Instructional Design

Introduction

In their UW Flexible Option course Deviant Minds (CGS INT 281X), Profs. Jill Rinzel and Stephan Scholz produced a series of videos in which they sat down one-on-one to discuss how their fields of psychology and sociology, respectively, understand deviance. Adopting a conversational style, the instructors recorded overview videos in our in-house media studio, engaging in lively discussions about the course material from their complementary perspectives. Read more about their experience using the studio and why they chose a conversational approach to teaching this innovative course.

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Interview

Can you tell us how this course came about? It’s quite unique that it is taught by two professors in different fields (psychology and sociology), each sharing their approach to the course topic.

[Stephan] Deviant Minds used to be taught on the Washington County campus by Margaret Hamilton (Psychology) and Sandi Brunette-Hill (Sociology). Students always evaluated that course highly and enjoyed the dual perspective that was offered by two professors from complementary fields. There is actually quite a bit of overlap between psychological social psychology and sociological social psychology. It was a fun challenge for Jill and me to explore these overlaps while also drawing out the differences, such as sociology’s focus on social framing and social construction of deviance.

Can you talk a little about developing the videos in your course? For example, what appealed to you about the idea?

[Stephan] The videos in this course have a conversational format instead of the traditional lecture format. It appealed to me to be able to sit down and have a directed conversation with one of my colleagues about deviance, crime, UFOs, mental health, and innovative approaches to addressing psychopathy, among other topics.

[Jill] The original Washington County Deviant Minds class was run as a discussion-based class. Discussions online tend to take a different flavor and cannot be monitored as closely by instructors (due to the time lag), so I was hoping that the conversational style would be a good way to demonstrate how we can have a conversation from different viewpoints and learn from each other.

What benefits do you think the videos provide students?

[Stephan] Hopefully a conversation between two professors is more engaging for students than a traditional lecture format.

[Jill] I also hope it is more engaging. I also hope that it models productive academic dialogue. We can come at issues from two perspectives and engage in a rich discussion of topics. I hope that this helps us to break away from this idea that professors just speak to students and students are just supposed to absorb the output. I want students to feel like they can actively engage in dialogue, and I hope these videos model how to do that.

Do you think the media has impacted student performance or engagement?

[Stephan] This is a great question because I’m not sure how to answer it. My hope is that the format has a positive impact but my concern is that critical information is not being conveyed as efficiently and effectively.

[Jill] This is hard to answer. I do see students reference the videos in their work in the class. I’m almost wondering if it would be helpful to add in some questions about the videos in a future revision of the course. This might help to remind students what they should have gained by watching it and help to focus their recall of information.

How do you feel the videos build connection and community in the course? How does it help you connect with your students?

[Stephan] The videos allow me to present myself in a more casual and conversational manner, which is hopefully more relatable for the students.

[Jill] Yes, I think that it does make us more relatable and that it makes the topic more relatable. This course has a wide variety of resources, and I think the videos help to tie some of those ideas together.

What was your experience filming in the studio? How did you prepare to film the course introduction and lesson overview videos?

[Stephan] Filming in the studio is highly recommended. The support staff were very helpful. The studio was nicely staged with soft lighting, and we didn’t have to deal with recording or editing. We prepared for these discussions by outlining the topics ahead of time.

[Jill] I agree, filming in the studio was really nice. We were able to just worry about the content and not worry about the other components of recording and the end product was much better than anything we could have done on our own. We prepared an outline and made sure we highlighted key concepts, points, or terms we wanted to cover. For the individual lesson video I did, I did write out a script, which was helpful when I was on my own.

What advice would you have for other faculty who may want to use the studio to create videos for their courses?

[Stephan] I would recommend preparing a detailed outline for each topic, so the conversation remains focused and informative.

[Jill] I would recommend using the studio and preparing before you go. If you have ideas for graphics, let them know and they can add in many different options to help make the videos even more engaging.

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Our collaborative programs rely on teamwork and collaboration to produce and deliver high-quality and engaging courses for our students. In this article, we show how an instructor’s idea not only laid the groundwork for producing a great product but also gave us an opportunity to strengthen our team and have some fun along the way.

Dr. Dwight Swenson has been a faculty member in the Sustainable Management program for several years. He teaches SMGT 250, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security. When the course came up for revision in the spring of this year, Dwight suggested adding a media piece related to organic farming practices and food production. His many contacts in the field led him to Organic Valley, an early player in the organic food industry. The cooperative now has 1,600 small- and medium-sized family farms across the country and 900 employees. I asked Dwight how he came up with the idea. He explained as follows:

“To further engage our students in learning about our domestic food systems’ sustainability practices, I find it useful to create ‘case in point’ models that showcase innovation and food system reform studies. Organic Valley is a prime example because it has successfully operated over 30 years, is the largest farmer-owned cooperative in the U.S. and is one of the world’s largest organic consumer brands. An equally important aspect of this learning activity is that of exposing students to career path opportunities that exist within this cooperative as they’ve dedicated departmental funding and focus to sustainability practices and staff to achieve implementation. I contend that our SMGT program is relevant because we go the extra mile to connect students with a wide variety of industry networks that align with their career aspirations. I’m grateful for the UW program support that helps make these types of educational innovations and student career connections possible.”

We first pitched the idea of an interview to the instructor’s contacts at Organic Valley and then scheduled a video conference with them to discuss our plans in detail (content, logistics, copyright concerns, and approval process). They liked the idea and agreed to have our media team facilitate a remote recording of an interview with Wade Miller, VP of Farm Resources and Sustainability, by the instructor.

When the media staff suggested we supplement the interview with B-roll footage, our internal conversations around this plan generated so much interest and enthusiasm that the idea of a team field trip came about. Not only would we be able to obtain the footage for the course activity, but we also saw a great opportunity for marketing and promotional materials. Finally, our program manager, Amanda Goetsch, was able to reconnect with a former student of our program who now works at Organic Valley and who agreed to an interview with our marketing staff.

On June 15, 2023, we all met up in La Farge, Wisconsin, situated in the beautiful driftless area: the faculty member, his wife, two media specialists/videographers from our media team, the marketing team’s content strategist, and the instructional designer. As we were waiting outside at our meeting point, some of us were wondering where the cows might be and whether we’d get to see them or any other farm animals.

Our contacts at Organic Valley first gave us a tour of the office facilities and surrounding grounds, including an employee garden, a spacious outdoor patio, and a health and wellness center. We learned that the La Farge location does not include a production facility, so, unfortunately, no cows. Our tour guides were very generous with their time and the tour was very informative. The media team gathered B-roll footage during the tour and also had an opportunity to use a newly acquired drone to shoot pictures of the beautiful country surrounding the Organic Valley headquarters. We were also treated to a delicious lunch—organic, of course—at their cafeteria. We wrapped up our visit with an interview with the former student, now an employee at Organic Valley.

We are well into the fall semester now, and I’m looking forward to hearing reactions from our students when they finish the course in December. To me, this story is an example of how multifaceted and productive the collaborative model at UW Extended Campus can be: our coordinated effort gave us a career-relevant activity for the course that will support student learning in an engaging way, material for the program website that will attract potential future students, and a boost to our positive team culture. Needless to say, the instructor was the foundation on which this successful and fun project was built.