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Peter is the author and instructor for AA 121, Design Thinking and Creativity. Given his background in television, Peter adopted a "live television" approach in which he lectured before a green screen, using a clicker to advance his slides, which were incorporated into the video in real time, greatly reducing post-production effort. We have selected three videos, two shorter and one longer, that exemplify effective educational video. See our commentary below and the annotations in the videos themselves.

Video 1 of 3
Big Question: Is Design an Art or a Science?

The first video is an excellent example of near-perfect alignment with the guidelines associated with this exhibit. Peter's well-thought-out delivery here resulted from proper content planning, effective visuals, and a solid recording process. Moreover, his approach exemplifies several key aspects of the Understanding by Design framework for teaching for improved understanding.

Commentary on the Video as a Whole

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While video was not the only viable approach, it is a good match here. At just over six minutes in length, his video duration is ideal. Every statement and every visual aims at answering the essential question, so there is no extraneous content here to weed out. He scripted his narration, complete with cues for advancing to the next slide, but delivers it naturally and rarely appears to rely on the teleprompter.

Additionally, he models a natural delivery with a good rate of speech and inflection. Taken as a whole, this video exemplifies every guideline for sound process, fulfills Cognitive Load Theory, and promotes strong student engagement. The instructional effectiveness of the video would be improved by following one or more of the design guidelines for promoting active learning.

Peter’s instructional goal here is to begin equipping his students with a “designerly” mindset, which includes fostering the realization that design is a unique discipline. His strategy to achieve that goal is excellent: he poses a foundational, essential question for them to wrestle with that informs the field of design and the course of study.

Take note of how well this video promotes student engagement throughout. He succeeds in drawing students in immediately by announcing, “So here’s a big question: Is design an art, or a science?” He always keeps his slide text to a minimum, uses visuals that complement the narration well, synchronizes the information display with his narration, and demonstrates the proper use of a building slide.

Best Practice Guideline Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Scripting 0:39 5:01 5:52
Grab Student Attention 0:05
Complementary Visuals 0:23 1:53
Properly Building Screen 2:39 3:06 3:32
Signaling & Modality
1:04 4:02
Matching Modality 2:03
Eliminate Distraction 2:19 4:50

Video 2 of 3
What's the Deal with Calatrava's Bridges?

Commentary on the Video as a Whole

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Observe how smoothly he guides the listener; his signaling and cuing are not only visual but often verbal as well. Every statement he makes follows like the next link in the chain, and the thought connections are always clear. Starting with the lecture title itself, he makes good use of questions at both ends of the lecture.

The qualities evident in his first video are on display here also, while the content is broader and more involved. The duration is fine at 7:46. While the promotion of active learning could be stronger yet, this video takes a solid step in that direction through his use of guiding questions.

In Part 1 of this design case study, Peter’s instructional goal is to broaden student understanding of Calatrava's bridge design beyond a purely logical, rational analysis. Note the strategy he uses: He chooses a highly intriguing design object with which to pose a "mystery", then guides his students through the critical thinking that accounts for how it came to be.

At 0:59, when Peter is discussing the various bridge types, there is a break in signaling because there are no text labels on screen to distinguish one type from another. We would suggest a building series matching the narration, with associated text labels and a color highlight used for each type as it is mentioned.

Best Practice Guideline Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Example 5
Grab Student Attention 0:00 0:23 7:26
Complementary Visuals 2:15 4:25 5:42
Conversational Style 5:10
Leveraging Verbal Skill 7:09
Signaling & Modality 1:47 2:48 3:08 3:54 4:11
Multiple Aspects
1:24 4:44 6:15 6:46
Improvement Possible 0:57

In between Part One of the case study and Part Two, Peter poses the guiding questions shown below.

Take a few moments to consider the questions posed and reflect on them. How does this innovation in bridge design tie to creative thinking? What might be going on that led Calatrava to such new ideas? And, how might becoming aware of it (hello, critical thinking) help to focus the direction that Calatrava found himself returning to time and again?

Video 3 of 3
The Deal with Calatrava's Bridges

Commentary on the Video as a Whole

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With a duration of 16:26, this is on the long side and could be chunked down into two videos, possibly breaking at the introduction of Robert Maillart as the second influence. There are two places in the video where some additional visuals would likely improve understanding. Use the Improvement Possible category links associated with the video to see these.

Another strong example from Peter. All of his lectures evidence the care he took in planning and slide creation, which paid off handsomely in the recording studio. Beyond the good use he made of Guiding Questions, the instructional effectiveness of this video would be improved by following more of the design guidelines for promoting active learning.

Following a concise review of Part 1 as a refresher, Peter's next goal is for students to wrestle with the question of how Calatrava's designs took the form they did. His strategy is to trace the architectural and engineering influences upon Calatrava himself, leading to his own evolution of sculptural thought.

Peter grabs student attention early by posing a pair of great questions, which also serve to structure the flow of the content. Near the end, he poses the question he has been leading up to: "Why has this bridge design been imitated so often?" His answer may surprise you.

Best Practice Guideline Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Example 5
Scripting 6:43 12:28 13:52
Grab Student Attention 0:54 15:02
Complementary Visuals 4:25 5:52 11:11 13:22
Conversational Style 11:58 15:14 15:38
Leveraging Verbal Skill 10:05
Signaling & Modality
1:11 1:28 3:53 7:47 9:11
Matching Modality 12:51
Maximize Shelf Life 2:28
Guiding Questions 0:25 0:32 12:20
Multiple Aspects 1:55 3:30 4:57 10:30
Improvement Possible 3:02