Biology

Video Lectures
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Video Lectures

Popular instructional videos have such different styles, and there is no consensus in research about how to make the most effective instructional videos (Renkl, 2021). Videos can differ in whether or not we can see the instructor, presenting text as spoken and/or printed, and the overall layout. Sometimes, the layout is dependent on the topic. Math courses often have worked examples, and topics in the humanities may be presented as narratives. Table 1 is a non-exhaustive list of videos from well-received YouTube channels.

Reasons to Use (or to Avoid Using) an Image

Reasons to Use (or to Avoid Using) an Image

Images can be effective for explaining concepts that cannot be described adequately in words alone (Ainsworth & Loizou, 2003). The terms “image,” “picture,” and “graphic” in this post refer to static visual representations that include, but are not limited to, drawings, photographs, microscope images, and screenshots. Choosing images to include in the course material is not trivial because having more pictures does not always mean better learning.

Improve the Use of Images

Improve the Use of Images

When incorporating an image into educational material, the first step is to evaluate whether the image is relevant to the learning objectives and has non-redundant information. Having decided to use an image, there are additional details to think about to improve communication through the image. The self-explanatory aspect of each image is especially important in Open Learning because students navigate the educational materials on their own, with minimal guidance from an instructor to interpret each image.

Student-Generated Drawings

Student-Generated Drawings

Incorporating drawing as a learning activity to accompany textual information can be helpful for meeting learning outcomes compared to no drawing (Leutner & Schmeck, 2021). According to the drawing principle, the exercise of drawing allows students to engage in generative processing (Leutner & Schmeck, 2021) of text by establishing complex spatial relationships (Fiorella & Mayer, 2021).

Giving Feedback to Students

Giving Feedback to Students

Feedback is a signal to learners to let them know whether they are on the right track in meeting the course objectives and to correct faulty knowledge. In Open Learning, students have the opportunity to obtain feedback from the instructor as well as from interactive media. Examples of such interactive media are D2L/Moodle-based questionnaires, H5P (embedded in Pressbooks), WeBWorK, and Lyryx.

Animations

Animations

Let’s define “animation” as a medium that changes over time (i.e. dynamic) and appeals to the visual channel. Thus, animations can include cartoons depicting abstract topics or a video recording of the instructor demonstrating a procedure. Animations are suitable for subject matter that is dynamic, complex, and unfamiliar (Lowe et al., 2021) — such as showing velocity or acceleration (Ploetzner et al., 2020). Velocity and acceleration, which can be tough to describe in words, can be animated as how quickly an object is moving and in which direction.

Style of Language — Formal Versus Conversational
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Style of Language — Formal Versus Conversational

The style of language refers to the manner of speaking of the instructor or on-screen agent as well as the manner of written instructions. Formal tone speaks from the third-person perspective, while a conversational tone speaks from the first- or second-person perspective to reference the learner explicitly. Instructions given in a direct tone sound commanding; however, when delivered in a polite tone, they may be reworded as suggestions or questions.