Research has repeatedly shown that active learning works far better than passive learning. Videos, without any additions that prompt students to engage and think, constitute very passive learning. Fortunately, we have a tool that can include just such additions, here at UofM. While Kaltura’s In-Video Quizzing (IVQ) tool provides an easy way to quiz students on the contents of a particular video, there are a few less obvious ways to use the tool that can have a positive impact on student learning.
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You can get extra mileage out of this tool by making different choices in the quiz options or being a little creative with questions, and instead use them for ungraded knowledge-checks, for conveying context and background, or for prompting critical engagement with the content of a video. Since IVQ videos can be embedded in any text entry field in Canvas, they can be added to discussions, content pages, announcements, and more.
For example, if you want to include knowledge-checks to aid students in processing and retaining information from the video, you can do this with an adjustment to the settings of an IVQ. In the Scores menu of the quiz settings, turn on Allow Multiple Attempts. This will allow students to take the quiz multiple times. Under the Experience menu, you can also turn on an option to allow students to change their answers before submitting the quiz. Multiple attempts combined with changing answers allows students to go back over the material in the video repeatedly and adjust their answers as their understanding of the material increases. This can be very helpful for videos that have complicated subjects, or for materials that it is imperative students have mastery over before progressing.
Another possible use of IVQs is to provide context and background on the video content. One of the question types available in the IVQ is the Reflection Point. This question pauses the video and displays text that you have entered, and does not require any answer to be made before going on. This can be placed before materials needing a content warning, or to draw student attention to a particular aspect of the following segment, which they might then answer a knowledge-check question about after. Reflection Points can also provide information that is not contained in the video itself, or an alternative perspective for students to think on. Reflection Points will be most helpful when combined with answerable follow-up questions or with a discussion activity that refers back to the reflection prompts.
Adding IVQ questions for any purpose other than graded assessment will help prompt deeper engagement with the video. Ungraded questions before the video can provide insight into a student's pre-knowledge of a given subject, and asking the same questions after will tell you how much of the video content students understood and processed, and whether a follow-up activity or demonstration is called for. Open ended questions can be used to bookend a video, to guide students into an analytical mindset and then prompt students to reflect on what they have just watched. Reflection Points can be used to summarize content, ask rhetorical questions, or to direct students to the next activity after watching the video.
Helping students engage with and draw the greatest knowledge from course video is an ongoing challenge for flipped and online courses. Fortunately, the tools available to us are also advancing! A robust combination of IVQ question types can bring greater interactivity to any instructional video, and enhance the learning experience for students. If you have questions about any of the options available, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] or schedule a consultation to learn more. We’re happy to help!
References and Resources
- Reuell, Peter. Lessons in Learning. Harvard Gazette, Sept. 24, 2019.
- Video tutorial: how to connect IVQs to the gradebook, if they are to be graded at all.
