Benefiting Student Success: Using Camtasia to Create Learning Modules

CCNY Teaching and Learning Center

Benefiting Student Success: Using Camtasia to Create Learning Modules

Workshop Facilitators

Kevaughn Hunter
Technology and Pedagogy Specialist
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Ana Marjanovic
Instructional Designer
Adjunct Lecturer
OER Fellow

Overview

In this 3-week program, you will learn to create a pre-recorded instructional video using Camtasia and incorporate it into weekly modules. You will learn to balance asynchronous and synchronous teaching and apply the flipped classroom model in structuring your online courses to assure student engagement, information retention, and promote equity.

Objectives

In this program, you will complete 3 weekly learning modules and a capstone project. This website models the asynchronous course delivery and contains instructional videos and resources that will help you complete the project. In the synchronous Zoom sessions, you will work in groups to review your progress on the capstone project.

Both synchronous and asynchronous components of this course are required for the successful completion of the program.

Outline

In the first module, you will learn how to obtain a Camtasia license and download the software on your computer; you will also be introduced to the Camtasia interface. You will learn how to storyboard and script your videos. This module will also cover the basics of YouTube Studio where your videos will be exported. By the end of this section, you will be able to use Camtasia from your computer, access your YouTube Studio account, and create a storyboard for your video.

  • The hands-on Module I workshop on Zoom is scheduled for Feb 16 and Mar 16.  

In the second module, you ou will learn about Camtasia video intros/outros, transitions, animations, annotations, screen/audio recordings, and closed captions. As a part of your project, you will create a template for your videos and start your first video project. 

  • The hands-on Module II workshop on Zoom is scheduled for Feb 23 and Mar 23.

In the third module, you will finish the video and export it to YouTube; you will also embed the video into your Learning Management System (e.g. Blackboard) to create a learning module, which will be your capstone project. 

  • The hands-on Module III workshop on Zoom is scheduled for Mar 2 and Apr 6.
Start

Camtasia License | Storyboarding | Camtasia Interface | YouTube Studio

Module I: Getting Started

In this first module, you will learn how to obtain a Camtasia license and download the software on your computer; you will also be introduced to the Camtasia interface. You will learn how to storyboard and script your videos. This module will also cover the basics of YouTube Studio where your videos will be exported. By the end of this section, you will be able to use Camtasia from your computer, access your YouTube Studio account, and create a storyboard for your video.

Camtasia License Software

Video is better viewed in fullscreen [subtitles also available; cc]

This video takes you through the process for obtaining your Camtasia license, downloading the Camtasia software, and checking your computer’s specifications.

Obtaining the License

The Camtasia License process is relatively quick and easy. As long as you follow these steps (per the video), you will be fine. Remember to contact your specific coordinator in order to receive proper authorization for the use of the Camtasia product.

Checking your PC

Here is the link to the Camtasia (Techsmith) PC requirements webpage, as seen in the video: Techsmith System Requirements

Remember to double-check your computer’s information with this Techsmith system requirements page. Most computers will be fine, but those that are not may have slight issues with the platform. As long as your computer meets the basic requirements or better, you are good to go.

Unsure about PC information?

If you are unsure of whether your computer meets these requirements please use the Q&A section of this website and provide basic information from your computer.

My computer has a minimum of 4GB of RAM.

What is RAM memory?

I received an email with instructions for downloading Camtasia?

YouTube Studio

Video is better viewed in fullscreen [subtitles also available; cc]

YouTube Studio is an aspect of YouTube which handles the creation and distribution of content on the platform and beyond. This video focuses on (1) uploading videos to YouTube; (2) choosing best-practice privacy settings; (3) adaptive uploading scheduling; (4) and comment moderation.

For Privacy Settings:

We suggest the Unlisted or Private options as those options protect yours and your students’ work from the general public, from YouTube search bar and also from Google search returns.

For Comment Moderation:

We advise disabling comments entirely. For your purposes, LMS integration leaves little possibility for returning to your videos homepage. Thus the likelihood that your YouTube comment section is needed is low. Therefore, to protect against unneeded or more difficultly moderated comments, it is advised to close the commenting option altogether and use your LMS’s own commenting avenues.

For Subtitling:

The YouTube platform provides the ability to add your own subtitles. Remember, though: YouTube also provides its own auto-subtitling service, automatic to every published video. This service kicks in a couple of hours after a video is uploaded (depending on the video’s size). Decide whether this automatic service is adequate.

D. How do you locate YouTube Studio from the YouTube Homepage?

What is the suggested privacy setting for your lectures on YouTube?

Select all that apply.

Can you do detailed video editing on the YouTube platform?

Camtasia Interface

Record, Edit & Share–the basic Camtasia process. The Timeline, Tools Panel, Canvas and Properties Panel make up the basic framework of the Camtasia Interface.

Timeline

This is where you edit your screen recordings, your uploaded slides, audio clips, animations etc. Most of your work in Camtasia happens here. Play around and become familiar with it.

Tools Panel

Or your tool box. Once you’ve uploaded your slides or screen recording into your Timeline, you will need ways of editing those media. The Tools Panel is where most of those editing tools reside. You can add animations, add Zooms to certain important moments, add intro and outro segments. The tools are here.

