92% of Students Reported Better Understanding: Lessons from an FAU Professor

Prof. Waziry integrated weekly topic-specific JoVE videos into Canvas, used them as a supplemental tool alongside existing textbooks and online materials, and paired them with quizzes and practice support focused on reasoning, retention, and spaced repetition.

Here’s how you can apply her approach in your own course:

• ▪️ Use short visual reviews for difficult topics.
  In courses like Cell Biology and Anatomy & Physiology, some biological processes are challenging to understand through static text or diagrams alone. Students repeatedly pointed to step-by-step animations as the reason concepts became easier to grasp.
  
• ▪️ Integrate visual learning into the course workflow.
  Prof. Waziry used JoVE inside Canvas across weekly topics. That made review easier, kept the material connected to the course flow, and reduced friction for students.
  
• ▪️ Offer multiple ways to engage with the material.
  JoVE did not replace lectures or textbooks. It gave students another way to review complex material at their own pace, with the option to pause, rewatch, and revisit concepts while studying.
  
• ▪️ Pair videos with active practice.
  The strongest value did not come from watching alone. Videos were paired with practice questions that helped students check their understanding, strengthen recall, and focus on what they still needed to learn.
  
• ▪️ Use pre-class review to improve class time.
  When students can review key concepts before class, instructors spend less time re-teaching the basics and more time on higher-order thinking and practical application.

Better prepared and more confident students don’t happen by chance.

They need course materials that help them review key concepts in advance, connect what they see to what they hear in class, and return to difficult topics at their own pace.

Prof. Waziry's experience demonstrates that visual learning works best when it is intentionally integrated into a course rather than added as an optional resource. By combining video-based review with quizzes, practice questions, and pre-class preparation, instructors can help students build confidence and arrive to class better prepared for deeper discussion and application.

Support your students’ understanding and confidence with JoVE’s video-based resources.