Videotaping with Playback Consultation

Frightening as it may be at first thought, a videotape of your teaching is an incredibly valuable tool to help you become a clearer, more effective communicator. All UC Davis faculty, teaching assistants, and associate instructors can sign up for a classroom videotaping and confidential follow-up consultation with a teaching consultant, free of charge. Supervising faculty do not need to be involved, but they can be, if you desire.

Please note:

Videotapings provided by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning are intended to improve your teaching skills. All videotapings are accompanied by a consultation with the teaching consultant who taped you. If you would like a videotaping without a consultation, please contact Academic Technology Services.

Applications for videotaping consultations

Faculty videotaping consultation request form

TA videotaping consultation request form

FAQs

When, during the course of my teaching, is the best time to be videotaped?

This is entirely up to you, and it really doesn’t matter. If you are new to teaching, it may be especially helpful to be videotaped once early on in your teaching, then again after a quarter or two, to assess your improvement as an instructor.

What happens after I schedule a videotaping?

A teaching consultant will contact you to confirm your appointment, answer any questions you have, and schedule a follow-up consultation and playback session.

What happens during the videotaping?

A teaching consultant will come into your classroom, set up a camera near the back of the room, then do nothing but observe and run the camera. To put your students at ease, it may be helpful for you to explain to them why the camera is there – explain that you want information about your own teaching and the camera is there primarily to watch you, not them. The consultant will videotape between 20 and 30 minutes of class, then quietly pack up the camera and leave the room.

What happens during the follow-up consultation session?

You will view your videotape with a consultant who will help you interpret the “data” on your video, and offer you constructive advice and strategies to consider in your continuing development as an effective instructor. You will find that you get far more ideas for improving your teaching by looking at the 20 to 30 minutes of video than you can implement in the current quarter!

What type of information will I get from a videotaping of my class?

Videotaping your teaching is just one method of “gathering data.” When you examine the videotape, i.e., your “data,” there are generally three types of information you can glean from what you see.

  1. The video is very useful in letting you know how good your presentation skills are. For example, does your board work need improvement? Do you speak too fast? Too slow? Are your ideas clearly organized and presented?
  2. The video can give you information about how well you communicate the material to the students. Do you have good rapport with your students? All of your students? A video is not as good at giving you answers to these questions as the previous questions, but with interpretation, you may get some valuable clues.
  3. The video can give you a general sense of what it’s like to be in your classroom and an idea of the overall effectiveness of your instruction. Are your students understanding the material? This is not so easily interpreted from the video, but the video can prompt discussion regarding effective teaching strategies.

What can I use the tape for after I’ve watched it?

Bring a blank DVD-R (not DVD+R) in to the CETL, and you may keep the video of your teaching. You may wish to use it in the future to evaluate changes in your teaching style and ability. Some people also choose to include it in their teaching portfolio if they apply for a teaching position, though we recommend you do this only after careful consideration and consultation with teachers in institutions similar to those to which you are applying.