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Stop and pause for engagement in online video lectures

Buffalo State College

Description:

"The online strategy presented here, is adapted from the Pause Procedure and renamed “Stop and Pause Activity Sheet” (Budin, 2011). The Stop and Pause Sheet is used within the context of an online video lecture and allows the instructor to have a permanent product submitted by the student to help monitor practice activities, provide within-lecture review opportunities, and as a tool for formative evaluation. All are critical components of effective teaching for all students.
Stop and Pause Activity Sheets are provided to students electronically and are aligned to each topical video lecture (e.g., one Stop and Pause Activity Sheet per video lecture). The sheets are created in a Microsoft Office Word template form and students are given directions on how to type/record their responses in to the template, save it, and submit to the drop box at the completion of the online video lecture. The content of the Stop and Pause Activity Sheets varies based on the content covered in the lecture, but generally offers opportunities to brainstorm, reflect, and practice or apply newly learned skills.
The unique aspect of the Stop and Pause Activity Sheet is that students cannot successfully complete it without viewing the entire video lecture. There are periodic “cues” embedded in to the lecture (a graphic stop sign and a verbal cue) where students are told to pause the video lecture and respond to a specific item on the Stop and Pause Sheet. In some cases the question or response requires watching a video vignette, examining a case study, or other application task that is based on content just taught in the video lecture. In a 15 minute lecture, there may be 5 to 6 “questions” or responses required on the sheet. A well designed Stop and Pause activity cannot be completed without watching the lecture. In some cases, where appropriate, I provide review and clarification of the prompted responses once students “come back” to the lecture. To utilize the assessment aspect of the Stop and Pause Activity Sheet, students are often encouraged to NOT change their original responses and are sometimes given an additional spot on the template to revise their answer. Students are awarded a small amount of points for submission and completion of the sheet, not for accuracy. I review student responses at the end of the online module and offer clarification on an individual or group basis (depending on the need)."

Reference Links, Research, or Associated URLs

https://topr.online.ucf.edu/index.php/Stop_and_pause_for_engagement_in_online_video_lectures

Additional Metrics:

"When the majority of instruction takes place in an online environment, it may offer more challenges for monitoring student learning and understanding of course content. Certain pedagogical techniques that combine theories and practices from face-to-face instruction can be infused in online teaching to help address these concerns and keep instruction engaging, rigorous, and responsive to student need. One practice that has research support from the field, particularly at the college course level, is the “Pause Procedure” (Ruhl, Hughes, & Schloss, 1987). This procedure has been researched in the college classroom to enhance factual recall from college lectures, with both short and long-term success, including on examinations (i.e., Hughes, Hendrickson, & Hudson, 1986; Ruhl, Hughes, & Gajar, 1990; Ruhl & Suritsky, 1995). The Pause Procedure typically includes approximately three 2-minute pauses spaced at logical breaks during lectures where students can take time to take notes, engage in brief discussion of lecture content, update notes, or engage in free recall. The idea is that students take a formal period to “encode information in meaningful units” (Ruhl, & Suritsky, 1995, p. 6). This is the time that also enhances student active engagement and thus, academic learning time, leading to increases in student performance (Berliner, 1987).
The online strategy presented here, is adapted from the Pause Procedure and renamed “Stop and Pause Activity Sheet” (Budin, 2011). The Stop and Pause Sheet is used within the context of an online video lecture and allows the instructor to have a permanent product submitted by the student to help monitor practice activities, provide within-lecture review opportunities, and as a tool for formative evaluation. All are critical components of effective teaching for all students.
Stop and Pause Activity Sheets are provided to students electronically and are aligned to each topical video lecture (e.g., one Stop and Pause Activity Sheet per video lecture). The sheets are created in a Microsoft Office Word template form and students are given directions on how to type/record their responses in to the template, save it, and submit to the drop box at the completion of the online video lecture. The content of the Stop and Pause Activity Sheets varies based on the content covered in the lecture, but generally offers opportunities to brainstorm, reflect, and practice or apply newly learned skills.
The unique aspect of the Stop and Pause Activity Sheet is that students cannot successfully complete it without viewing the entire video lecture. There are periodic “cues” embedded in to the lecture (a graphic stop sign and a verbal cue) where students are told to pause the video lecture and respond to a specific item on the Stop and Pause Sheet. In some cases the question or response requires watching a video vignette, examining a case study, or other application task that is based on content just taught in the video lecture. In a 15 minute lecture, there may be 5 to 6 “questions” or responses required on the sheet. A well designed Stop and Pause activity cannot be completed without watching the lecture. In some cases, where appropriate, I provide review and clarification of the prompted responses once students “come back” to the lecture. To utilize the assessment aspect of the Stop and Pause Activity Sheet, students are often encouraged to NOT change their original responses and are sometimes given an additional spot on the template to revise their answer. Students are awarded a small amount of points for submission and completion of the sheet, not for accuracy. I review student responses at the end of the online module and offer clarification on an individual or group basis (depending on the need)."