It’s official: flipped classrooms are now the new normal. In the time since the first flipped classroom made its debut, the number of teachers already flipping or planning to flip continues to grow at breakneck pace. As flipped classrooms become increasingly commonplace across campuses worldwide, many schools and universities are finding themselves challenged to identify the best ways to support faculty members making the flip. After all, faculty needs can vary widely depending on teachers’ experience and comfort level with flipped classrooms. Early on, faculty may need only simple advice and ..read more

In the flipped classroom, traditional in-class learning and homework assignments are reversed. Instructors assign passive learning activities, such as watching a pre-recorded lecture or reading a chapter from a textbook, for homework, and then engage students in active learning during synchronous class time. Whether you’re planning your first flip or iterating on an existing flipped course, there are five essential flipped classroom technologies with which you should be familiar so you can optimize asynchronous learning and ensure students get all of the benefits flipped learning offers. Learn ..read more

In the post-pandemic digital world we live in where remote working and learning is second nature, video communications technologies offer a virtual alternative to exceedingly rare and valuable face-to-face interactions. Two of these technologies, in particular, are essential communications tools used by thousands of academic institutions and enterprise businesses worldwide.  One is a video conferencing solution that has dominated the market over the last few years with its simple, easy-to-use interface and free baseline plan. The other is a YouTube-like video platform with a consumer-read ..read more

Many great things come in pairs. Peanut butter and jelly. Yin and Yang. Kermit and Miss Piggy. But in the case of a virtual classroom, having just two of what we call “The Big Three” is not enough. Video Conferencing (VC), a Learning Management System (LMS), and a Video Management System (VMS) comprise, “the Big Three” or “Holy Trinity” of technology building blocks for the virtual classroom. These three technologies work together to create a seamless learning experience for students, whether they are meeting in breakout rooms online, listening to a live lecture they missed, or watching a flip ..read more

Even before the pandemic changed the educational landscape in 2020, flipped learning was already catching on. However, for instructors and administrators who’ve never flipped a classroom, making the switch can seem daunting – after all, flipping redefines what’s required of the educator. First, it requires that lesson materials be made available ahead of class time. Second, it requires teachers to use in-class time for active learning instead of passive learning. Fortunately, instructors who are new to flipping can learn from the experiments and lessons of thousands of teachers across all ..read more

Asynchronous learning used to be a term that was rarely mentioned by anyone other than professionals in the fields of education, corporate learning and development, and instructional design. However, widespread changes to teaching and learning over the last few years have ushered asynchronous learning into the spotlight. Blending Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic thrust more than one billion students globally into the world of online learning. Teachers went above and beyond to adapt lesson plans designed for learning in a physical classroom to an online learn ..read more

Professors are evolving the way they teach and how they use technology to make learning more engaging, flexible, and effective. In our latest Community Talks webinar, Adam Nemeroff, Assistant Director of the Learning Lab at Dartmouth College, and Joe Bear, Head Media Geek at Virginia Western Community College, explore how the 60-minute lecture has evolved as instructors tap into new technology and tools to deepen engagement and improve learning outcomes.     From “sage on a stage” to “guide on the side” As schools introduce new technology, the traditional 60-minute lecture is no lo ..read more

As schools continue to ride the waves of pandemic surges, they face ongoing decisions—and opportunities to evolve. When and how to transition to virtual learning is one of those decision points. It’s crucial that the technology a school uses for virtual learning does not make that transition harder. Are you working with a vendor who can immediately scale up remote learning and help you respond to rapid changes? If you need to assess your current video platform or a potential technology partner, here are five important areas to consider when evaluating an educational video vendor. Cloud-based t ..read more

Asynchronous video increases educational equity by providing access to class materials at any time and place, recordings for review, virtual discussions with more equitable opportunities for participation, and supplemental materials to expand the learning and teaching experience. This post recaps a series of posts we’ve provided to help teachers, students, and edtech professionals learn more about how asynchronous video can improve educational equity. In today’s world, schools can no longer afford to ignore education equity. You have the power to expand educational equity at your school, wheth ..read more

Educational video allows instructors to expand how they teach, giving them more opportunities to connect with students and more ways to share course content. It improves and enriches students’ learning experiences and education equity, while enabling a wider range of perspectives to be shared on campus. Let’s take a closer look at educational video’s benefits, from how it increases instructors’ options to how it will continue to make an impact as schools move into the future. Close the distance between instructor and students With video, students can get to know their instructor and class cont ..read more