The 2022 JoVE Science Education and Research Innovation Awards have paved the way to highlight innovative uses of video resources to advance research and teaching in science disciplines. We hope these blog posts will help you find inspiration on utilizing visual resources in the best ways.
Below you can read the winning entry by the 2022 JoVE Librarian Innovation Award winner, Jonathan Munyoro. He works as a Subject Information Specialist at the University of Zimbabwe Library; his entry highlights his use of video resources to facilitate teaching and learning information and digital skills training during the COVID-19 lockdown.
In March 2020, the Government of Zimbabwe declared its first COVID-19 case and swiftly responded by implementing various infection prevention and control measures to prevent its spread. The outbreak in 2020 resulted in the closure of face-to-face learning and shifted to blended learning at the University of Zimbabwe.
The University of Zimbabwe responded to the COVID-19-induced interruption to teaching and learning by deploying innovative teaching methodologies and using information and communication technologies. Despite the COVID-19 interruptions, students' information and digital skills training continued through online tools, including pre-recorded video materials. Through teamwork and collaboration with other information and knowledge management specialists at the University of Zimbabwe Library, video tutorials were created focusing on a module named Management of Academic Information and E-resources use and application in university business.
Information and Digital Skills training is a university-wide skills course that aims to impart digital literacy skills to university students, given the growing importance of digital learning due to a sudden shift to e-learning systems accelerated by the pandemic. The video materials were recorded using Zoom Video Conference and edited using Youtube Studio shared via the University of Zimbabwe e-Learning Management System.
Below are some examples of;
- A pre-recorded video on introduction to the module in Management of Academic Information seeks to equip students with knowledge and abilities to locate, manage and use the information for research, problem-solving and decision-making.
- A pre-recorded video on information sources is expected to deepen one’s knowledge of sources of information in print, non-print and electronic formats. It presents the definition and types of information sources.
Results
It was an exciting and self-enriching exercise that helped me increase my soft skills in virtual teaching methodologies, which I had never learned formally. Pre-recording videos allowed the institution to address several challenges, such as;
- Solving the problem of limited venues for face-to-face teaching.
- It helps save time in trying to cover the course entirely during face-to-face classes, as all videos will now be available to access at all times.
- Solves the problem of limited availability of trainers face-to-face, as videos were pre-recorded.
- Quality of training has improved.
The video tutorials helped students to access content remotely and engage before meeting the trainer. The use of video will continue as we continue to review and enhance the quality of videos. It has taught us to embrace new methods of training and facilitating learning.
Want to hear more from Jonathan Munyoro? Request a full recording of the Librarian Innovation Award Winners' Stories webinar to know how libraries use video resources to support science research & education.