Canvas

Where you see what you are doing. Every change you make to your file shows up here, in real time. You can work and check your work with ease.

Properties Panel

Every item you select in Camtasia has its own personal settings or “properties,” to which you can make optional adjustments. That intro uses basic Camtasia intro language and you want to personalize it with your own name? The properties panel is where that can happen. Anytime you select or use an item, the properties panel will update to the personalization options of that item. Check these out.

What is the large video at the center of the Camtasia Interface called?

The Properties panel is on the right hand side.

Storyboarding

The storyboarding process includes sketches and text of key scenes in your video. Start with making a list of your frames and decide which ones are the most important for the narrative. 

Describe or sketch the visuals for the scene. Script your narrative (this will be relevant in production when you enter closed captions to your video. The video appears smoother if you read off the script while recording the narrative. You may outline the text displayed on the screen of your video separately from the text that will be narrated. 

Here are some storyboarding examples. 

Examples of the on-screen text that you may not want to narrate are:

Select all that apply. 

Chunking is the process of breaking long strings of information into parts or chunks that are easier to memorize. The storyboarding process will help you organize your video lessons into smaller units.

Throughout this course, you will be building your Camtasia project. You can work on your own project (e.g., your course overview) or you can recreate a Sample Camtasia project provided here: https://youtu.be/AgizSH3KVDA

Instructions:

Create a storyboard for your video. If you opted for the Sample Camtasia Project, make a “reverse” storyboard discerning the slides from the video.

If you’d like a feedback, please email your work at tlc@ccny.cuny.edu.

Good job completing the module! Let us know how to make it better.

NEXT

Libraries | Timeline | Behaviors | Annotations | Screen Recordings | Closed Captioning

Module II: Production

Libraries

All your media assets (images, logos, screen recordings, intros) are stored in the Camtasia Library. You can use the same Library assets across your projects.

The CCNY licensed Camtasia has two libraries: the Camtasia 2020 Library that stores pre-loaded assets such as icons, intros/outros, backgrounds, and the Default Library where you can upload assets from your computer by clicking on the + icon at the bottom of the Library panel.

You can also save the media from the project into the Default Library by right-clicking on a clip in the media bin or a clip on the timeline and choosing Add to Library (don’t forget to give it a name). You can add multiple clips at once (select them all, right-click, and Add to the Library. Camtasia will save them all as a single asset).

You can create folders and subfolders in the library (right-click anywhere in the library and drag the assets to organize them). Camtasia also gives you an option in the Libraries’ drop-down menu to create multiple libraries. If you wish to share your library with a colleague, you can download it by choosing Manage Library and then Export Library.

To add a custom logo to my project, I need to

To start my video, I can drag an animated, pre-loaded intro from the Camtasia 2020 library on the canvas.

Timeline

In video editing, the timeline is an interface that enables authors to lay assets out in a linear fashion horizontally from left to right to build the video. In Camtasia, the timeline is organized into tracks.

Each asset occupies a period of time on the timeline. Assets appear as bars on the timeline, and we’ll refer to them as clips.

The play-head is a vertical bar that represents the position, or frame, of the material currently displayed on canvas.

You can resize, cut, or trim the clips using the play-head handles.

Advanced timeline tutorial is available here: https://youtu.be/U4I1WsDePq8

Trimming refers to:

Shortcut - S key on PC (Command +T on Mac)

Behaviors

Open the effects tray or the properties panel and drag the selected behavior onto media or canvas or the timeline. You can customize the behaviors in the properties panel. More than one behavior can be applied to each object.

To customize the behavior, I need to select the object first.

Behaviors can be customized to specify how an object:

Select all that apply.

Annotations

You can use callouts, shapes, arrows and lines, blur and highlights, sketch motions, and lower-thirds to point out important details, hide sensitive information, and add explanations to your videos.

Add explanations using:
  • Callouts from the Annotations tab on the Tools Panel and adjust color, size, and position in Properties.
  • Lower-thirds for animated subheadings from the Library tab.
Add emphasis using:
  • Sketch Motion (a type of annotation that mimicks hand-drawing) from the Annotations tab on the Tools Panel and adjust its color, size, and position in Properties.
  • Highlights the Annotations tab.
  • A more advanced way to add emphasis is by using panning and zooming. For more information, see Zoom & Pan with Animations | Camtasia | TechSmith
Hide sensitive information by:
  • clicking on the Annotations tab on the Tools Panel, selecting Blur, and dragging it in on the canvas. Adjust its transparency in Properties.
  • choosing a Shape from the Annotations tab to completely hide the element on the video.
Tools I need to annotate my videos are in the Annotations and Libraries tabs.

To add text to my video, I will use:

Select all that apply.

Screen Recording

You can record the content of your screen, webcam, or system audio (the sound that comes from your computer) by clicking on the record button at the top left of the screen.

To stop recording, click on the Camtasia recorder icon at the bottom of the window (PC) or at the top of the window (Mac) and then on the stop button (stop recording on Mac).

