Video lectures are where students see and hear from faculty, as if they are in a classroom participating in a lecture. High quality recordings are important for student engagement and learning and are expected for all lectures and courses. 


Recommended Preparation for Quality Lectures

  • If using visual aids such as PowerPoint slides, images, or documents, prepare them in advance. Proof them for proper spelling, clear and legible fonts, clear and visible images, etc. Have all documents, slides, and images open and ready before you record. 
  • Consider your background:
    • Make sure your background is appropriate and limited in distractions for academic audiences
    • Bookshelves and simple walls make good backgrounds for video recording. 
    • Open doors and windows with natural light coming in do NOT make good backgrounds
    • Lighting should not come from behind you for video recording, as it will create a dark foreground and shadowed face
  • Consider your foreground: 
    • Clear clutter that may be captured on screen in front of you such as drinks, food, papers, books, etc. 
    • If lighting conditions are not ideal, add a desk lamp, ring light, or window with natural light in front of you behind the camera (note that LED lights can sometimes cause flickering on a recording)
  • Rehearse your material:
    • While you can edit out bloopers, you will produce more consistent and quality videos if you rehearse your material before recording
    • Try not to read all of your material as a script - eye contact with the camera has a similar effect as eye contact in person
    • Rehearse any transitions between screens, documents, or images (you can edit these moments out if needed)

Recommendations for Accessibility
  • If you have visual aids in your videos, consider attaching them in Moodle separately for students to look at on their own pace
  • Make visual aids high color contrast, and keep fonts large and simple; do not include too many words on a slide 
  • If you can, attach or provide a transcription of your video (unfortunately, MediaSite does not automatically create these, but there are other options if you do not start with a script)
  • Changing the playback speed is an automatic option for those viewing recordings, but clear annunciated speech using plain and proper English language is important

Recommendations for Shelf Life

  • If you plan to use your video lecture content more than once, it is important to consider elements that contribute to longer shelf life. 
  • Do not state the date, month, or year in your lecture. Instead, include an introductory slide that can easily be swapped out for the next use of the lecture.
  • Do not make comments on current events such as weather conditions, news stories, or other timely statements that will be out of context if used in another term. 
  • Dress neutrally and not season specific. A heavy sweater stands out in a summer course term. 
  • Do not reference specific assignments in lectures. Assessment of learning can sometimes change term to term or course to course, so avoid making reference to upcoming assignments or reviewing assignment descriptions in lecture videos. 
  • It is recommended that video lectures be created with a maximum shelf life of 3-5 years. Beyond this, despite best intentions and planning, videos or content within begin to appear dated. Even if the content doesn't change, you may want to consider re-recording lectures beyond their maximum shelf life. 


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