Why are so many people not using audio for their online "lectures?" Doesn't research show that students, overall, do better with multiple delivery methods (mixture of audio and video... visual and aural, etc.)?
Surveys done at my campus of online students in courses with audio and written lectures found that a majority, by far, preferred reading lectures rather than listening to them. They said that, duh, reading is faster, and that information is easier to retrieve, among other reasons. (I have observed, closely, my own progeny taking online courses and witnessed this in their usage.)
The compromise recommended to us by pioneering online instructors -- who had spent a lot of time audiotaping lectures and now consider it mostly a time-waste -- for those who love to audiotape themselves talking is to audiotape brief introductory bits, such as an intro to the course and an intro to each course component/section -- but to provide primarily written, readable materials.
Note: Sorry that I sent the above on a busy day, so I did not make clear that for "audio," read "video."
It's interesting to see that others here came to the same conclusions and compromise. Thanks! as I ponder pedagogies in putting together my next online course, with word that it's about to be approved.
I already have learned a lot from others in these threads on online learning, and I appreciate them.
Many of our faculty also do video introductions, and then leave the rest to written materials. Most only do one introduction, though, at the beginning of the semester (that is, a welcome to the course, rather than an individual welcome to each class "meeting"). I may do the same thing this spring, and, like them, I probably won't do a weekly one--but it's interesting to know that so many of you do have introductions for each class session. I'll keep it in mind.
Another idea to throw on the table:
I have an exercise late in the semester that involves having small groups of students (usually five or six, sometimes four) log onto a webconference tool simultaneously (that is, interacting in real time), and I run a sort of moderated discussion. The students really, really like this not only for the specific exercise but especially because it puts a face (live video, rather than a still photo) and voice to their instructor (me) and to a few of their classmates. In the course evaluations, I've been asked by a few students to move this up to a much earlier point in the semester (which I may do).
So, if you have access to this kind of tool
and if you have groups of students who can log on simultaneously, this is another good way to introduce yourselves to one another.
