Join the microlecture video revolution with Lessonbank

With Lessonbank, teachers can break down their class lectures in to smaller microlectures that focus on a single key concept. Lessonbank microlecture videos offer three important instructional features--backed by the latest cognitive science--to tackle the inadequacies of traditional full-length class videos:

1. Lessonbank microlectures are short and concise videos that cover individual topics (think standards). The duration of a microlecture is generally less than 10 minutes. Compared with traditional instructional videos that record a class session that is 45 minutes or longer, microlectures have the advantage of acknowledging the limited attention spans of students. Research suggests that shorter educational videos promote learning engagement, whereas learning activities that use longer videos result in significantly decreased engagement (1). However, the brevity of the form does not suggest a reduction in instructional effectiveness. The design of a microlecture emphasizes the incorporation of a complete set of course components that are aligned and work together to create a meaningful learning experience for students.
   
   

2. Lessonbank microlectures that feature the instructor can improve the online learning experience..  According to social agency theory, seeing the instructor helps students feel that the instructor is providing direct instruction, producing a feeling of connection to the instructor and the course, which contributes to students' persistence and retention--especially when students attend class remotely (2).  Empirical research has found that seeing the instructor in videos can increase students' perceived learning and satisfaction in courses, and students experience a significantly lower level of mental effort when the instructor is "present" in a video that covers a difficult topic (3).
   
   

3. Lessonbank microlectures facilitate active learning. Traditional instructional videos focus on transmissionist approaches in which instructors deliver teaching by telling, using a lecture capture platform (4).  In comparison, microlectures feature constructivist approaches that encourage students to confront misconceptions and connect new information to existing knowledge and experiences, supporting students' reconstructing their mental models based on more accurate understanding (5).  Empirical research have found that active learning improves student performance (6). While active learning benefits all students, it significantly impacts female students' performance--nearly eliminating the gender gap altogether (7).  Adopting effective active learning approaches to adapt to different instructional modalities is the most robust, dynamic feature that can help microlectures outperform other types of instructional videos. Several active learning approaches can be interspersed into a microlecture with the support of various technologies.  With Lessonbank, teachers can facilitate active learning with a couple clicks of a button.

Active Learning Approaches to Use with Lessonbank Microlectures

The goal of interspersing microlectures with active learning is to increase student engagement. Student accountability for engagement should be part of the approach because students might not otherwise watch a microlecture (8). Combining pause points with interactive quizzes, tasks requiring written responses, or taking notes can provide observable evidence to check student engagement.

• Building in Pause Points. We suggest pausing for one or two minutes after each microlecture to assign meaningful learning tasks—such as an assignment or assessment—to help guide the target learning objectives (9). These pauses between microlectures provide students with an opportunity to clarify their understanding of the presented information--which been shown to significantly increase learning when compared with lectures without pauses (10)
  
  

• Embedding Interactive Quizzes. We suggest embedding quizzes at a specific pause points to assess learning and comprehension.  Because Lessonbank was built for the Google Workspace for Education Platform and integrates with Google Classroom and Practice Sets, teachers can use their familiar Google tools to deliver online quizzes, provide feedbacs, return grades, provide correct answers for review, and provide explanations to correct answers. Empirical research reveals that video lectures that are coupled with interactive quizzes can significantly increase learning performance when compared with video lectures without quizzes (11).
  
  

• Assigning Tasks That Require Written Responses. We suggest assigning tasks at a specific pause point and require students to submit their responses. The task can be as simple as asking students to ask a question in Lessonbank or make a post in Classroom demonstrating their subject matter knowledge. Alternatively, the task can be an assignment that requires students to reflect on their learning or engage in critical thinking. This approach encourages students to examine and articulate newly formed connections. Empirical research shows that students learn better from a lecture video that requires them to explain the material (12).
  
  

• Creating Time to Take Notes. We suggest providing adequate time for students to take notes. This approach prompts students to retrieve and reorganize information from memory, improving their ability to translate information to new domains. Empirical research shows that students learn better from a lecture video that requires students to take summary notes (13).  To help students compare their notes with what actually was taught in class, Lessonbank provide students with a complete lecture transcript (in Google Docs format) at the end of every class.

Tips for Developing a Microlecture on Lessonbank

The overall quality of a microlecture is also impacted by techniques used in the development, recording, delivering, and captioning process. If designed properly, minor components can be engaging and motivating.

• Developing. We suggest creating Google (or PowerPoint) slides to organize your lecture content. The first two slides should introduce the topic and the target learning objectives. Enhance verbal communication by appropriately using pictorial methods such as images, diagrams, or videos to accommodate different learners' preferences.
  
  

• Recording. We suggest recording microlectures that are under ten minutes and focused on single topics.  Don't worry if you stumble over your words. The best lecture videos replicate the face-to-face class session. There's no need to overdo it.  Just hit the record button and teach class like you always have (14).
  
  

• Delivering. We suggest using microlectures to help students fill in the gaps from missed classes, confusing lectures, and any other learning that gets lost along the way.  Lessonank microlectures can also be used to deliver flipped classroom learnng experiences.  Microlectures can be used to make quick fixes to, tweak, or update course content as needed (15).  We suggest naming your microlectures using a title that is specific to the concept addressed in the video, ensuring that students can easily locate the lectures they need in search (16).
  
  

• Captioning. We suggest using live captions to ensure that microlectures can reach all learners, including students with disabilities and those who speak another language. Lessonbank was built with Google Meet--which gives teachers the ability to add live captions to the live stream in various languages--as well as the ability to auto-generate a text transcript of the lecture in multiple languares when class is over.

Conclusion

The goal of interspersing microlectures with active learning is to improve student engagement and academic outcomes for onliine students, hybrid students, and brick-and-mortar students.  Empirical studies have shown that active learning approaches, such as combining pause points with interactive quizzes, assigning tasks requiring written responses, and note taking, can improve student performance. Lessonbank supports the creation of microlectures that incorporate evidence-based active learning approaches--while simplifying the process of lecture recording, archiving, and sharing with students and parents