First, about my videos...the most popular part of my lecture videos, created in Articulate Storyline, is the use of the interactive "quiz" function. I insert questions--drag and drop, matching, multiple choice--in the material to give students an opportunity to stop and see what they have (or have not) learned. It's like an interactive lecture in a face-to-face class. In class, you might talk about a topic for a bit and then ask some questions. Online, you can embed them in the video. Students have asked for more of these "knowledge checks" in the videos. Already I include 3 to 5 in a 20-30 minute video. It's great to know my students are watching the videos and actually find them useful. The other type of video I use is made using Jing, Snag-it, or Camtasia (all increasingly powerful tools from TechSmith). I "walk" my student through a solution to an assigned problem in Excel. In accounting, the course I teach, students have to do a lot of problems. They can listen to me while watching me populate an Excel spreadsheet with the solution, pausing and rewinding the video whenever necessary. These videos aren't as fancy as my Storyline videos--no great graphics or interactivity--but they are extremely popular in my courses (both the blended and the face-to-face courses).
Second, about the timing of posting materials...one of the great benefits of online learning is the flexibility it provides students who have busy lives, many of them with full-time jobs. If we post our materials and assignments well in advance, it gives our students the ability to read ahead and work on assignments when they might have a slow time at work. If we wait until the week begins to post that week's readings and assignments, we destroy that benefit. I strongly believe it our responsibility as educators to do whatever we can to help our students learn. Believe me, this is one thing we can and should do. I am currently finishing my masters degree in instructional design, in which the majority of the courses have been online. How disappointed I am when a professor doesn't post the week's work until the week has begun! As a full time working professional, I have weeks when I am not able to dedicate as much time to my studies as other times. When a professor posts the work several weeks in advance, I am able to plan my time to maximize my learning.
So make some videos and post your material in advance. Students will thank you for both!
