Author: William Guth

Student Video Assignments

In our recent blog entry Make It Stick!, we discussed strategies for helping students move newly learned information into long-term memory. Of the strategies discussed, Practice Getting It Out vs. Getting It In stands out as an opportunity not only for students to generate knowledge by teaching concepts to peers that demonstrate their understanding of learned content, but also as a vehicle for creating variety in the types of assignments we design. In a typical course design, faculty will have their students participate in traditional assignments, which can include quizzes, paper writing, and discussions, to demonstrate their knowledge of concepts,


Make It Stick!

How do you know that what you’re teaching is truly sticking with students? Do their test scores reveal it? Or does that only show that they remembered and recalled it for the exam? Do students leave you confident that they can apply skills and knowledge when they’ll really need it? One man with the answer to that question is Mark McDaniel, psychologist, researcher, professor, and co-author of the book Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning.   An expert in human learning and memory, McDaniel recently delivered his “Toolkit for Teachers to Improve Student Learning and Retention” at Northwestern’s


Podcast Your Content

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “I’m not a radio host! I don’t have an on air personality. I don’t have it in me to plan and record a weekly series.” All those things may be true. But those are not necessarily requirements for creating course content in podcast form. If you’re in the process of a course design or revision, then you are involved in a planning process, and planning is ninety percent of the project. And if you are already thinking to record a lecture or explanation of concepts on camera, it’s possible that a podcast will


USB Mic Comparison

Would you agree that bad audio can ruin a good video, presentation, or recording? Most certainly. A few months back, we identified tools for recording interview audio on the go. Today, we’ll listen to and compare five USB microphones, illustrate their uses in online instruction, and identify a few principles that will help us get the best results. Why can’t I use a headset microphone? For web conference purposes, a headset microphone will suffice, but not for much else. Reason being? Bit Depth and Sample Rate. Combined, Bit Depth and Sample Rate are the principles at play when digitally capturing


Lavalier Microphone Discounts for Faculty, Students, and Staff: Limited Time Only

We are pleased to announce the winner of the iRig Lavalier microphone giveaway. Congratulations to adjunct faculty Eric Abbott. Thank you to all who participated. As promised, a few of our microphone donors are extending discounts on mobile recording device equipment to faculty, students and staff at the following rates. 15% off Shure MVL Microphones Shure is offering 15% off the published retail price of their MVL Omnidirectional Condenser Lavalier Microphone at Shure.com through June 30, 2017. Use discount promo code: MVLNUW15 at the Shure MVL store page. 20% off iRig Microphones, all IK Multimedia Products IK Multimedia is offering