The recording automatically appears in the media bin, canvas, and the timeline, where you can edit it.

Get Screen Recordings That look Crisp & Clear in Camtasia

Before recording, Camtasia will count from 3 to 1.

A double click on the play-head will:

Closed Captioning

CCNY Accessible Digital Content Policy mandates including closed captioning in digital media.

You can add closed captioning to your video in two different ways.

I. In Camtasia (while creating the video)

Click on the More button at the bottom of the media bin and then on Add Caption.

  1. Type in your narration or
  2. Upload the script from your computer.
    • upload script on Camtasia screenshot
  3. The speech-to-text option is not included in the CCNY license.
II. In YouTube (after exporting the video)

Log into your YouTube Studio (see Module III), and select Subtitles from the left menu. Click on the video and then on Add Language (select your language). Click Add under Subtitles.

The CCNY Accessible Digital Media policy is infromed by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, New York State Human Rights Law among others.

YouTube has the capability to auto-generate closed captions.

Using the storyboard you developed in Module I, start building your video by inserting intro slides, annotations, behaviors, etc.

If you are working on Sample Camtasia Project, complete the steps outlined here.

If you have any questions, email us at tlc@ccny.cuny.edu.

You are halfway through the course! Let us know how to make it better.

NEXT

Exporting/Publishing | LMS Integration | Inserting Formative Assessment | Finalizing Learning Modules

Export & Share

Distribution

For our purposes we recommend exporting to YouTube Studio (whether directly through integrated Camtasia options or after having saved your Camtasia video file to your computer). However, there is also the option to export videos to other possibly more familiar services such as Google Drive or Vimeo. Keep in mind, however, that neither Google Drive nor Vimeo provides the same ease of distribution as the ubiquitous YouTube platform.

File Location

It is recommended that you create a Command Folder for each of your Camtasia Projects. If you choose to save your completed video file directly to your computer it is best to have all the resources for a project in one managed folder in a recognizable area of your computer.

I created a Command Folder for my Camtasia project.

My Camtasia project is published on YouTube either as Unlisted or Public.

Video Integration

Video is better viewed in fullscreen [subtitles also available; cc]

Two Essentials for Integrating

There are two basic ways to integrate your completed video with either Blackboard or the CUNY Academic Commons. Both ways involve either the use of your video’s URL, or the Embed Code YouTube provides to all of its videos. The YouTube URL is the address for the website you are on, and is located at the top of most internet browsers (the “www.etcetc.com”). The Embed Code is located behind the “share” button on a YouTube video.

Embed Code

Embedding videos on your Blackboard through the use of the YouTube Embed Code and the Blackboard general Textbox affords you near endless possibilities for video integration. The Textbox on Blackboard is far more ubiquitous than any other application and therefore allows the integration of video content nearly anywhere on a Blackboard Course. Where you upload video content, do not forget your ability to continue adding text and lessons underneath or above your video entry.

URL

When Integrating on the CUNY Academic Commons it is recommended to switch to “Block Editor” format, as this provides an easier way of altering your Commons webpage. Use the “blocks” to add a YouTube video with your video’s copied URL. After you’ve added your video, don’t forget you can still add dialogue and further writing around, underneath or beside your video.

Can you publish videos in Feedback to Learner on Blackboard?

Select all that apply. 

Videos in this course are

Inserting Formative Assessment

The formative analysis includes a range of formal and informal assessment procedures during the learning process to understand how well your students understand a concept. 

To add the formative assessment to your module on Bb, select the Test option from the Assessment tab. For more information, see Blackboard Tests (cuny.edu)

This course is built on the WordPress site hosted by CUNY Academic Commons. If you have experience with WordPress, you can use it to build your learning modules. If you like our layout, you can use Kadence blocks (tab) and Quiz And Survey Master (QSM) plug-ins. We used the Customizer theme. 

If checked, the Force Completion Bb test option

Unlike the summative assessment that evaluates student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark, formative assessment

Select all that apply.

Finalizing Learning Modules

A learning module is an organized collection of related content. Benefiting Student Success course that you are currently taking has three thematic modules. Each module contains several units. Each unit includes a video, relating textual information, and a short self-graded test that reiterates the most relevant information of the unit. 

This model employs several pedagogical principles and educational frameworks.

Chunking: breaking the larger topic into more manageable conceptual units.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL): by combining video, text, and interactive components (self-graded quizzes with instant feedback), this course’s modules offer flexible learning environments that can accommodate different ways students learn. 

Formative assessment: multiple-attempt, self-graded quizzes with instant feedback enable in-process evaluations of participants’ comprehension of the concept. 

Active Learning: the self-assessment component of each module (quizzes) engages participants in the learning process; videos alone would have made the learning experience more passive.

Adding small active learning strategies can make lecturing more effective for student learning.

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) offers flexibility in the ways students access material, engage with it and show what they know.

Plan and build your learning module, and embed your video on Backboard or WordPress.

If you have any questions, or if you wish feedback, email us the screenshots or a link to your project at tlc@ccny.cuny.edu.

Thank you for completing the course! Awesome job! Let us know how we can improve it.

Q&A