Session 46: Lightning talk: Two minute talks: short vodcasts as a tool for collaboration, cocreation and community learning

Abstract

Two Minute Talks (TMTs) are short talking-head informational videos, or vodcasts, of 2-3 minutes in length, that address specific areas of knowledge. Teacher-led TMTs were introduced as an aid to teach human osteology during the pandemic and cover factual topics such as how to side a humerus. However, they could be applied in any subject area from engineering to law. TMTs prove popular amongst students as the videos are accessible, engaging, and break information into bite-sized chunks in a fun way that makes content more memorable. They mimic the way young people in the ‘Youtube Generation’ interact with information and reflect a world in which the traditional lecture is no longer seen as the best approach to dissemination. Short videos offer a range of advantages. Logistically, they are low-cost and efficient in terms of time investment, reduce the digital divide as they function well on smartphones with low data demands, and can be accessed virtually anywhere. Pedagogically, video has a far lower cognitive load compared to traditional ways of learning, such as textbooks, and can be more accessible to those with learning needs. But TMTs can be so much more than just a didactic tool. They offer a vehicle for collaborative learning and co-creation of materials that any student can engage with. The production of student-led TMTs conveys a range of benefits from extending the learning resources available, developing digital literacy, deeper learner engagement with content, increased diversity of voices and approaches, and even the protégé effect. In addition, if stored collectively, they can be used to develop an open-source community platform for knowledge dissemination, whether as part of a module, programme, or even at the university level and beyond, for those wishing to broaden their horizons and take two minutes to learn something about another subject.

Two minute talks: short vodcasts as a tool for collaboration, cocreation and community learning recording. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource.