Simon Gaisford shares his tips for creating engaging online content

In the spring of 2020 and across Higher Education, for those inexperienced in teaching online or with blending learning design, the ‘emergency pivot’ presented huge technical and pedagogic challenges. 

Whilst extra miles became extra marathons, paths of least resistance and intuition often trumped in decision-making about how to ‘deliver’ content. Often intuitions led to attempts at replicating lectures in live online settings or in equivalent length video recordings; approaches that were often less engaging than the effort afforded in their development might suggest they should be. 

Professor Simon Gaisford from the UCL School of Pharmacy felt he did not have the experience or technical expertise necessary, but his intuitions led him to produce videos that have been very popular with his students. Whilst he invested in developing his technical skills, his focus - and the focus of this case study - was on how he could humanise his content remotely, how he could connect with students through the camera lens and how he might offer a styling that engaged and held attention.

You can read the full article from UCL Teaching and Learning here: Maintaining a connection with students via recorded lectures

Further information:

• Professor Simon Gaisford's Staff Profile
• Pharma Drama - Simon's Youtube Channel
• UCL Teaching and Learning