Online Belonging Through Instructional Videos by Ashley Potokar A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION with an emphasis in EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Ogden, Utah May 6, 2024 Approved Ryan Cain, Ph.D. Juancarlos Santisteban, M.A. Jessie Nixon, Ph.D. Belonging through instructional videos 2 Table of Contents Belonging dependent on background ..................................................................................................... 5 Online Belonging ................................................................................................................................... 6 Purpose ............................................................................................................................... 9 Methods ............................................................................................................................ 10 Curriculum Design .......................................................................................................... 12 Canvas Module 1 and 2 Version 1 ....................................................................................................... 12 Feedback From Instructors Summarized ............................................................................................. 13 Canvas Modules Version 2 ................................................................................................................. 16 Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 17 Appendix 1 Online Belonging Through Instructional Videos Canvas Course.……….20 Appendix 2 Check In Survey……………………………………………...…………….39 Appendix 3 Course Feedback……………………………………………………….…..41 Belonging through instructional videos 3 Abstract All human beings need to feel attachment to one another. This need to feel attachment is the desire to have a sense of belonging. A sense of belonging helps people in many aspects of their lives. This study specifically focuses on the sense of belonging amongst higher education students. Multiple studies have been conducted that show that students excel in the classroom when they feel the sense of belonging. Instructors can help facilitate a sense of belonging in their own classrooms through. One-way instructors can do this is through high quality instructional videos. Through a canvas course, I instructed instructors on what belonging is and how to develop it in their own classrooms through creating high quality instructional videos. Belonging through instructional videos 4 Humans need to feel attachment to another human being, and a desire to form connections. This connection can happen through individual or group interactions. This attachment is referred to as the need to belong. Humans can have interactions that bring them this sense of belonging; however, there is also the possibility that humans do not receive this interaction (Lambert et al., 2013). Belonging can be through different social groups, social relationships, or cultures by selfidentification or by identification from others (Yuval-Davis, 2006). Belonging is complex and dynamic. An article review on belonging from the University of Leeds (Wood & Waite, n.d.) states that “Belonging is a dynamic emotional attachment that relates individuals to the material and social worlds that they inhabit and experience. It is about feeling ‘at home’ and ‘secure’, but it is equally about being recognized and understood.” Having the feeling of ‘at home’ and ‘security’ is something that all humans desire. If a sense of belonging takes place in someone’s life it will result in good physical health and general wellbeing (Lambert, 2013). If belonging doesn’t take place, it can trigger poorer cognitive functioning, decreased physical and mental health, and a threat to self-integrity (Layous et al., 2017). Having a sense of belonging is correlated with humans finding meaning in life. It is noted that when people find meaning in their life, they feel like they belong. The meaning of life is very hard to define. Researchers have found information through questionnaires of sense rating. People will answer whether they feel like they have meaning in their lives. They will then rate on a scale as to how meaningful they feel their life is (Lambert, 2013). Belonging is sought out through multiple avenues. It can be found in groups of people as well as with individuals. Some places where belonging can be found are at home, school, church, Belonging through instructional videos 5 with friends, etc. A place where many people desire a sense of belonging is at school specifically within the classroom. Students who feel like they are outside the social norm or socially isolated reported that they are more likely to drop out of school (Faircloth, 2009). Students need to feel a sense of belonging in the classroom to excel. Students can find that belonging through different activities on campus, with peers, and with faculty and staff (Freeman et al., 2007). Belonging is essential for students to succeed while attending university. “Before effective learning can happen children need to experience a sense of acceptance and belonging within the classroom” (Alesech & Nayar, 2021). Ahn and Davis (2020) surveyed a variety of affinity groups at a college campus to investigate belonging. From the data, they were able to gain further insight into how students feel belonging. Ahn and Davis (2020) defined two different types of belonging that students can feel. Students can feel belonging from academic and social belonging; however, these two things are independent of each other. When considering how to have students feel they belong, it is important to think about academic and social belonging. Belonging dependent on background Before looking at external factors to help a student belong it is important to understand internal factors that are affecting a student. These factors are the ethnicity, social class, and identity that a student is a part of. Understanding those factors will help teachers know how to help students individually. Specifically, understanding a student's