Research video

Initial situation

The teacher of this course, in addition to giving the theoretical basis of her discipline on intercultural communication and language mediation, also wanted the students to be able to put this theme into practice in various professional and everyday contexts.

To this end, the teacher proposes that students who wish to do so immerse themselves in a more concrete and creative research activity by embarking on the creation of a video.

Project implementation

Before certain class sessions, the teacher posts a SpeakUp on the subject matter. Students may be asked, for example, “Do you consider yourself bilingual? These SpeakUp’s are used to start the course by stating the students’ knowledge or sometimes to pause in the middle of the theory to start a discussion.

During each class session, the teacher gives a presentation of between 20 and 30 minutes of theory. This presentation is illustrated by articles or learning videos. Most often, the articles are presented in a flipped classroom format and the videos are shown during the class. The teacher then devotes 15 minutes to reviewing the content of the article or video. The students must then analyze it as a group and answer the questions proposed on PowerPoint by the teacher.

The evaluation of the course is based on a research topic of choice. Students can choose freely from the different content areas covered in the course modules. In terms of production, students have the choice of producing a written research report only (which will then count for 100% of their grade) or producing a written report (70%) and a video (30%). The video is optional, and students who choose this option must present their case study (problem, method, motivation, problems encountered, etc.) in a maximum of 5 minutes. The report and the video are evaluated according to an evaluation grid provided to the students.

Thoughts and advice

Students are attracted to the multimedia format. Making the 5-minute video in the middle of the semester allows them to receive intermediate feedback before writing. Making the video helps them to better define their topic, to better finalize it and to obtain a better grade in the written report.

In the coming years, the teacher would like to offer a choice of a written report or a video as an exclusive evaluation medium. In the long term, the projects carried out by the students in this course could be continued in the Master’s program.

The teacher emphasizes that the use of specific technical equipment is not essential. The students manage to make videos of a decent quality with their cell phones, even if the sound can sometimes suffer from the lack of a microphone. However, she warns that it is necessary for a teacher who wishes to integrate a video format into his or her course to be comfortable with video design. Being able to answer students’ questions requires a minimum of training in the field.

Student feedback

“What I particularly like is the research project. It’s a big change from the tabletop exams and allows us to use our creativity and, above all, to choose a theme that we like. I really enjoy doing this work, which has allowed me to think about many concepts that were unknown to me until now. I think it’s a very good idea to ask us to make a video presentation; at first I was stressed about it, but I got into it. It’s an original method.” “In my opinion, the course covers some very interesting arguments. In addition, the assessment method allows you to apply your knowledge in written form and engage in first person with the topics.” “The topics are interesting and the concept of a folder as an exam is original and a little less stressful than a tabletop exam.”