“Within Acclaim, students can review presentations on their own time and easily add comments. The act of writing out their comments, while simultaneously seeing feedback from other peers and instructors, has helped students improve the quality of their constructive criticism.” — Dr. Robin Cooper, Department of Biology, University of Kentucky
Dr. Robin Cooper, Dr. Rebecca Krall, and Marjorie Buckner are instructors at the University of Kentucky, collaboratively teaching a “Presentation U!” course in Neurophysiology for biology majors. “Presentation U!” is the name of an interdisciplinary initiative at the University to offer instruction in presentation skills and public speaking to students of all majors in both the sciences and the humanities. The program boasts two unique aspects: 1) classes are co-taught by instructors from both discipline specific and communication departments, and 2) the training is geared not only towards teaching oral and written communication skills, but also towards preparing students to give multimedia presentations, which can be adapted into “learning modules” for online teaching. Robin, Rebecca, and Marjorie are using Acclaim to give feedback and support peer and self-review of learning modules developed in the course. Acclaim is currently collaborating with the three researchers to develop an article for a science journal.
[IMAGE: Student presentation w/ feedback, uploaded to Acclaim]
Acclaim: Tell us about your educational backgrounds and the Presentation U! course.
UKY: We are a team of three researchers working collaboratively to offer a multimedia course to biology majors interested in learning to design online learning modules. The course design team is composed of specialists in biology/neurophysiology, communications, and STEM Education. Dr. Robin Cooper from the Department of Biology serves as the lead instructor for the course. He meets weekly with the students enrolled in the course to share media applications, give face-to-face feedback to students, and leads the evaluation of student-developed learning modules. Ms. Marjorie M. Buckner, a doctoral student in communication, provides guidance on the effectiveness and appropriateness of presentation style. Dr. Rebecca Krall from the STEM Education Department offers guidance on design and focus of presentation content. The unique combination of instructors offers students a rich environment for exploring ways to innovate online learning. They receive rich feedback on accuracy of scientific content, educational quality, and the effectiveness and appropriateness of their presentations.
“Acclaim’s commenting feature has increased participation and facilitated rapport amongst class participants.”
The course is offered as an upper-level undergraduate seminar. The primary goal is for students to learn to develop multimedia educational modules on various disorders of clinical neurophysiology. A secondary goal is for students to reflect on their experiences designing and creating learning modules, and to critique the presentation media they use. We want students to become experts in module design, developing their expertise collaboratively in class discussions and in online interactions within Acclaim.
[VIDEO: Student presentation: Hypertonic Saline]
Acclaim: What kinds of technologies will the students be using to develop their learning modules?
UKY: Students in this course are encouraged to explore and integrate different presentation formats and digital tools. We always use Echo360 to capture the presentations. In developing their learning modules, students have made use of the following presentation tools:
- Recording Powerpoint presentations with voice-over narration.
- Using Scribe, a program which allows speakers to draw graphics in real time as they narrate, to demonstrate specific scientific processes.
- Using Camtasia, a screen recording platform, to compile relevant YouTube clips into instructional movies.
- Videotaping a student explaining a poster board presentation.
- Recording virtual presentations via Skype.
Students learn to problem solve a variety of challenges with technology. For example, many of the students were accustomed to using laser pointers to highlight specific content in a presentation. They observed that the laser pointer cannot be seen on the video recordings. To improvise, they used the computer cursor as a substitute for the laser pointer. In other examples, students had to seek alternative technology and different modalities to present their ideas when the original technology they selected failed to work effectively.
[IMAGE: Student presentation w/ feedback, uploaded to Acclaim]
Acclaim: What aspects of using video are helpful to your teaching? How does video expand your capabilities for providing students with guidance, or for fostering discussion?
UKY: The goal with both formats is for students to have a chance to receive feedback from their professors and peers on both the science presented as well as the effectiveness of the delivery format. Students practicing one of the asynchronous formats (such as Scribe) can use video to rehearse, re-record, or otherwise revise their presentations. Having this option, as well as having the time to practice and review, helps to alleviate the anxieties students commonly experience when giving oral presentations. Students who deliver presentations in real-time (e.g., Skype, or lecture with Powerpoint/Prezi), can film themselves and watch subsequently.
“Students who are ordinarily hesitant to share their ideas in class are more willing to comment on Acclaim.”
Using the comment feature on Acclaim has provided a collaborative, conversational space for productive dialogue about the pros and cons of the technologies students use, and a forum for offering constructive feedback. Acclaim’s commenting feature has increased participation and facilitated rapport amongst class participants. Students who are ordinarily hesitant to share their ideas in class are more willing to comment on Acclaim.
Moreover, the online environment encourages a more democratic, less hierarchical rapport. In the classroom, students often wait to hear what the instructor says before offering their peers feedback, perhaps weighting instructor feedback as the only feedback that counts. On Acclaim, students appear to be more empowered to share their thoughts and to view all comments with equal importance and meaning.
[IMAGE: Student presentation w/ feedback, uploaded to Acclaim]
Acclaim: Tell an interesting story or success story of using video with students. Alternately, describe an assignment in which you used Acclaim.
UKY: Using Acclaim as the feedback forum for student presentations has created an engaging, collaborative learning community where students appear comfortable both giving and receiving critical comments. All of the student presentations are posted on Acclaim, which allow students the time to adequately reflect on the content presented and technology used before delivering feedback. That students can relay ideas merely through stopping and commenting during the playback of the video, rather than having to formally deliver feedback on a discussion board after watching, not only facilitates interchange, but also increases it.
One student presented a web page he created on Google Sites, and then presented the web site to the class. Afterwards, when his peers reviewed the presentation on Acclaim, they were able to not only comment on the presentation, but also on the layout and content of the web site.
“The online environment encourages a more democratic, less hierarchical rapport.”
Acclaim: How does commenting allow students to better understand class ideas/ improve their work?
UKY: Engaging in dialogue on Acclaim has allowed students to think critically about the media their peers use in presentations as well as the science presented. In traditional face-to-face classroom discussions, students are asked to critique a presentation with limited wait time to assimilate their ideas. Within Acclaim, students can review presentations on their own time and easily add comments. The act of writing out their comments, while simultaneously seeing feedback from other peers and instructors, has helped students improve the quality of their constructive criticism.