ethnicity will help a teacher know the culture and possible background of a student. This will allow the teacher to cater their teaching to the student. Belonging through instructional videos 6 In addition, students who are part of a lower socioeconomic status have a difficult time finding places where they feel they belong. (Ahn & Davis, 2020). Knowing the social class helps teachers know the stress level that may be occurring for a student (Soria & Stebleton, 2013). Another key element in internal factors is students' identities. An identity is how the student defines themselves through many aspects. A study was conducted where students were asked to walk around campus and label spaces where they felt comfortable and spaces where they felt uncomfortable and to explain the reasoning behind it. In the end, students said they felt the most comfortable where there were no ‘gender stereotypes’ (Nigabaza, et.al). Knowing a student’s identity allows teachers to create spaces where students feel comfortable. Administrators should consider hiring faculty and staff who are a part of different affinity groups. It will allow for a bridge to be automatically created between the student and the teacher due to them coming from similar cultures (Marogian, 2022). Online Belonging As teachers strive to create their classrooms as places for belonging it is important to consider how students feel belonging online. Many classes now have an online component through class discussions with peers, conducting assignments, and listening to lectures. Other classes may also be fully online. However, having online classes brings difficulty when wanting to create a sense of belonging. For various reasons, retention rates for online learning are low compared to students on campus (Thomas et al., 2014). This is due to online classes not giving the students the support that they need to excel. From a research study about online classroom belonging a group of students were interviewed to understand how students feel about online classes. From the interviews most reported a desire to feel a sense of connection with fellow students and teachers while taking an Belonging through instructional videos 7 online course (Thomas et al., 2014). They also reported that greater engagement and collaboration with peers fostered a sense of camaraderie that diffused some of the isolation often associated with off-campus study (Thomas et al., 2014). Students in online classes need to interact with their peers and teachers. When creating these connections with peers and professors it is important to consider the social presence that a student is experiencing. A social presence focuses on developing open, meaningful communications between learners and tutors (teachers), so that they gain a sense of being connected to and engaging with other sentient beings who have a history and a genuine concern for the community (Kehrwald, 2008). Collaborative online learners need to feel that they relate, as real people, to those with whom they interact online to develop feelings of trust, value, and matter (Peacock & Cowan, 2019). A social presence is required for students to feel they belong in the online classroom. There are many different tools that teachers can use to create a social presence. Those tools can include icebreaker activities, low-stakes assessments, group work, discussions, lectures through video conferencing, and instructional videos (Thomas et al., 2014). The use of these tools needs to be authentic and meaningful, however, it is important to note that if the tools are not used correctly or if they are used too much it will disengage students (Archard, 2012). One specific tool that I would like to focus on is instructional videos. Instructional videos can be for hybrid classes, which are classes that are taught in person with an online component. In some studies, researchers have found that instructional videos can support teachers within hybrid classes. Specifically, undergraduate students in science coursework (Ketsman et al., 2018; Schmidt-McCormack et al., 2017, Zaneldin et al., 2019). Ketsman and colleagues (2018) found that with hybrid classes grades were not improved with instructional videos, however, the data Belonging through instructional videos 8 said that students preferred instructional videos. Schmidt-McCormack’s (2017) study results showed that instructional videos helped medical students fill in the gap between lectures and labs. These studies showed that instructional videos have a positive role in all types of classrooms. Zandeldin (2019) and his colleagues also found that e-learning resulted in better outcomes than traditional face-to-face lectures. Students liked that they could access the material at any time. More than 60% of the students preferred hybrid learning to help them succeed in their academic progress. Instructional videos are a learning tool that helps students succeed. Instructional videos are also beneficial for classes that are fully online. Studies (Draus et al., 2014, Yang, n.d.) were conducted to see how instructional videos with fully online classes were. Yang’s (n.d) study showed that students agreed that watching a video was more effective than learning from a textbook. The students can pause, stop, and rewatch any videos. Draus (2014) concluded that grades increased by 3.2% when teachers began using instructional videos. In addition, students' engagement in the class increased. Instructional videos can be very beneficial if done correctly. Below is a table showing four different research groups and their results on what creates a good instructional video. Table 1. Table of Best Instructional Video Practice Theme Kharaishma (2020) Beheshti Mayer (2018) (2020) Incorporating Break the topic of the Know the objectives Breaking down Multimedia material into several for the video content into subtopics manageable segments Belonging through instructional videos 9 Integrating Using graphics, color change, Use graphics to keep Highlight key Visual cues icons, or zoom screen, to the students engaged materials - The highlight