Lab demonstrations that give every student a front row seat
What we made, and who we collaborated with.
The Video and Media team collaborated with Dr Ryan Hoult and his group from the Faculty of Engineering and IT to update and reinvigorate demonstration videos for students.
Dr Ryan Hoult fondly recalls his undergraduate days as a student at the University of Melbourne. However, when he began lecturing many years later, he was quite astounded to find that the practical engineering demonstration videos were the same—flares and all!
Whilst these videos served their purpose well, they did not make use of significant technological advances in recent years, and often failed to capture the attention of current students. Because the students weren’t engaged with this outdated content, they did not understand why they needed a practical understanding to master their largely theoretical degree.
Dr Hoult wanted to resolve this problem and offer students a new and updated perspective.
However, with the lab spaces themselves too small to hold a whole class, it would prove to be impractical and time-consuming to deliver live demonstrations to all students.
That’s when he approached Video and Media (VM) from the Teaching and Learning Innovation team to help him reimagine and revitalise the demonstrations as videos.
A new generation of technology for a new generation of students
Firstly, two engineering student volunteers were engaged to assist with the experiment, bringing a vital student perspective to the production. They also gave Dr Hoult a natural audience for his on-screen explanations.
Captured from four camera angles, the videos used Hollywood stunt technology to offer multidimensional close-ups of the demonstrations, providing students with perspectives that are not possible live in the classroom.
In collaboration with academic staff, VM then incorporated three-dimensional models and theoretical elements to provide further context about the academic value of the lab demonstrations.
As a result, engineering students now have access to reinvigorated demonstration videos that improves their understanding of the practice behind the theory.
This project was produced by Video and Media. Supporting excellence in teaching and research at the University of Melbourne.
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