Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

QUICK TIP: If you do have to watch an online lecture of poor 
quality, do a quick search on YouTube for the same topic, and 
you may well fnd a better alternative. 

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114 Studying online 
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The uses of online video 
You will be using online video in a variety of ways when you are 
studying online. Lectures are an obvious use for video. You will 
be asked to watch recorded lectures regularly. However, there are 
many other uses for online video within education. For instance, 
not all lectures will be recorded. Some will be delivered live using 
online video conferencing software. Other lectures will be provid-
ed in a “webinar” format. Also, diferent lecturers will take varied 
approaches to how they create online lectures. Some, for instance, 
will use what is known as “lecture capture”. Essentially, this is a 
camera in a traditional lecture theatre that follows the lecturer 
around as they talk and shows any slides they use simultaneous-
ly. Some recorded lectures will be in this form. Te lecturer will 
deliver the talk in an empty lecture theatre and use the capture 
system to record it. Other lecturers will sit at their computers 
and record the lecture on a webcam. Yet other lecturers will go 
to a campus studio and record their lectures there so they appear 
more professional. You will also fnd lectures vary in length - some 
last an hour or two, but you may get lectures that last just a few 
minutes. Personally, my video recordings tend to be around fve to 
ten minutes. I break down a 90-minute lecture, for instance, into 
a series of short video presentations. Tat way, I hope to maintain 
the interest of the students watching. 
Another use of online video is for tutorial sessions or seminars. 
Generally, these will be held live using web conferencing software 
such as Adobe Connect, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom. Te tutorial 
leader, who may be your lecturer or perhaps one of their PhD stu-
dents, may show some slides using screen share, or they may ask 
you to download some fles presented in the “chat” stream. You 
will then be expected to participate in discussions or ask ques-
tions using your webcam. 
Video is also used by online students in group work. When you 
are studying at a distance, group work needs careful coordina-
tion. Many students fnd that Zoom calls or video chats through 

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