Activity Six: Flexible learning plan -continuing development

My aim for using video is to assist students to perform midwifery practice skills competently.

After further reflection on where I have got to in my thinking re utilising video to aid practical skills attainment, I realised there were two possible areas I could focus on. 1. Record a video of myself demonstrating the practical skill/s, or 2. Get the students to record video/s of themselves demonstrating the practical skill/s. Getting the students to record video of themselves demonstrating practical skills for their Midwifery practical skills assessment is already an idea in progress within the School of Midwifery, so I will not focus on this aspect. I will concentrate instead on #1 and #2 utilising practical skills for students in the first year of their BM.

I plan to record a video of myself demonstrating one of the practical skills the first year BM students are expected to get signed off this year and use this as a learning tool to view and encouraged feedback on within my SPF group. This video will be used as part of one of my SPF sessions during which time is set aside for demonstrating and practicing new skills. Having seen my own prototype, the students will be encouraged to generate their own videos in groups of two or three, based on a first year practice skill and play them back in SPF time for feedback. My plan is to start small and try out the idea within my own SPF group first, ironing out any problems that may arise before considering whether this idea could be useful to extend out to other BM students within the school.

My first exposure to anyone who has experience of students using video to demonstrate practical skills came from a recent presentation to the School of Midwifery staff by Jennifer Evans (2011) from the OP Vet School. She was very enthusiastic about the use of video amongst her students describing how as long as what is required is really clearly set out in the course outline the process empowers students as they decide when they will capture the skills on video so a better level of competency is achieved. The students themselves decide if the video quality is good enough for presenting. Evans (2011) also felt there was a big difference in the preparation and level of achievement the students demonstrated when they used video. Although the use of video in this context was for assessing practical skill acquisition, I could see the possibilities for my own SPF students. Other positive benefits Evans (2011) mentioned were the decrease in marking time, the increase in the quality and consistency of marking, how good the video was for moderation processes and how doing this uses technology the majority of students already use and have easy access to -their own digital cameras, cellphones, laptops or video cameras so it was easily accessible for them.

Peer feedback
I discussed my idea with two of my peers who each work with a SPF group of first year BM students in addition to their other roles within the School. Both of my peers were very encouraging and supportive of this idea. The first peer saw the completed videos as being multipurpose as they can be used again and again to demonstrate the skill/s so this would be very advantageous. She also suggested they could be posted onto YouTube if they were really good. The second peer thought it really important that as a facilitator I recorded the first video to give students a concrete example of the work required rather than just a list of instructions as an initial step. This role modeling would hopefully aid students’ enthusiasm for the task. One potential negative she saw was that when other SPF groups found out about this, they would be wondering why it wasn’t happening within their own groups!

Strengths of the plan
Using video to demonstrate practical skills has been utilised successfully in education for a number of years. Videos have been used as a form of performance feedback for students to enhance their learning process (Darden, 1999). This technology has been used with students who have autism (Ogilvie, 2011; Ayres & Langone, 2007; Stromer, Kimbell, Kinney & Taylor, 2006) as well as in athletics (Jambor & Weekes, 1995) and health professions (Edwards, Jones & Murphy, 2007) to improve motor skill learning and performance (Darden, 1999).

From the literature it seems apparent there would be many advantages to incorporating this technology into the blended learning model of the BM to enhance the learning of students by supplementing other flexible learning methods already in the programme. McGee & O’Hagan (2001) discuss the challenges of supporting distance students in achieving deep understanding of concepts and identify ways in which the use of video during the phases in this process (orientating, motivating, presenting, clarifying, elaborating, consolidating and confirming) can contribute to deep learning for this group of students. Videoing attempts to reduce the gap between what the student is being prepared for in the classroom environment and what they are exposed to in clinical placements (Edwards, Jones & Murphy, 2007). Videoing can provide effective feedback for student performance as well as contribute to a deepening of each students understanding of and empathy (Yakura, 2009) towards other people.

