YouTube is a popular Web site for posting videos from parties, sporting events and random drunken, 2 a.m. conversations. But it can also be used for education. YouTube EDU is a YouTube service allowing universities to set up an official channel for university-related videos, such as special lectures, class lectures and research findings. But the University hasn’t caught on to the new trend, falling behind six SEC schools — Auburn and Vanderbilt universities and the universities of Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee — that do. Sheri Thompson, IT communications and planning officer, said the University doesn’t have a YouTube EDU channel because not many faculty members have asked for it.”We’re always looking for what the faculty wants to do,” she said. “It would have to come as a request from the faculty — we don’t push for things like that.”Lillian Bridwell-Bowles, Communication across the Curriculum director, said though there is no campuswide practice of posting lecture videos, the trend is catching on in individual departments.Bridwell-Bowles said LSU’s lack of a YouTube EDU channel puts it behind other schools with an abundance of online academic materials.”Most of our YouTube content is all about Mike the Tiger — which is good — but that’s not all we’re about,” she said. “We need to follow other universities, such as the University of Minnesota, in putting substance material forward.”Bridwell-Bowles said she uses YouTube, Wikispaces and her own blog to post class videos and materials for her English classes, taking advantage of student interaction and involvement.”My students post videos of their class presentation rehearsals online and receive suggestions from classmates for the final presentation,” she said. “The students love the interactivity.”Sarah Baird, Center for Academic Success associate, said class lectures posted online can greatly benefit students as a class aid, as long as online lectures don’t replace class attendance.Baird said the classroom experience — talking with other students and asking the professor questions — is essential to learning.”Faculty members need to learn how to maximize the availability of online resources for students,” she said. “Online resources can be used as a supplemental educational instructional tool. There are benefits to being in a classroom that cannot be duplicated online.”Krystal Chigbu, mass communication freshman, said she prefers the classroom instead of online classes, though she said posting class lectures online would be convenient for early morning and late night classes. “I’m the type that needs to be in class,” she said. “I’m not the tech savy type, so I just get notes from going to class.” Melanie Moran, associate director of Vanderbilt news, said Vanderbilt uses its YouTube EDU channel for a broad spectrum of content, including news, lectures and proctored events.Vanderbilt’s YouTube EDU channel launched in 2007, and focuses on special lectures and events, rather than class lectures, Moran said. Some of their professors use iTunes U, a free podcast service for professors to post class materials, but it hasn’t become wide-spread, she said.”This is a central place for online video and content,” she said. “It gives a much wider awareness as to what is happening at Vanderbilt.”Thompson said LSU experimented with iTunes U, but many professors were not interested.Elizabeth Hood, French studies junior, said she thinks posting class lectures online would be convenient, but might cause more problems. “People probably wouldn’t go to class, and professors would give more in-class quizzes and random bonus points,” she said. Bridwell-Bowles said new technology, such as posting videos, presents new opportunity for students — however, she said there is no replacement for human interaction.”There are reasons why the most prestigious universities still put students in classrooms with the best researchers and instructors,” she said. “It’s better to have someone there to answer your questions and not a professor who’s 200 miles away.”—-Contact Steven Powell at [email protected]
YouTube EDU falls behind
April 29, 2009