SUCCESS STORY HELMO

The first steps towards the adoption of educational videos

“The Belgian context helped accelerate the shift towards adopting short educational videos at HELMo, particularly with the publication of a decree in Belgium rendering the publication of course materials online mandatory. This allowed our teams to discover the use of learning platforms. This was followed by an increase and diversification in usage, and then a growing need to make syllabi more interactive, but also to be able to showcase certain professional gestures.” explains Izida Khamidoullina, head of the e-learning department.

Subsequently,  a reform of higher education came to further establish educational practices focused on the adoption of technological tools. “This was the moment when we began to consider implementing educational videos in the Haute École.  We then provided each department with a backpack containing cameras and microphones, then we hired a technical-educator and created a study group with teachers in order to conduct this experiment.” The results ? “We noticed that videos were very useful for students struggling to keep up with their studies, or to catch up with some classes they might have missed. It already was a real tool to encourage their academic success!”

Then the Covid-19 health crisis hit… And while this event could have slowed down the start of HELMo’s momentum, it actually put into light more creative and spontaneous uses of educational videos. “This situation led us to consider an institutional solution that would be available to all, and that is how we began our journey with UbiCast.”

For Izida, the decision to rely on UbiCast’s Nudgis platform can be justified by the possibility to “easily record high-quality educational videos,  having multiple capture sources (video, audio), to centralise media on a single private platform, and first and foremost to provide access to their content directly from Moodle.” 

SCHOOL PRESENTATION

HELMo University College is a dynamic higher education institution in the Liège region of Belgium, preparing over 8,200 students for professional careers. It offers over 40 bachelor’s and master’s programs across education, nursing, social work, technical, and business fields, all designed for job market readiness through strong industry ties and community engagement. A member of the Liege-Luxembourg Academy, HELMo fosters an international environment with students from over 50 nationalities and extensive global partnerships.

HELMo University College

Our challenge was also to ensure that the videos were pedagogically enriched.  And this enrichment—through chaptering, inserting complementary resources or quizzes—really enhanced the whole educational experience!

The first steps towards the adoption of educational videos

As Christiane Mathy, teacher and e-learning coordinator, explains: "What's interesting about educational videos is that during theoretical courses, we realise that some concepts are not fully understood by the students. We can then add a short video to complete and approach a specific point more in depth.”

But be careful, a video requires preparation! 

You can’t skip the storyboard. You need to prepare ahead of time in order to keep it as short as possible.

This means scripting your video, encompassing aspects such as topic selection, key points to cover, relevant resources to link, and the choice of narration style.

Once the writing phase is complete, all that’s left is to move on to recording. With UbiCast’s WebStudio tool, it becomes a breeze! Thanks to our various integrations (Moodle and Brightspace, for example), you can create interactive videos directly from your LMS, without having to go through your private Nudgis platform. As Christiane puts it : “It doesn't feel too unfamiliar, it’s convenient and it’s not another tool teachers have to learn how to use.”

With just a few clicks, teachers can capture their webcam and their presentation slides. Once the recording is complete, they have the possibility to edit the video (add a background, crop the media, etc…), but more importantly to enrich it with additional resources available right in the sidebar (attachments, comments, quizzes, surveys, etc.) “The strength of UbiCast stems from being able to add interactivity, which helps reduce the impact of a video that might otherwise feel a bit too long,” explains Dominique Hermesse, teacher and program director. He adds: “Students can ask questions through the chat next to the video, and sometimes the answers are even provided by the students themselves!"

THE ADVANTAGES OF EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS 

Educational videos can be used both before the class to prepare the “in-person” session, and after the class to review some notions that may have caused difficulties during the in-person session.

Its main advantages ?

Flexibility: the video allows students to engage with the content at their own pace and at the place that suits them best. Moreover, the possibility to watch the video multiple times makes understanding so much easier. As HELMo puts it : “It allows students to better grasp the material and therefore to better prepare for exams”. 

Engagement: thanks to the use of various media such as images, videos, animations and interactive elements, educational videos catch the eye of learners more effectively. The variety of multimedia formats makes the content more dynamic and appealing, boosting cognitive engagement. Learners are then more likely to stay focused and retain the information when it is presented in an interactive and visually stimulating way. 

Accessibility: video provides valuable support for international students whose native language is not French, students with disabilities or even students who are unable to attend in person. When it comes to accessibility, Nudgis by UbiCast is a real asset since it also offers the possibility to subtitle videos!

Educational videos bring real value to your teaching. By allowing your students to learn at their own pace and to review unclear concepts, they encourage autonomy during their learning journey. Using short videos is also a fun and creative approach that will appeal to your learners and allow you to better teach in the digital age. So, are you ready to get started?