2009 Canadian e-Learning Conference Program

Creating an Animated Tutorial for the Online Classroom Using an Open Source Software

Session Title: Creating an Animated Tutorial for the Online Classroom Using an Open Source Software

Resources:

Time & Date: 11:00 A.M. – 12:35 P.M., Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Location: Rm. 302, Dodson Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (IKBLC)

Session Description: One difficulty of teaching online is clearing up misconceptions that students may have with various concepts in as few words as possible. Often it is difficult to communicate the response without adding to the confusion, especially knowing that a few minutes with the right words and visual aids can clear up many problems. This problem surfaces repeatedly during our teaching of the online version of an introductory microbiology course. The example that will be demonstrated is an assignment dealing with transcription and translation in which many students were having issues with which DNA strand produced the mRNA transcript. This type of issue can be handled very easily in the classroom, but requires a great deal of words to explain through a discussion board or email, often adding to the confusion of the students. Our solution was the creation of “mini-tutorials” through the use of CamStudio, an open source screen capture software that allows one to deliver a narrated lecture from one’s own computer, displaying any visual aids that can help with explaining the solution. The resulting video was subsequently posted to YouTube for display to the online classroom. The process requires minimal expertise aside from basic computer skills, and it does not require a great deal of time to go from conception of a mini-tutorial to implementation for publishing.

Conference Stream: Open, Connected, & Social

Presentation Format: Hands-On Workshop

Presenter: Helmut Kae

Presenter Bio: Helmut is an instructor of Microbiology at Leeward Community College, Pearl City, Hawai’i. He has developed an online Introductory Microbiology course beginning Fall 2008.

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