Setting students up to succeed in their exams
What we made, and who we collaborated with.
Video and Media worked with Patrick Stoddart, Associate Director, Digital Learning Environments & Academic Systems within Scholarly Services, Exams and Graduations Event Producer Katie Lavigne, and other key exam team members across the University to create a suite of ten videos for students who are new to taking exams at the University, or would like a refresher.
- 3 x venue specific: Royal Exhibition Building, Wilson Hall and Kwong Lee Dow Centre
- 1 x frequently asked questions
- 1 x digital exams
- 5 x social media cut-downs.
Distilling complex information into supportive videos
Coordinating exams for tens of thousands of students across multiple venues, with complex digital systems, over the span of a few weeks is a Herculean task.
More than anything, the dedicated professional and academic teams who work together to run exams want the students to know that there is support and information available to them during this stressful time.
A previous suite of exam video resources were a few years old, and the stakeholders decided it was time for an update. They wanted the new resources to provide students with a strong sense of what it would be like at their venue on the day of their exam, offer a clear understanding of what they're allowed to bring and do, and address common questions and concerns.
In the words of one client: “We want these videos to feel like a warm hug.”
Going on the student journey
When Media Content Creator Paris Jarvis-Barker took on the project, her first task was to clarify an enormous amount of information for students in a digestible way.
Armed with a compendium of key points and rules, she literally put herself in the shoes of a student and walked through the locations to gather a list of visual assets to film on location during the first semester exams.
Filming students in a high-pressure environment was a real challenge. Paris took one other crew member and aimed for minimal disruptions using unobtrusive methods and equipment to get as much relevant footage as possible of students taking their exams at all three locations.
“If you want to show the student journey, you have to be there among the students.”
Warm hug activated
Inspired by exam videos from other institutions and the University’s own successful social media posts, Paris could see that students wanted to hear from their peers. She worked with two writers to figure out what could be told and what could be visualised, and created a narrative with a conversational and supportive vibe. University of Melbourne alumni Jett Chudleigh was engaged to bring the script to life and embody that warm hug.
“She’s an amazing talent,” said Paris. “So calm and she really cares, because she was a student herself not so long ago. She brought a sense of authority and warmth, adding in little things here and there to connect with students.”
The video resources recently went live for semester two exams 2024. While their impact is yet to be seen, the clients were really happy with the outcome.
Amy Kindellan, Senior Communications Officer with Student and Scholarly Services, said, "It was great to have so many different variations of video content we could use and upload for different channels and scenarios, which will really assist in our overall comms journey for students."
We wish every student sitting exams the best of luck, and sincerely hope that these resources offer them accurate information and the reassurance they need to set themselves up for success.
This project was produced by Video and Media. Supporting excellence in teaching and research at the University of Melbourne.
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