Explanation Video (EV) Instructions

As a final step for each skills assignment, students will perform a task while explaining what steps they’re performing and why they’re performing them. Such self-explanation activities have been found to be a beneficial learning technique. Furthermore, performing the target type of task for a third time will further help students gain the benefits of practice effects.

In the video recording, you must do the following:

• Perform the task. Task instructions will be provided, and it will be your job to complete the task quickly and correctly.
• Speak aloud as you work. As you work on the task, you must talk continuously, describing what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
• Mention demo steps. As you perform the general steps from the demo(s), be sure to mention them, so that it’s clear that you know them.

Recording Requirements

The video recordings you make must meet the following requirements:

• Screen capture. The main part of the video must be a screen capture video of your whole screen as you work on the task.
• PiP webcam video. A “picture-in-picture” webcam recording of your face as you work must be overlayed onto the screen capture video. Your face must be clearly visible, and it must be clear from the video where your eyes are looking.
• Voice audio. Audio of your talk-aloud must also be included in the video. The audio quality must be clear and loud enough so that you can be easily understood.

Tips for Recording

The easiest way that we know of to produce these videos using software that is freely available to you, is to use Microsoft Teams. Basically, you just hold a meeting with yourself that you record and screen share. There are also other free and non-free options you are welcome to try as well, like OBS (free) or Camtasia (paid), but that is up to you.

Teams Instructions

1. Create a New Solo Team:
   • Open Microsoft Teams: Launch the Microsoft Teams application.
   • Create a Team:
     • On the left-hand side, click on “Teams.”
     • Click on “Join or create a team” at the top right of the Teams list.
     • Choose “Create team” and select the “Other” template
     • Select “Private” and give your team a name (e.g. “My Recording Studio”).
2. Set Up the Meeting:
   • Go to the Team: Click on the newly created team from the Teams list.
   • Start the Meeting:
     • Inside the general channel, click on the “Meet now” button.
     • Name the meeting with the name of the assignment.
3. Join the Meeting:
   • Adjust Settings:
     • Make sure your camera and mic are active.
     • Adjust any other settings as necessary (e.g., background, microphone selection).
   • Join Now: Click the “Join now” button to enter the meeting.
4. Start Recording and Transcription:
   • More Options: Click on the three dots (“…”) in the meeting controls.
   • Start Recording:
     • Select “Start recording” under “Recording and Transcription.” Transcription will automatically start with the recording.
   • Confirm Settings: Ensure that both recording and transcription are running.
5. Share Your Screen:
   • Share Content: Click on the “Share content” icon in the meeting controls.
   • Select Entire Screen: Choose to share your entire screen.
6. Conduct the Meeting:
   • Proceed as Planned: Carry out the activities for the assignment. The meeting is being recorded and transcribed.
7. End Recording:
   • Stop Recording: When you’re finished, click on the three dots (“…”) again and select “Stop recording.”
   • Leave the Meeting: Click the red “Leave” button to exit.
8. Access and Share the Recording:
   • Find the Recording: The recording and transcription will be available in the meeting chat or under the Files tab in the channel.
   • Share the Recording Link:
     • Click the Share Symbol: Locate the recording file and click the share symbol (it looks like an arrow) next to the file name.
     • Open Settings: In the share window, click on the settings cog icon to open the link settings.
     • Adjust Link Permissions:
       • Select “Link works for people in The University of Memphis.”
       • Under “More settings,” ensure it is set to “Can view.”
     • Apply Settings: Click “Apply” to confirm these settings.
     • Copy the Link: Once the settings are applied, click “Copy link.”
     • Submit to Dropbox: Paste copied link into the Canvas assignment.

Grading Rubric

Explanation videos are graded as pass/fail. An explanation video may be graded as a fail if any of the following are true.

✖ Task done wrong. There must not be significant errors in the performance of the task, and the steps performed must not deviate significantly from the prescribed way of doing things.

✖ Missing or wrong explanations. There must not be significant errors in what the speaker says, and things must not be under-explained.

✖ Missing or wrong general steps. There must not be any significant omissions or errors in the mentioning of the general steps from the demos as the task is performed.

✖ Editing the video to remove mistakes. The video of your task performance must be done in a single take, without any sort of editing. It’s ok to make a mistake as long as you correct it later in the video, and explain why the mistake was made and how you fixed it.

✖ Poor audio/video quality. The video must be of sufficiently high quality that everything can be seen clearly, and the audio must be clear such that the speaker can be easily understood.

✖ Reading from a script. You must not read directly from notes or a script when talking aloud during the task. At the least, you would have to memorize such a script, but you really should have sufficient mastery of the material that you can simply draw from your own knowledge/understanding as you speak.

✖ Using a Secondary Monitor. Your computer may have multiple monitors, and your recording may only capture one of them. That’s fine, but be sure not to use the monitors not being recorded during the demo. For example, students may be tempted to read from a script on a secondary monitor, while they record the activity on a different monitor. If we suspect something like that is happening, the explanation video will receive failing marks.

✖ Copy/Pasting pre-prepared code. You must perform the task in the manner you naturally would if you were doing it for the first time. Preparing code ahead of time, and copying and pasting it in your demo video is forbidden.

Additionally, keep the following in mind as you create your videos:

✔ Limited, deliberate copy/pasting is OK. As you perform the task, some copying and pasting from the demos is allowed; however, any code you paste you must fully explain.

✔ Rough edges are OK. Your performance in the video doesn’t have to be perfect in order to pass. For example, some making and debugging of mistakes is fine. Also, making a small number of minor mistakes in your explanations would likely pass as well.

✔ Taking a break or getting help from a TA is OK. If you get very stuck or need to take a break, you may pause or stop the recording while you seek help from a TA, as long as you resume from the same place and mention what happened. It’s ok to upload multiple videos.

✔ Some “Check It!” steps may be skipped. Although you should always show that the functionality you create in your video works by running it, you need not perform every “Check It!” step in a demo. That said, the final version of the code definitely must be run and tested, and I strongly recommend some intermediate running and testing of the code as you write it to ensure that you haven’t introduced any bugs along the way.