From Technology Troubles to Simple Solutions

In the fall of 2020, Professor of Communications Julie Apker was assigned to teach Public Speaking, a course she hadn't taught since completing her master's degree over 25 years ago. Additionally, thanks to the pandemic, she was teaching the class online for the first time ever, which meant students had to record and upload their speeches using WMU's Mediasite software. It quickly became clear that receiving her students' videos in a usable format was presenting challenges, so Apker decided to call in WMUx Instructional Development and Support to start brainstorming solutions.

"We were all struggling. Mediasite wasn't very user-friendly for students, so they didn't understand how to record and upload a speech. I had problems viewing speeches successfully with both audio and video because students sent files with incorrect formats. It was very frustrating for everyone!" recalls Apker. She knew that students would continue to reach out to her for support, and she recognized that she needed to improve her own technology skills to be able to help them. With guidance from the WMUx Instructional Development and Support team, Apker improved her understanding of the media software and learned how to use it with ease.

Quickly, Apker reached a point where she felt confident that her students now had a handle on how to record and upload their own individual videos. However, when the semester culminated in a group project, which required students to record their own separate speeches and then merge them together in one cohesive group project, the complexity once again exceeded Apker's level of expertise. "I was so frustrated. I was really at my wits end with helping students," remembers Apker.

Julie Apker, Professor of Communications

This time, the WMUx instructional technology specialist knew that Apker's class project needed a more concrete set of instructions than what was included on Help Hub. Together, WMUx and Apker created clear and simple step-by-step instructions for students to follow that walked them through this complex group project. Once developed, the instructional technology specialist looped in the Assistant Director for WMU's IT Labs and Help Desk to double-check their work and make sure all instructions would make sense from a student perspective. This collaboration also made IT and the Help Hub aware that a class-specific set of instructions existed for this Public Speaking course.

Before she reached out to WMUx for help, around two-thirds of students in Apker's online speaking course encountered at least some difficulty using the Mediasite software to record and upload their speeches. The amount of time both Apker and her students spent on troubleshooting was incredibly inefficient and frustrating and the learning experience was impacted negatively for all. As a result of partnering with WMUx Instructional Development and Support to create a clear set of instructions specific to her course and embedding these instructions into her online course modules, Apker has made the experience for her and her students much easier to navigate.

Armed with a course-specific, step-by-step process when she taught the course in her latest semester, only two students had issues uploading their first speech and those issues were easily resolved. "My instructional technology specialist was always very responsive and got back to me right away when we were in the throes of student confusion, but I'm grateful that we were able to create a solution for moving forward that can address problems before they start," praises Apker.

If you have an instructional technology problem that is causing frustration for you or your students, don't waste time figuring it out on your own. WMUx Instructional Development and Support's experts are ready to efficiently work through your problems so you can focus on your own expertise – teaching!