Get the Most out of PlayPosit with Mindful Bulb-Building

In earlier posts, we introduced PlayPosit as a webtool that helps instructors make videos more engaging and interactive through real-time questions and interactions that enhance the learning experience.

In previous posts, we’ve talked about how PlayPosit can help you transform videos into active learning objects called “bulbs.” In-video questions, surveys and discussions can add an element of pizzazz to your online videos, but like with any educational tech tool, it can become more of a hindrance than an enhancement if bulbs are not built and integrated into a course intentionally.

Here are some tips to consider when using Playposit in your course:

1. Keep it short. If possible, use video segments that are around six minutes or less.
2. Be mindful of question placement. Try not to disrupt the cadence of the video; look for pauses/transitions where you can add interactions. The “preview” feature can greatly help with this as you are building a bulb. After previewing, you can manually adjust placement of questions back in edit mode.
3. Strike a happy medium with the number of interactions. Too many interactions can distract from the video content. Conversely, having one question in a five-minute video can be perplexing. You may find it useful to share a bulb with a colleague to get feedback on the experience before integrating into your course.
4. As with all things in course design, think about your learning objective and build accordingly. Ask questions that get students thinking about what you want them to learn from the video. There’s no need to use all interaction types just because they are available. Choose interaction types carefully and in accordance with your goals.
5. Provide feedback. Optimize auto-graded learning objects like Playposit bulbs by building in as much feedback for students as possible. In Playposit, you can add feedback based on answer choice. You can even add “jumps” to different parts of the video based on how a question is answered.
6. Be cognizant of the bulb settings. Does it make sense for your students to be able to rewind, fast-forward, skip questions or retake the bulb? Consider the experience you would like students to have and adjust these settings before sharing in your course.
7. Give students credit. Even if it’s a small percentage of the grade, you can motivate students to take/retake a bulb by connecting it with the D2L gradebook. In doing so, you also get the added benefit of question analytics.
8. Save time – Use pre-made bulbs! You can search bulbs made by other Playposit users on your “My Bulbs” page under “Premade Bulbs.” If you find one that works, you can copy and modify for your purposes!

Learn more about Playposit and experience a bulb on the PlayPosit page of the InTech website.

Become part of the growing UA Playposit community by reaching out to ODL’s Instructional Technology team at InTech@email.arizona.edu.