important and to explain lecturer points to information or elements on concepts the area of the slide the screen as they mention them. Supplying Balance the complexity of the Videos should range Break a complex Video content with the ideal from 1-2 minutes to lesson into Duration duration of the video to be keep the students progressive parts delivered to students. The engaged under the control of more complex the content, the learner the longer the duration. Designing for Consider using subtitles to Use captions and voice The video includes Accessibility accompany audio narration to over for students who the instructor's accommodate students who are hearing impaired voice. are deaf and to clarify unclear and who may speak a pronunciation different language Table 1 shows three different studies that identify ways to make quality instructional videos. The studies break down instructional videos into four best practices: incorporating multimedia, integrating visual cues, supplying video duration, and designing for accessibility. These practices are important for teachers to understand to allow them to create quality, impactful videos. Purpose The purpose of this paper is to support instructors in developing high-quality instructional videos based on the four best practices. Multiple studies demonstrated that instructional videos Belonging through instructional videos 10 are very beneficial for teaching in both hybrid and online classes (Archard, 2012; Draus et al., 2014b; Mayer et al., 2020; Peacock & Cowan, 2019b; Thomas et al., 2014). In addition, this paper and the designed materials will support instructors in fostering belonging with their instructional videos. The videos allow the professor to have a social presence in their online classes. The students can feel a sense of belonging through the videos potentially resulting in improved course outcomes. Methods Based on the research that has been conducted I have found a great need for modules that show instructors how to create instructional videos. I created a Canvas course designed to go over the five design features that are recommended along with how to create a sense of belonging in the classroom. The Canvas module was broken up into five different sections. The sections are as follows: Welcome, Equipment, Multimedia/Video Duration, Visual Cues, and Accessibility. Throughout all the modules, elements of belonging are be weaved throughout the activities. The first section, Welcome, teaches instructors the importance of creating a sense of belonging amongst their students. This was shown through a welcoming video to the course. The video is of myself creating a welcome video for the instructors taking the course. I first welcomed them, introduced myself, and explained the layout and expectations of the course. In addition, the video would include a section about belonging, what it is, and why it is important. The second video of this section would be a video explaining why instructional videos are important. The first assignment of the course was having the instructors first read the article “Sense of Belonging in College Freshman at the Classroom and Campus Levels” by Freeman et al (2007). The second part of the assignment is for the instructors to create a video introducing Belonging through instructional videos 11 themselves and then answering the question; What is belonging to you? Then they were required to comment on one of their classmates’ videos. Commenting on a classmate’s video allowed for the students to have dialog amongst each other creating a space for belonging. The second section of the course is called Equipment. In this section, the instructors watched a short video explaining what type of equipment they will need to create videos. The equipment will be something to record the video, a microphone, and a program to edit the videos such as Adobe Rush or iMovie. The second assignment was having the teachers create their videos. The video criteria was to introduce themselves, tell what equipment they used and answer the following question; When and how did they first know they wanted to be a teacher? They then were required to comment on one of their classmates’ videos. The next section is called Multimedia/Video duration. The instructors watched a video called Video Duration that talked about the importance of the length of the videos. The second video focused on the type of content that is in the videos. It taught the instructors how to break up their curriculum. The assignment for this section was for the teachers to create a video of them telling a story about their first-day teaching. The requirements are for the story to be broken up into multiple videos. Visual Cues is the next section where instructors were taught about adding graphics, changing background colors, and editing. The last section is called Accessibility. This section taught instructors how to make the videos accessible for all students. The last assignment that was required of the teachers is to add one graphic and subtitles to their first introduction video. Belonging through instructional videos 12 Curriculum Design Canvas Module 1 and 2 Version 1 To test the course, I asked instructors in higher education to participate in a pilot of the course. The pilot was made up of the first two modules, Belonging and Equipment. The instructors that were asked to participate in the pilot program are from multiple areas across Weber State University’s campus. Some of those areas are Wildcat Scholars and First Year Experience. I chose these areas because the focus of the programs are first-generation, marginalized students, and freshmen. The last area is instructors who teach general education courses and online courses. Having instructors from these areas allowed for them to learn how to more effectively connect with students to promote higher retention as mentioned previously in the paper. The pilot course that volunteer instructors participated in was set up with the first two modules: Module 1: Welcome and Module 2: Equipment. The course began with a welcoming page welcoming them to the