PHASE 2 - Creation and adaptation of educational resources and tools

To design a distance learning course, it is not enough to transfer the content of a face-to-face course to a digital format.

The teacher is indeed supposed to adapt existing resources and/or create others, especially when they are intended for asynchronous learning. In the latter case, the student uses the resources in a process of self-learning in the absence of the teacher. If these resources are not well designed and constructed, the asynchronous process will be compromised

Adapting a resource may require one or more of the following actions:

• Edit its content
• Change its format
• Add audio-visual components to energize it
• Make it interactive
• etc.

• In order to facilitate work in sub-groups, divide the tutorial sheet containing 20 exercises into four sheets of five exercises each.
• To help students prepare an asynchronous lesson, send a PowerPoint presentation with voiceover to explain it.
• Transform a PDF document into a multimedia format to make the content more attractive and more conducive to interaction.
• In face-to-face, it is customary to show a YouTube video in class while commenting on it. When transferring to online teaching, it is possible to ask students to watch the video asynchronously at home. It is therefore recommended to make it interactive by adding annotations and quizzes.

• PowerPoint for enriched presentations.
• The tools needed to produce the video and promote interactivity will be explained in the following sections.

• The adaptation of resources is not an aesthetic or artistic matter. It is above all a pedagogical action aimed at optimizing resources to achieve learning outcomes.
• It is desirable not to overload resources and keep the main thing. Do not hesitate to leave aside content deemed superfluous or that will increase the resources used asynchronously.
• Respect copyright when using materials produced by others. Quotes will accompany any borrowed content.
• The teacher can place the resources he has produced under a free license such as Creative Commons when he makes them available to learners.

A video capsule is a short video sequence that must be scripted to allow the development of an idea, a notion or a theme. Synchronously, a video can be used to explain a rule, summarize a lesson, complete explanations, arouse interest, take stock or correct exercises.

Asynchronously, video is an important resource for the autonomous acquisition of knowledge. By judiciously combining the auditory and the visual, a video will promote student engagement more than a simple document to read.

The steps for making a video clip are:

• Preparation/Scripting: Prepare the speech, plan the audio-visual content of the sequences (storyboard). Also choose the recording tools and environment.
• Recording: multiple takes can be made.
• Editing: The video is edited to cut, combine, choose the right take, add music, insert transitions, etc.
• Sharing: making the video available.

Several types of videos can be made:

• Scrolling slides with a voiceover.
• Slides with a “talking head” where the teacher appears explaining.
• In the field: the teacher can, for example, take a video selfie in a construction site or a laboratory.
• Board: the teacher or an animated hand is writing on a whiteboard, for example.
• Interview, documentary, etc.

Video can also be used to record student activity during learning (in the lab, for example). It will then support the self-assessment of the student, or help the teacher to measure the achievement of the results expected by the students.

The teacher can also use clips capsules to introduce the course and the modules.

• PowerPoint is the easiest tool to make slide-based videos with or without a “talking head”
• Different tools can be used during the stages of making a video clip
• Tools for preparation: a simple document for the storyboard, PowerPoint for the slides and the script that goes with it
• Tools for recording : PowerPoint, OBS Studio
• Tools for editing: PowerPoint, OpenShot
• Sharing: One Drive

• Prepare a full script of the speech to facilitate recording later.
• Choose a quiet, well-lit environment for recording.
• Produce good quality video capsules (sound, adapted flow, good articulation, relevant and complete content).
• Limit the duration to less than ten minutes. When the content is larger, it is advisable to segment it into several capsules. This increases the chances of being viewed and therefore student engagement.
• In an instructional video, it is more effective to use audio than text and to favor graphics more than text to accompany audio narration.
• Respect the following three principles:
1. Principle of coherence : limit yourself to essential content and directly related to the learning outcomes. Perform a “weeding” removing any superfluous or flashy content like unnecessary music and complex backgrounds. Video is not a work of art but an educational tool.
2. Principle of personalization : adopt simple language and an enthusiastic tone and avoid any monotony to arouse the interest of learners.
3. Principle of redundancy : eliminate redundancies for more efficient multimedia support.
• In order to avoid obsolescence of the capsule, make sure to delete any content that will require updating at each session.
• In asynchronous mode, it is preferable that the video capsule be part of a more elaborate activity or assignment. Thus, the viewing of the capsule will have a clear objective that will stimulate the learner's commitment.
• Avoid dropping the capsule directly into Moodle. It is possible to share it on Microsoft Stream or One Drive.

To ensure active learning, interaction is essential. In face-to-face, it is obtained when the teacher interrupts an explanation to ask a question, for example. Asynchronously, the teacher can add options to the resources allowing the student to interact with the resource (control the progress of a video) and to have automatic feedback. These augmented resources are said to be interactive.

Before sharing a video with your students, create an interactive activity on Moodle type H5P.

• Divide the video into three chapters and insert a quiz per chapter. Thus, during the viewing, the learner can choose the chapter to view, navigate at will between the chapters, and at the end of each chapter, a quiz will automatically appear on the screen where he can test the knowledge he comes from. to acquire.
• Before sharing a text with students, it is possible to make it interactive on Moodle by inviting them to highlight the words relating to a given subject.

The H5P tool to add an interactive activity on Moodle (video, text, or interactive images).

• Add signage to the video capsules: that is, indications (text, colors, etc.) that appear during viewing and draw the learner's attention to the essential information or to the way of processing information.
• A video capsule becomes more effective when the learner has control over access to the different sections, and when he can self-assess his achievements through integrated quizzes.

The accompanying resources contain indications and instructions on the progress of the course and the activities. Although they do not contain information directly related to the subject of study, they are essential for an online course. This is even more necessary in asynchronous learning to avoid possible confusion.

Example of simple instructions for introducing an activity:

• Read the text NAME OF THE TEXT and make a summary in 5 points while specifying the duration of reading
• Watch the NAME OF THE CAPSULE video capsule which lasts x mn (in the NAME OF THE SECTION section) and answer the questionnaire NAME OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE

Example of technical instructions to display on the screen for group work

• Produce a short welcome video and introduction to the course.
• Communicate a course plan indicating, among other things, the dates of synchronous sessions, planned activities and assessments, etc.
• Write down the objectives and expected results for each module.
• Write clear instructions on the progress and expected outcome of each activity or evaluation (number of pages, report format, delivery dates, etc.)
• Write instructions on the conduct of synchronous sessions and the tools and resources that learners must prepare.
• Clear instructions will avoid recurring requests from learners who ask for details and clarifications.

To prepare for an assessment, several resources will be needed:

• Content instructions: quiz questions, subject of the exam, the documents that will be analyzed, the article that will be commented on and summarized, etc.
• Logistical instructions: containing the deadline, the format of the report, the order of presentation for oral presentations, measures against plagiarism, etc.
• The evaluation grid communicated to learners so that they are aware of the evaluation criteria and the distribution of the mark.
• The correction if necessary.
• Feedback, which is oral or written feedback that the teacher provides to the learner following the assessment.

Feedback can be automated in Moodle quizzes.

• Ensure that the questions are clear and related to the learning outcomes.
• Feedback should highlight learner strengths and areas for improvement.
• Clear instructions will avoid recurring requests by learners who ask for details and clarifications.