By Terri J. Matiella, Ph.D.
UTSA 2020-21 Next-Gen Faculty Fellow
Co-Director, Core Curriculum and Assessment for Environmental Science
Senior Lecturer, Department of Environmental Science and Ecology
As we come back to the spring semester, we are getting our courses ready for students. As you plan your lectures, consider making them into microlectures. Less than 10 or 15 minutes, microlectures focus on one key concept or learning objective students should know or be able to do.
Microlectures can cover a specific learning objective, letting the student know the topic and focus. Smaller chunks of information are easier for students to pay attention to, and a few questions to complete at the end can be a knowledge check over the content. Visuals can keep students engaged and can be an impactful way to communicate ideas.
Microlectures can be done through PowerPoint, Panopto, Playposit. Questions can be embedded in Panopto or Playposit videos or set up as a short quiz or assignment in Blackboard.
For More Review:
- Recording Effective Microlectures
- Taking Your Teaching Online: the Microlectures
- Scagnoli, N. (2012). 7 things you should know about microlectures (ELI 7 Things You Should Know. . . Series). EDUCAUSE.
- Garber, A.M. Flipping Out! Utilizing an Online Micro-lecture for Asynchronous Learning Within the Acting Internship. Med.Sci.Educ. 30, 91–96 (2020).
- Asynchronous Best Practices
- Synchronous Best Practices
- Best Practices for Teaching Online
- Teaching Resources