course and explaining the module structure. The instructors then started the first module. The module began with an introduction to the modules page laying out the objectives and tasks that will be given. The instructors then watched an introduction video welcoming them to the course and explaining how the course is set up. The next video the instructors watched explained belonging and instructional videos. It demonstrated to the instructors how they can use instructional videos within their classrooms to foster belonging. Next, the instructors participated in an assignment asking them to first read an article teaching them about belonging. Then the instructors participated in creating their own video introducing themselves and teaching others what belonging means to them. They were then required to respond to one other course member’s video. Belonging through instructional videos 13 The second module that instructors participated in taught them different kinds of equipment they could use. The module began with an introduction page explaining the objectives and the tasks they would participate in. They then watched two different videos of me explaining basic and high-tech video equipment. The instructors could then watch a video explaining Screenpal and Premiere pro. The assignment for this course was for instructors to create a video explaining the equipment they are using and to answer the question, When and how did they first know they wanted to teach?. After the instructors participated in the modules, they then were asked to fill out a course feedback form. This form had questions on it asking them to rank on a scale of 1-5, 1 being the lowest, 5 being the highest on how they felt the objectives of the course were met. The next questions were specific for module 1 and module 2. The questions revolved around if they felt belonging and instructional videos were present throughout the module. Lastly, the questions they answered were about what their thoughts were of the course overall. Feedback From Instructors Summarized Overall, four instructors filled out the feedback form. The first section of the feedback form, the instructors were asked, “How successful were you in meeting the objectives on a scale of 1-5? The objectives were: demonstrate what belonging will look like in your class. Be able to explain the importance of instructional videos.” 50% of the instructors answered a five with the other 50% answering in the 3-4 range. The second section was focused on module 1. The first question within the section was “How do you feel belonging was presented in module 1 and how do you feel instructional videos were presented in module 1?” The instructors were to rate it on a scale of 1-5. For belonging 75% of instructors said a 5 with 25% saying a 4 for belonging. For instructional videos 100% Belonging through instructional videos 14 said a 5. Figure 1 shows the data that was recorded through a pie chart for question 1. Figure 2 shows the data that was recorded through a pie chart for question 2. Figure 1. Module 1 Feedback . Figure 2. Module 1 Feedback Some comments that instructors made were, “You explained what belonging is and why it’s important in a clear and concise matter. Your videos looked and sounded great and were easy to follow.” And “I think the article was good, but I would have liked to see an overview of it from the instructor. You did a great job with the videos.” This data shows that belonging aspects need to be incorporated throughout the module more. The third section questions were replicas of the second section's questions but are based upon module 2 instead of module 1. For belonging 75% of instructors said a 5 with 25% saying a Belonging through instructional videos 15 1 for belonging. For instructional videos 50% said a 5, 25% said a 4, and 25% said a 1. Figure 3 shows the data that was recorded through a pie chart for question 1. Figure 4 shows the data that was recorded through a pie chart for question 2. Figure 3. Module 2 Feedback Figure 4. Module 2 Feedback This shows that belonging and instructional video aspects need to be incorporated throughout the module more. Some comments that instructors made were, “I liked how the instruction introduced me to new ways to make videos and connect with students (or classmates)” and “Your videos were very helpful in detailing what types of equipment and websites/software can be used to create instructional videos, but they were slightly lower quality Belonging through instructional videos 16 than your videos from module 1. Perhaps this was my own internet's fault though. Still, great videos and helpful for me going forward in my classes!” The data shows that both belonging and instructional video aspects can be improved throughout the module. Lastly, the instructors were asked “What was something that went well in the modules”? Overall, there was lots of positive feedback. The comment that I feel like encompassed the overall climate of the feedback was as follows, “Your videos and written instructions were thorough yet concise, and very helpful and easy to follow. I also enjoyed the discussion element of your Canvas course. It was fun to see videos from my colleagues across campus and know that we are doing this work together!” The last question that the instructors were asked was “What was something that could be improved in the modules?” The instructors all gave good moving forward points such as adding a module button to the side for easier access or adding links to equipment in module 2. The feedback that was most impactful was, “…There were no reminders sent to participants, so the actual engagement was lacking…” Sending out reminders to the participants was not integrated in the course but would cause a better sense of belonging if being used. Canvas Modules Version 2 To improve the Canvas course, I was able to take the instructors feedback and modify the different modules. From the feedback there was a theme of incorporating more belonging throughout the course. To improve this area in module 1 I created the reading of the belonging article