Video specific recommendations
Converting a video file into an MP4 format
When adding an video file to your Learning Room using the Adding from a computer method it is important to consider what file format the video recording is in. If the video is not in an MP4 or a Flash file format then the recommendation would be to upload the video to a video sharing website as detailed above.
If it is not possible to do this then contact the ITS Service Desk
(NTU login required) for further assistance.
Video file size
File size is an especially important consideration for video as even short videos can be very large in size. Adding a large file to your Learning Room may be error free (typically on campus) and may seem like a fairly quick process, especially on campus where the university internet connection is fast. However, students may find it difficult to access the video depending on the internet connection they have. For example, a video file of 50MB may take 15mins for students to download on an average broadband internet connection, even longer on a mobile or poor connection.
It is therefore only recommended to use the Adding a short or small video file from your computer for video files less than 50MB and to ensure that the following information and instructions are given to students:
|
File size |
Guidance statement |
|---|---|
|
50MB |
Accessing this video may take up to 15 minutes |
|
30MB |
Accessing this video may take up to 10 minutes |
|
15MB |
Accessing this video may take up to 5 minutes |
Splitting up your video file into smaller pieces
It is often useful to split a video file into smaller pieces when delivering online. This can help with signposting of the content and ease of navigation to a particular topic or part. Additionally, it will help with downloading times. To split up a video file into several different pieces the most straight forward method would be to upload the video to YouTube several times and use YouTube's video editing feature
.
A useful tip is to instruct students using a slower connection to start downloading a subsequent piece of audio while listen to one that they already have downloaded.