Is your unit missing a welcome video?

A welcome video is an opportunity to set a good first impression with your students and connect with them from day one. A warm hello can go a long way in showing your students that you are approachable and looking forward to supporting their learning experience. Building rapport like this is not only limited to an offline face-to-face interaction but is also achievable and effective in an online environment. Some of the benefits of a welcome video are that: 

• Your students can put a face to your name, and it can assist to humanize their online learning experience 
• You can show your students that you have real enthusiasm for your unit and are looking forward to helping them with their learning journey 
• It promotes a sense of community  
• You can establish your expectations in the unit 
• You can connect the dots on how the unit’s learning outcomes will benefit your students in their professional lives 
• You can share your top tips for success in the course 

In short, a welcome video is like a digital handshake for the online world. 

Here is an example welcome video of Dr. Robyn Maloney for an online course within the Department of Educational Studies.  

You might be thinking that producing a welcome video can be time consuming and you do not know where to start. The good news is that there is a dedicated Educational Media Production team at the Learning Innovation Hub (LIH) that provide this service at Macquarie. Our team can help you with the entire process from concept design, to filming and editing and then getting the video online and into your unit. 

If you are interested in producing a welcome video for your unit, reach out to the Educational Media Production team at lih-sst@mq.edu.au From here, we will schedule a time to chat with you about your requirements and how we can best help.