Dr. Tao Zhang is a Lecturer and Work Placement Coordinator (Pharmacy Technician Studies) at the Technological University of Dublin. He started using JoVE videos in 2019 as an emergency response for lectures and practical lab arrangements. He says keeping students focused during lessons is complex, and JoVE videos have worked perfectly to solve that purpose in remote and hybrid classes. “JoVE is a great and huge source of learning and teaching resources between JoVE Education and JoVE Journal.”
Dr. Tao Zhang has used JoVE for subjects from first and second-year modules to final-year research projects, including BSc Pharmaceutical Healthcare, BSc Nutraceuticals in Health & Nutrition, BSc Environmental Health, General science/chemistry/technology. “For entry-level students, videos are great for an overall view of a technology or a concept with its critical applications,” says Dr. Tao Zhang.
He encouraged his students to watch specific videos ahead of the lecture and played essential videos during the class. He found the length of JoVE videos perfect; a few minutes of these videos helped students understand the concept and connect to real-world applications. He explains that JoVE playlists are a helpful resource for instructors to save time and advices his peers "to get the playlist created by JoVE’s expert first, which would save a lot of time, so any instructor doesn’t have to spend too much time searching for the videos. After creating the list, the instructor can still edit the list further to suit their needs."
According to Dr. Tao Zhang, JoVE videos including “The Equilibrium Constant,” “Le Chatelier’s Principle,” “Reaction Rate,” and “Oxidation Number” aligned well with the subject and helped increase student comprehension for the second-year course in Introduction to Physical Chemistry. For the laboratory component of the same module, he included more videos such as “Titration Calculations: Strong Acid – Strong Base,” “Basic lab skills and techniques,” and “Measurement Accuracy, Calibration & Uncertainty and Significant Figures.”
Dr. Zhang shared feedback from his 1st-year students who hadn’t studied Chemistry in secondary school, “They found that watching videos beforehand was a great help before attending the lecture. Much better understanding afters overall.” When asked about his thoughts on using videos beyond remote learning, he noted, “Definitely. Moving online environment to onsite, use of JoVE videos can only improve the quality of learning and teaching. Don’t see why I should stop using them.”
Are you teaching introductory undergrad courses? Request a free trial of JoVE, video textbooks that explain concepts taught in undergraduate courses through high-impact animations and real-life experiments.
JoVE in Action is a series of blog posts highlighting how STEM educators worldwide use JoVE to support their teaching efforts. We hope these stories will be helpful for instructors looking for effective ways to deliver their science and lab courses online or in hybrid formats through the use of video resources.