In this article

• How to Get Started
• Best Practices
• Examples
• Workshop Information
• Resources

How to Get Started

Step 1: Determine why video is the right format.

Before creating a video, consider why video is the most appropriate format for delivering your content. Ask yourself a few questions: Why am I using video? What are the benefits of presenting this information through video? What will my students gain from watching a video that they wouldn’t get from text or discussion?

Step 2: Identify your learning goal.

Think about what you want students to learn or accomplish after watching your video. Is your goal to deliver a lecture, explain a concept, or check students’ understanding? Panopto offers interactive features, such as discussions and quizzes, to support different instructional goals. Understanding your goals will help you determine which Panopto features best support your students’ learning.

Step 3: Decide how to share your videos.

Panopto offers a variety of options for sharing recordings with different audiences. You can share individual videos or organize multiple recordings into folders or playlists. Panopto also integrates with Moodle and Canvas, allowing instructors to share recordings with students through their courses. Understanding how you want to share your videos will help you choose the most appropriate sharing option.

Protecting Student Privacy: 

Recordings that include identifiable student information (e.g., faces, full names, or recognizable voices) are considered FERPA-protected education records and have strict limits upon how they can be shared:

• Sharing with the section in which the student is enrolled: This is always OK.
• Sharing with different sections of the same course, in the current or future terms:  Personally-identifiable information must be protected for students who have set a Classroom Privacy FERPA block. Instructors can see which students have set a block using the Detailed Roster in MyPack.
• Sharing in any broader context (e.g. with a different course, as part of a presentation, etc.): Personally-identifiable information must be protected for all students

Personally-identifiable information can be protected in several ways:

• Ensuring that no personally-identifiable information is recorded.
• Editing the recording to remove such information.
• Alternatively, you may obtain consent from each student whose privacy must be protected. Here’s one sample FERPA consent form that you could use.

For guidance on setting sharing permissions or editing recordings, please contact the LearnTech Help Desk at learntech@ncsu.edu.

Step 4: Get started with Panopto.

If you are ready to use Panopto, please refer to the Overview of Panopto at NC State to get started.

Best Practices

Consider your purpose

Being clear about your purpose will help you focus on creating the video content without going off the topic.  Ask yourself questions, such as what is the key takeaway I want my students to remember after watching this recording?  Referring to your learning objectives and goals is a great way to keep you focused on your purpose.

Storyboard and talking points

While it’s not required, it’s helpful to create a storyboard and prepare key talking points. A storyboard helps you outline and visualize what you plan to show and spot potential challenges in advance—while you still have time to adjust. It also helps you decide how to break up your recordings to best support student learning.

Having talking points (rather than a full script) can help you stay efficient and focused on your key messages without sounding overly rehearsed. It also gives you a chance to consider how best to explain your content within the recording timeframe and maintain a smooth, authentic flow.

Keep it simple

One thing to remember about screencasting is that you can record anything on your screen, even unwanted notifications and popups.  It would be helpful to turn off notifications, disable popups and declutter your desktop, so unwanted areas won’t be recorded to your content. If you include Powerpoint slides, keep it simple, so students can focus on learning.

Keep it short

Keep your videos short and focused on one learning objective or concept at a time. Breaking content into smaller, manageable segments can help students stay focused and make it easier to review specific topics when needed. When planning your video, consider the following questions:

• What is the key message you want students to take away?
• What information is essential to achieving the learning objective?
• How will students apply what they’ve learned?

For longer lecture recordings, consider breaking the content into smaller sections. You can also use Panopto’s Table of Contents feature to help students navigate the recording and easily locate specific topics.

Practice

Take time to practice using the technology so you feel comfortable and familiar with it. If you make mistakes or jumble a phrase during the recording, it’s okay. You can always say, “Let me say that again,” and then restate your phrase, just as you would in a traditional classroom. The most important thing is to be yourself.

For additional tips and technical best practices, refer to this article: Tips for recording yourself on video.

Examples

Panopto offers many features not only for content delivery but also to engage and enhance students’ learning.  How you use these features depends on your goals and objectives.  I am including some of the examples and use cases from faculty who use Panopto in their courses.

Use Discussion to promote active learning and to address muddy points

Instructors can use Panopto’s Discussion feature to encourage students to ask questions, share their thoughts, or respond to prompts at specific points in a video.

For example, instructors can pair short Panopto videos with guided learning activities. Students can work through an activity, respond to questions, or share their thoughts using the Discussion feature before moving on to the next video segment.

Students can also use the Discussion feature to ask clarifying questions at specific points in a video. Instructors or TAs can respond to these questions, making the answers available to the entire class.

Upload slides/pdf files for additional resources

Instructors can use Panopto’s Add Slides or Upload PDF features to provide supporting materials alongside their recordings. Students can access these resources while watching the video and download them if the instructor enables that option.  This gives students more flexibility to review the content at their own pace.

Table of Contents for easy navigation

Using the Table of Contents feature for easy navigation and finding the correct point in the video, which allows students to focus on learning without spending time locating them, which is one of the features students appreciate.

Search feature for reviewing

Invite students to use the Search feature. This feature allows students to search every word spoken, on screen, in slides, or digital notes within a video for a specific word and find the relevant topic for reviewing and relistening to a confusing concept to enhance students’ learning.

Statistics for measuring learning

To gauge students’ learning, Video Analytics allows instructors to see which students have watched the video, how much of the video they watched, and whether they left comments in the discussion feature. This feature helps instructors have a much better sense of how quickly or slowly the class as a whole is moving through the lecture material.

Quiz for assessment and engagement

• Add quiz questions at specific points in a video to check students’ understanding of the content.
• Use questions to encourage students to predict an outcome or apply their existing knowledge before introducing a new concept.
• Provide opportunities for students to pause and reflect on what they’ve learned through quiz questions.
• Ask students to rate their confidence in an answer to encourage reflection on their understanding.

Workshop Information

An Overview of Panopto

• Register for the workshop
• Watch a previously recorded workshop

If no workshops are available, you can request an instructional consultation from LearnTech about this topic.

Resources

• Overview of Panopto at NC State – DELTA Knowledge Base article
• Panopto – Learning Technology – DELTA Learning Technologies article
• Panopto Support Site – Learn more about Panopto, view video tutorials, and support documentation