other software that is not supported by ID&D, but that you may be more familiar with on your own device or you may also choose to record video directly within MyClasses using the Media Recorder.

If you are comfortable with video editing, you may decide to use a more advanced video editing software, such as Camtasia, which is available on all Faculty Studio (AC 221) computers for faculty use, or Adobe Premiere Pro (part of Adobe Creative Cloud), which is available through the Software Center or the IT HelpDesk.

Once you know what recording software you plan to use, you can create content for your course using video recording best practices, you will then want to consider where your video content will be stored and how students access the video content.

Where are your videos stored?

If you are creating your own video content, please be aware that there are storage limits for files in MyClasses Courses and User accounts. If you intend to include multiple large video files, you will need to use a video hosting website. You can use Panopto to upload MP4 videos that you create in other software, if you wish to host your videos online and embed them into MyClasses using this tool. If you choose to use another video hosting tool (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo, ScreenPal), you can link to your videos in your course as needed. However, when using a web-based cloud hosting solution, you will want to be aware of the permission settings for that site.

Where and how do students access these videos?

Okay - you have created or selected your videos, but have you decided how and where students will access them? Will they be accessed through a publisher website? Will they be included in the course itself via a link, or directly embedded on a page, surrounded by context? Have you granted viewing rights to students based on where the videos are stored (such as through Panopto, OneDrive, DropBox, Google Drive)? Being aware of your delivery and audience permissions will allow for an easy viewing experience during the course. Feel free to reach out to your instructional designer liaison to help test your video content prior to the beginning of the semester.

Are the videos accurately closed captioned?

Closed captions are an important part of video creation. Videos are not usable by all students if accessibility needs are not addressed. Instructional content in your course, whether it is required or optional, will need to be closed captioned for students who have identified themselves through the Disability Resource Center. If you have an .srt captions file and are recording videos using the media recorder, you can upload the file to the video within MyClasses. If you are using Panopto to host your videos, you can add automatic speech recognition (ASR) closed captions to your Panopto video.

Many publishers have provided ADA complaint videos in their available content, but you will still want to ensure that any videos you are using in your course are ADA compliant.

If you are using YouTube videos, you will want to search for and use YouTube videos with quality closed captions. You will want to review the YouTube videos you select to ensure that the captions reflect the spoken words correctly so that meaning is not lost, and they should include contextual information relevant to the content (such as speaker information for multiple voices and audio or sound effects). 

Is the video content still relevant and available (especially when reusing a video from semester to semester)?

When reusing any content from semester to semester, it is good practice to review the content to ensure that it is still accurate and still available for use. When you are linking to outside videos, such as YouTube videos, be aware that video links, webpages, or user accounts may be removed or deactivated for a number of reasons. This may lead to "dead" links in your course. Best practice requires consistent monitoring of the content to ensure it is still available for use. You can check you course links using the link validator in MyClasses when copying content from semester to semester, but remember to also verifying links to outside resources included in any PowerPoints or Word documents. Even if you verify content when you copy it over, you may consider going back and rechecking links embedded in upcoming modules before they are made available to students because even if a link was active when content was copied over, it may have since been deactivated (such as a link that was active in September becoming invalid in October of the same semester). Selecting quality content from reliable sources (such as TedEd or Kahn Academy videos) reduces the likelihood of link deactivation.

If you teach content where the topic changes based on society, you may also be more concerned about the relevancy of your content than someone who teaches a topic that is more stable in terms of content.

If you plan on recording your own video content, you can ensure that your videos are reusable by planning what you include in them and how they are recorded and delivered. Review the guide about best practices for creating quality instructional videos for your course to review the tips that can lead to a reusable resource for your course.