its own assignment. This became a discussion form where I gave a mini lecture through a video to the participants. I then asked the participants to respond by answering the questions, “How does belonging affect students?” They then commented on two other course members' discussion post to continue the dialog. To improve belonging in module 2 I changed the course Belonging through instructional videos 17 feedback form to a check in survey. This is where I will check in with the students and ask them how they are doing, if they have questions, and what they want to see with the future modules. Another item of feedback from the course was how to improve instructional videos within module 2. To accomplish this, I am going to do as one of the instructors suggested and add links to the different video equipment that I mention within the video. For improving the overall course, I moved the module button higher up on the toolbar so there is easier access. I also planned out different check-in notifications. This will allow for more constant communication in the class. Lastly, I changed the module names to be more descriptive. The module names are now; Module 1: The Importance of Belonging and How to Establish it. Module 2: Equipment for Creating Instructional Videos. Module 3: Multimedia/Video Duration. Module 4: Visual Cues to Keep Students Engaged. Module 5: Accessibility for all Students. Discussion The beginning of this paper shows the need for belonging. Humans may not have interactions that bring them a sense of belonging. (Lambert et al., 2013). This lack of belonging interferes with students’ ability to learn. “Before effective learning can happen children need to experience a sense of acceptance and belonging within the classroom” (Alesech & Nayar, 2021). This is especially true for online college students. They desire to have a sense of connection with their instructors and peers but do not know how to do so (Thomas et al., 2014). Other research has concluded that different tools can be used to help students improve their sense of belonging in class, such as instructional videos. Instructional videos can help students connect with their peers and instructors (Draus et al., 2014, Yang, n.d.). From the literature, I wanted to explore Belonging through instructional videos 18 how instructional videos could help students feel belonging, how to create high quality videos, and how to instruct instructors on creating high quality videos. Through my Canvas course instructors were able to learn about high quality instructional videos and they will improve their class by giving students more opportunities to feel belonging. The course also guided the instructors on how to create these videos so they can be successful in their classroom. Overall, the project offered tools to close a gap between instructional videos and how they can help create belonging. To view the canvas course, you can click on the link here. From the results of the pilot program, I was able to adjust the modules to incorporate more belonging elements. I was able to learn that you must be very intentional with your course to have lots of little belonging elements to help students have an overall sense of belonging. Some limitations that were apparent with the project was having multiple instructors participate with the course. The more participants the greater the data set and feedback could have been. Additionally, I think it would be very beneficial to have students participate in the course to get their feedback. Lastly, the process of completing this project meant a lot to me. I was able to help future students feel belonging in their classrooms through instructional videos. It was exciting to guide instructors on how to improve their student’s classroom experience. It was also humbling to know that instructors were using the course that I set up to learn and implement new ideas into their work. When I first began this project, I rarely had a good experience with instructors’ videos. I would quickly become disengaged in the course due to not having any interactions with my instructors or peers. I was able to see this problem through a different lens and learn that I could improve the situation. As I began completing the literature review, I was able to find the problem Belonging through instructional videos 19 and address the needs. The project was able to help fill the needs of students. It felt motivating to be creating something that would help many students remain engaged. When having my own classroom, I will be able to be more cognizant about facilitating opportunities for students to feel belonging. I will be able to create these opportunities through instructional videos. The videos will be able to effectively guide my students to get to know their peers, me as their instructor, and the material. Within my class I will make it a priority to have regular check-ins with my students. These check-ins will allow me to gather data about the material they are learning and if they are having a positive experience with the instructional videos. Belonging through instructional videos 20 References Alesech, J., & Nayar, S. (2021). Teacher strategies for promoting acceptance and belonging in the classroom: a New Zealand study. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 25(10), 1140– 1156. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2019.1600054 Archard, S. (2012). Pedagogical tools in an online teacher education programme: A sense of belonging and social presence The University of Waikato. Draus, P. J., Curran, M. J., & Trempus, M. S. (2014a). The influence of instructor-generated video content on student satisfaction with and engagement in asynchronous online classes. In MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 10(2) 242-245 . Faircloth, B. S. (2009). Making the most of adolescence. 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Your answer What was your least favorite part of Module 2? Your answer Is there anything else that you want me to know? Your answer r,,.,., ....... °'"" ........... Appendix 3: Course Feedback