Student as a Producer: Overcoming Language and Contextual Issues of Using Online Videos

Using Videos in Classrooms: Introduction

The benefits and use of videos in management classrooms are well established (Billsberry, 2013), making it a mainstream pedagogical technique. The extensive literature on the subject discusses the advantages of using videos in management teaching, that is, specific video clips that can be used and how those videos can be effectively used (see Appendix A for a discussion of how videos have been used effectively in teaching). However, using videos can present many challenges to teachers in international classrooms, and if not used effectively, the advantages of using videos can be lost.

Online Videos: A Challenge to Nonnative English-Speaking Students

Even though the availability of abundant online videos in platforms such as YouTube makes it easier to access and use videos for many subject areas, these videos can have several issues that need careful consideration by teachers in an international context. First, the many videos available online are produced mostly by native English-speaking countries and present complex language (with certain jargon or slang), with the accent of native English speakers. Moreover, many videos move at a pace difficult for nonnative speakers to follow. These issues related to language, termed language load by Meyer (2000), make it difficult for nonnative English speakers to understand the meanings conveyed in these videos. Second, finding videos that match the subject and the context for a nonnative English-speaking group of students is not easy. Meanings are embedded in contexts, and these meanings and usage of words are determined by the linguistic settings of cultures (culture load; Meyer, 2000). Hence, when the contexts in the videos are different from the local context, it is difficult for students to understand the message that the video—and the teacher—are trying to convey and to relate to the content of the video. Moreover, finding online videos for country-/context-specific technical subjects such as “labor relations” or “business law,” where legislation of the country is part of the content, can be very difficult.

Against this background, I was skeptical and questioned the effectiveness of using existing online videos as a teaching resource to present content and instigate discussions with a nonnative English-speaking group of MBA students in a main national university in Sri Lanka, a South Asian country, where I teach the subject “Labor Relations.” While these MBA students were native Sinhalese or Tamil speakers and English was their second language, the course was conducted in English. The subject “Labor Relations” entails a considerable amount of content on local labor legislation and employee relations. Hence, finding online videos that match the language, content of the course, as well as the local context was difficult.

By introducing student-produced videos as an interesting and novel educational assignment, I was able to solve the language and context issues of using online videos. The videos students produced as their assignment used English in a way nonnative English speakers can easily understand, or they used native language with English subtitles, making it easier for students in subsequent classes to comprehend and engage in more meaningful and effective discussions and learning based on the videos. These videos were also context specific—taking the local workplace issues, labor law of the country, and local court cases and judgments into consideration. Hence, students were able to clearly link and comprehend how the theories and legislation learned in the class relate to real workplace labor relations.

Implementing the Assignment

As their assignment, students were asked to produce a short video clip on a selected topic (from the subject areas taught in the class) in groups of five to six students, with the following learning objectives to be achieved by the end of the assignment:

Students were given detailed instructions on carrying out the assignment together with the assessment criteria (see Appendix B for the instructional handout together with the relevant consent forms; also available online as supplementary material). They were specifically encouraged to use the resources that they had at hand (e.g., digital cameras, camera-equipped mobile phones, video editing software built into Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh operating systems, as well as students themselves acting in the video) to reduce the cost of production and increase the learning experience. Students were given time to seek clarification about the assignment from me, and my availability to discuss the assignment, provide clarification, or give feedback on the scripts was clearly communicated. They were given 8 weeks to complete their assignment, providing them sufficient time to research and produce the video.

Almost all the groups actively sought my feedback and were engaged in research and fact-finding in writing their scripts. Some groups emailed me their scripts, and I was able to give them feedback on the content and facts presented. I did not comment on the creative aspect of the video. I tried in my feedback to help groups correct theoretical and legal facts and focus on highlighting important aspects, thus improving the quality of their scripts. Students then submitted their videos on DVDs on the deadline. The DVDs were numbered for evaluation purposes, and the date for the viewing of the videos (movie day) was communicated to students.

Evaluating the Assignment

In an attempt to make the assignment more student-focused, I also introduced peer and instructor evaluation to the assignment. Because the assignment was a summative evaluation and more creative in nature, I realized by involving peers in the evaluation of the assignment, I could make the process more meaningful and fair for students. Hence, on the movie day, all the videos were uploaded to the computer, and the whole class sat down to watch their work.

