The United States Congress recently passed the Teach Act, which has clarified many issues concerning using video on the web. Just as in a face-to-face classroom you can show a video clip that illustrates your point, you can now do so on the web provided it is available in a streaming format behind a password protected course management tool, such as WebCT.

The process involves taking the VHS video, which is analog, and converting it to a digital stream. The student would need only have the free streaming video player to view the presentation. While showing video over a dial-up connection can be a little frustrating, it does work. With a broadband DSL or cable connection, the video is quite easy to view. Because this tutorial is not behind a password protected site, no examples have been included here, but we are using digital video within our courses.

A second form of video production has been incorporated into a reading class for CUAccelerate. The video was produced in-house, digitized, and burned to a CD for each student. They are individual case studies. The student views the clip, fills out an observation form, and answers questions about the video. A short segment of one of these videos has been provided in this tutorial. Click HERE to view the clip. Remember that the entire clip will download to your computer first before it begins to play. It has been optimized for Windows Media Player. We have noted that some other players produce sound that is quite hollow with almost an echo. If you are getting a hollow sound, right click on the link above and select to Save the clip to your computer. You should be able to open Windows Media Player and view the clip.

In several cases, we have required the purchase (or rental) of a common video as part of the textbooks for a class. In a literature class for CUAccelerate, we use Mel Gibson's Hamlet, and in a business class, the video StartUp.Com. This is another alternative for using popular video in a classroom situation.