Other advantages of videoing include the ability to improve presentation skills (JISC, 2011), being able to capture and replay interactions for observation and critique, and improving interpersonal and individual skills through interacting with others during the filming (Yakura, 2009). The ability to view dialogue or gestures which students were beforehand unaware and being able to discuss details that were overlooked in the recording (Yakura, 2009) encourages students to recognize the details and correct the errors in an attempt to improve student performances (Jambor & Weekes, 1995). Further, Jambor & Weekes (1995) found that the facilitator’s feedback made more sense to the students after they had seen themselves on video enabling them to make effective changes. While reviewing the video in the student group, students benefit from reflecting on which parts of the video were the most and least beneficial and any difficulties they encountered (JISC, 2011). Students seemed better prepared and interaction with classmates improved (JISC, 2011) as well as a change in those students who were less confident –they began feeling more supported. A big advantage as a facilitator is that observing the videos increases student engagement, cutting down on the time required to prepare and facilitate practice sessions which are normally very time consuming (JSIC, 2011). Another advantage is in cost saving as use on consumables for demonstration purposes is reduced as the video replaces repeat demonstrations (Edwards, Jones & Murphy, 2007). The videos are easily transportable and can be viewed in students’ homes, small groups or classroom situations (McGee & O’Hagan, 2001).

Gaps in the plan
Jambor & Weekes (1995) recommend that to enable students to best comprehend their skill performances the students should direct the video viewing rather than this being the role of the teacher as previously. The teacher instead acts as a facilitator, asking questions prompting students to discuss the significance of particular actions allowing the students to maintain control and responsibility for recognizing any mistakes and committing to change (Jambor & Weekes, 1995). In order for me to facilitate these sessions effectively so they advantage both the students and myself, it is important for me to facilitate the session correctly. Yakura (2009) believes that student feedback obtained from observing a video is only valuable if the students are able to process and interpret the images themselves. Being able to encourage students to reflect on the video in this way is an acquired skill which is directly linked to appropriate teaching strategies to make the most effective use of this technology (Yakura, 2009). Darden (1999) gives strategies for enabling good facilitation while students travel through the three arbitrarily defined stages of skill acquisition already prescribed –in this case utilising video technology. I will need to become familiar with the teaching strategies recommended if I am to enhance the feedback students obtain from this process.

To be useful, the videos must support the identified learning outcomes (McGee & O’Hagan, 2001) of the practice skills paper. Ensuring this will remain a priority.

Goals for further development
I still need to look at specifics of my plan and decide when to start, what practice skill I will video as a demonstration first and the practical realities of getting that organized, setting it up and the time involved in getting the first video to the standard required to be used as a demonstration for the students. I need to find out if I am able to use my laptop to record the video, whether my digital camera or mobile phone will suffice as a video recorder (and how to transfer the video to the computer to play to the students after if this is the case). Video cameras can be purchased for around $200, so maybe the School could purchase one for my SPF to use? I have discussed access and equity issues, diversity and inclusivity further back in my blog. While these were not specifically related to my current Learning plan, I am sure the principles will be the same but I need to check to be sure. I need to look at where the videos will be stored, who will have access to them and how (password controlled?, only available within OP?). Will we use Microsoft’s Windows Moviemaker or another programme to edit the videos? If so, what sort of education in how to use this effectively will be required? Are there any relevant ethical or consent issues that need to be taken into account?
…on with plan development!

References
Ayres, K., & Langone, J. (2007). A comparison of video modeling perspectives for students with Autism. Journal of Special Education, 22(2), 15-30.

Darden, G. (1999). Videotape feedback for student learning and performance: A learning-stages approach. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 70(9), 40-46 &62.

Edwards, M., Jones, S., & Murphy, F. (2007). Hand-held video for clinical skills teaching. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 44(4), 401-408.

Evans, J. (5 September 2011). Video recording. Presentation to OP School of Midwifery staff. Dunedin.

Jambor, E., & Weekes, E. (1995). Videotape feedback: Make it more effective. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 66(2), 48-50.

JISC. (2011). Case study 1: Supporting student transition through reflective video sharing. Retrieved from Emerging practice in a digital age case studies: www.jisc.ac.uk/digiemerge

McGhee, P., & O’Hagan, C. (2001). VESOL: Cost-effective video production to support distance learners. In F. Lockwood, & A. Gooley (Eds), Innovation in open and distance learning (pp.189-200). London, UK: Kogan Page.

Ogilvie, C. (2011). Step by step: Social skills instruction for students with Autism spectrum disorder using video models and peer mentoring. Teaching Exceptional Children 43(6), 20-26.

Stromer, R., Kimball, J., Kinney, E., & Taylor, B. (2006). Activity schedules, computer technology and teaching children with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and other developmental disabilities 21(1), 14-24.

Yakura, E. (2009). Learning to see: Enhancing student learning through videotaped feedback. College Teaching, 57(3), 177-183.