Both students and I evaluated the videos, dividing the total marks equally. An evaluation sheet with clear instructions was given to all students (Appendix C; also available online as supplementary material). Students were not allowed to evaluate their own video. I, too, used the same evaluation sheet for assessment. The total of the average of the peer evaluation and my evaluation was used as the assignment marks for the videos.

Benefits Gained

Student feedback about the assignment was very positive. There clearly was a very active engagement of students in the assignment, with no room for copying or plagiarism. Not only did the assignment enhance the current students’ learning through their engagement in producing the video as well as by watching each other’s videos, it also provided me with a good collection of videos to use in my future classes.

In developing their story/case/documentary and writing their script, students had to first research the chosen area well. This research involved additional reading on the topic, having discussions, and seeking clarification from me; most important, it involved interacting and engaging in discussion with managers, government officials, judges, and other parties. This whole process led to deeper learning of the subject matter as well as greater insight into labor relations concepts and issues in organizations. Students were better able to identify and understand the diversity and complexity of labor relations problems in organizations and could relate these issues to their classroom learning. They were also able to articulate the learnings and apply them to real organizational situations in different ways. Students had to play many roles such as researcher, writer, camera operator, narrator, and even actor, improving an array of skills such as research, communication, creativity, collaborative work, use of technology, and critical thinking.

All in all, the assignment led to deeper learning through more active, constructive, and/or interactive modes of engagements, as recommended by Chi (2009). By searching and activating their existing knowledge, students became active (Chi, 2009). At the same time, by finding new information, integrating new information with existing knowledge, connecting their existing knowledge to practice, and creating a coherent storyline, students became constructive (Chi, 2009). Finally, by interacting with group members, relevant officials (interviewees) and me, students engaged in confrontation, argumentation, co-creation of meaning, and defending their stand and became interactive (Chi, 2009).

Ideas for Possible Improvements

The movie day being the last day of the course for the students, the videos provided a brief summary of almost all the topics taught. However, peer evaluation and time constraints did not allow for class discussions on the content of the videos to be conducted among the students after the screening. Such a discussion would have increased the educational value of the videos for the students. Therefore, the movie day can be scheduled a few class periods earlier than the last day of the course, and the subsequent class can be used to discuss content issues and best results as well as students’ experiences in linking theory to practice. Furthermore, after the movie day, the videos can be uploaded to the course site of the Learning Management System (LMS) and made available for students and me for comments and feedback, which will lead to continuation of their learning from the videos.

For many students, this assignment was the first time they were engaged in the production of a video, and hence they had to face various issues and learn from mistakes. To make the process of video production more effective, students can be encouraged to initiate an online discussion among themselves to share knowledge. Appendix D presents an example of how a group of students successfully used technology to produce their video. Students can share the problems they encountered during the video production and post feedback to each other. These discussions and the feedback can also be used more formally as a process of peer feedback, which has a greater potential for learning than peer evaluation used for grading (Liu & Carless, 2006). This process of peer discussion and feedback, used together with peer evaluation for grading, can provide a balanced and more pragmatic learning and assessment experience for students (Liu & Carless, 2006).

In addition, assessment criteria can be developed further. Students can be asked to submit criteria for a “good” video, or I can ask them to answer the questions—“How would you judge a video to be effective? What are the points we all should consider?”—and use their answers as the basis to develop more effective assessment criteria.

As Schultz and Quinn (2014) suggest, initial in-class training of few hours on how to use relevant technology, such as digital camcorder and editing software, would further improve the quality of the videos. Additionally, to make the class discussions based on videos more effective, the students producing the videos can be asked to develop discussion questions themselves based on their scripts. Following the work of Stigler, Geller, and Givvin (2015), I can use the LMS to post the videos together with the discussion questions and get students to answer them on the LMS as homework for more active engagement of students with the videos.

While I have explained the use the video assignments with MBA students, the same assignment can be implemented effectively and successfully with undergraduate students in a wide variety of management courses.

Conclusion

By introducing student-produced videos as an assignment, I was able to overcome the language and context issues of using online videos with nonnative English-speaking students, while also engaging students in a more active and deeper learning of the subject matter. Student-produced videos used language and context in a manner that was easy for nonnative English-speaking students to comprehend and relate to, promoting more effective discussions and learning. At the same time, producing a video as an assignment led students to gain a deeper understanding of the subject-related concepts, helping them connect theory to practice through active, constructive, and interactive engagement with learning (Chi, 2009). Finally, peer evaluation of the videos made the assignment more meaningful and the evaluation fairer.