Rationale

The students had to present a business idea they had been working on. In previous years this had been delivered through a standard 5-8 minute group presentation. The group presentation method is a poor way of conveying the complex detail of a new business idea and hence incorporating a more focussed multimedia approach was tested. 

The additional rationale was that students should be exposed to new technologies and industry-aligned methods of developing ‘content’. Only a handful out of a class of around 200 had any experience shooting and editing video content.

Successes

The outcome of the assignment far surpassed expectations. The students found a range of free tools that helped them produce close to industry-standard video content. Many opted to use animations to convey their business concept. Most importantly, the students were able to pay particular attention to crafting a narrative and telling a story, something that is often lost in the ‘panic’ of a standard presentation.

Lessons Learnt

Challenges

The project was surprisingly easy to implement. In many ways it was easier as the students had a strict 3-minute video presentation slot – this was easier to manage logistically than live presentations which often overrun. I anticipated some problems in producing the videos, however each group produced videos within their own technical capabilities (some did single shot talking direct to the camera, others incorporated animation, live-action and graphics). Technical ability did not necessarily affect grades, as some of the simple videos had excellent content and did not need sophisticated editing.

Scalability

The only constraint on this idea is the time available to watch the videos. I had 200 in my class in groups of 5, so had to run the video presentations over two lectures. In terms of equipment, students utilised their own phones to record the videos and there were not constraints on access to technology.

Suggestions for Transferability

I found the quality of material was increased when students had to condense their idea into only three minutes. Adding the visual dimension to conveying a concept made students work harder to present their data/findings in a very simple and concise manner – better results were obtained because students were not under the pressures associated with presenting in front of the class.

Attachments