By: Fatima Danazumi, Ethan Ohm, and Richard Noh
- Our idea
- Timeline for TA’s and Professors
- Example of a TA pre-recorded video
- How to create poll and post/upload video on Moodle
- Work cited
Our idea
All Amherst students have at some point struggled to get help when they’re confused about something in class. Sometimes they’re too busy, too shy, or even sick and can’t make it to office hours. Even when students do have time, they may hesitate to attend office hours, not simply out of fear, but because they lack experience or confidence in how to ask academic questions. As Anthony Jack writes in The Privileged Poor, “The Doubly Disadvantaged are not adequately integrated into the norms that govern student life at an elite institution—practices like connecting with professors during office hours—that the Privileged Poor learned in high school. As the stories in Chapters 1 and 2 will make clear, the Privileged Poor have the kind of cultural capital that enables them to be at ease when engaging with their peers and professors” (Jack 22). This quote shows that for many students, especially those who didn’t have strong academic support in high school, the struggle to ask for help isn’t just about being shy or unsure. It’s also caused by deeper issues, like the way the school system is set up and the culture that makes some students feel like they don’t belong or aren’t allowed to ask for help. While it’s true that developing these skills is important for future success, it’s equally important to recognize that students may need support and guidance to build that confidence, especially if prior experiences have been negative.
This is where the TA pre-recorded videos are useful. For students who may feel unsure about how to phrase questions or are intimidated by one-on-one interactions, the videos model the process of thinking through a problem and arriving at a solution. By watching a TA break down a concept or walk through a common question, students gain a clearer sense of how to engage with the material and what kinds of questions they should be asking themselves as they work on the problems. That’s why we thought: what if TAs recorded short videos answering the most commonly asked questions? That way, students could watch the videos anytime they want, before a test, after class, or while reviewing homework.
Our project builds on a foundation laid by previous HSTEM students who explored how to lower barriers to academic support and make office hours more accessible. Past HSTEM projects, such as “Learn How to Navigate the Amherst College Education Experience—Particularly Office Hours,” and the “Guide to Office Hours for Professors” and “Guide to Office Hours for Students,” show that this is a recurring concern within the Amherst community. These projects highlight the obstacles many students face when trying to seek academic help. Our project addresses the same theme but takes a slightly different approach.
The problem we’re solving is simple. Many students don’t go to office hours because of their schedules. According to a 2022 study conducted at Chapman University on student motivations and barriers toward attending office hours in STEM courses, scheduling conflicts were the second most common reason students reported for not attending office hours, with 40.9% of respondents indicating that office hours conflicted with other classes or commitments (Figure 1). Another big reason is that some students feel nervous or intimidated. One Amherst College student named James from Germany said, “Office hours are not a thing and mental health is not a thing. Professors there don’t care if you fail or not. It’s so new here that professors actually care. I still don’t go to office hours though.” Another student from France named Ryan said, “I don’t email my professors. It’s not normal in France. Professors don’t care about you; you don’t talk to your professors.” This shows that there are multiple barriers to office hours. The student testimonials show that even if professors are friendly and helpful, not all students feel comfortable asking for help. We believe that pre-recorded TA videos address this issue.
The TA videos address cultural barriers; not only are they helpful for international students or students with busy schedules, but they also support students with different learning styles. These videos also help professors and TAs because they won’t have to answer the same questions over and over. Plus, the videos can be saved and reused in future semesters.
To really figure out if our project would be useful and feasible for Amherst students, we spoke with several STEM professors who have recorded videos before. Teachers have already tried similar approaches and agree that video recordings are effective. Professor Trapani, who teaches biology and neuroscience, said that recording his lectures has been helpful for students who miss class or need extra support and added, “I’m fairly certain it’s well received and appreciated.” Professor Zhang from the math department shared that he made a full set of videos using his iPad and Zoom during COVID to help students with homework questions. Professor Alvarado used video recordings as part of a “flipped classroom,” pre-recording lecture videos that showed notes, which he found helpful for student engagement. Finally, Professor Hanneke mentioned that he has done something very similar to our idea by recording videos addressing common questions, and even tracked how many students watched them on Moodle. He noted that it only took him an hour or two to make each video.
We received a lot of helpful feedback from students, professors, and even collaborated with the Strategic Learning Center (SLC) and IT Specialist Max Ansorge. We know video recordings are already helping students and faculty, we just want to make it easier and more accessible for more professors and TAs to use them.
Evidence
Figure 1
Professor Testimonials:
Professor Trapani (Bio/Neuro): “I record my lecture slides as video slideshows with my voice lecturing along with it (done during synchronous lectures but available for any students that have accommodations or that miss class). I’m fairly certain it’s well-received and appreciated. I also assign textbook readings with Moodle quizzes and Problem Sets that serve, in part, as creating study guides for exams.”
Professor Zhang (Math): “I utilize videos, handouts for enrichment, discussion forums, and online quizzes. During COVID-19, as many other instructors, I learned to record multimedia speeches using iPad and Zoom. I made a set of videos for all lessons and also held Zoom classes to answer homework questions.”
Professor Alvarado: “During COVID, I used a flipped classroom teaching style where I recorded lecture videos and posted them on Moodle for students to review the material ahead of time. Class sessions were then dedicated to working on problems together. I don’t think students were 100% happy with this format because they often had questions while watching the videos and had to wait a day or two to ask them in class. To record the lectures, I would join Zoom on both my laptop and tablet. I shared my tablet screen and used the app OneNote to write notes as I explained the content. I recorded the Zoom meeting and then uploaded it to Moodle. It was helpful because the videos captured both my face and the tablet screen at the same time.”
Professor Hanneke: “In the past, I’ve done something similar to what you’re proposing. I recorded videos where I worked through physics problems and posted them on Moodle. I never formally surveyed students to see if they found the videos helpful, so I’m not sure how effective they were. However, Moodle has a feature called Kaltura that lets you see how many students have watched the videos. To record, I used Camtasia video editing software, which allowed me to both record and edit the videos. I would screen mirror my iPad and work out the problems there. The entire process usually took me only an hour or two.”
Student Testimonials
David: “The professors in Germany don’t care. It’s not normal for students to talk with their professors. It’s considered rude. Office hours are not a thing, and mental health is not a thing. Professors there don’t care if you fail or not. It’s so new here that professors actually care. I still don’t go to office hours, though.”
Rym: “When I came here, I was shocked. I still don’t email my professors. It’s not normal in France. Professors don’t care about you. You don’t talk to your professors.”