Supporting Flipped Classrooms and Independent Learning With UP International College

All images courtesy of UP International College

 The challenge

Debbie Williams is the Digital Expert and Course Coordinator for accounting at UP International College, New Zealand. In 2012 Debbie discovered that videos could easily be made in PowerPoint and she started making these to explain concepts to her students. In 2014 she heard about the flipped classroom model of learning, but it was not until June 2016 that she implemented this model to address the challenges international students face learning a subject in English and not being in their home country. This proved to be life-saving during covid, and in 2021 Debbie was a key person involved in developing Flexible Learning Activities that were implemented throughout the majority of the school in 2022.

The solution

PlayPosit by WeVideo gave UP International College an interactive video platform to generate an effective flipped model, resulting in better relationships with students, self-paced learning, and engaging asynchronous lessons. Debbie and her colleagues used PlayPosit to:

• Make professional-grade videos: Debbie and her colleagues wanted accurate, professional-looking videos that had a consistent look and feel.
• Empower learners to engage with content: The school embraced interactive video to optimize timely, detailed feedback between students and educators, developing autonomy and responsibility for learners.
• Seamless course creation: PlayPosit streamlined the instructionoal process with pre-made templates that Debbie and her team customized to meet the needs of their learners.

PlayPosit's commitment to providing effective engagement tools allows for meaningful, active learning in and out of the classroom. Debbie's story not only illustrates the practical capabilities of PlayPosit, but the profound impact interactive video can have on students.

The results

PlayPosit by WeVideo positively impacts learning in several ways:

• Flexible learning activities give ESOL students more time to understand new words and retain information better.
• Students find it helpful to have feedback in response to their wrong and right answers
• The ability to review the lessons ahead of in-person classes helps learners feel more prepared.
• On-demand content availability lets students review concepts they find unclear.

The requirement to review the lessons ahead of live lessons develops self-directed learning, autonomy and responsibility in the students, and prepares them for the live lessons (in-person classes).

Key takeaways

PlayPosit by WeVideo creates a unified solution to improving student engagement with interactive video, uniquely tailored to any learning environment:

• Enhanced Learning: Incorporate a wide variety of interactive elements into videos.
• Effective in Diverse Learning Environments: Provide real-time feedback to learners, even if they watch asynchronously.

Hear the full story

Watch Debbie share her approach to using PlayPosit at UP International College, recorded during the PlayPosit Exchange summer event. Access the full session below.

Practical strategies for educators

• Provide detailed feedback: Give feedback on student submissions even when they submit the correct answer.
• Set clear learning goals: Address learning objectives with students. Share them at the start and end of each video lesson to target goals every step of the way.
• Invite student participation: One of Debbie's best practices is requiring that students give detailed responses when answering free response questions to ensure optimal engagement.

Benefits of interactive video

• Triple engagement: Interactive video helps educators prove effective curricula with powerful analytics. Easily assess learner gaps and remediate accordingly.
• Create on-demand learning: Clickable elements like web embeds, multiple-choice questions, and drag-and-drops, promote flexible and engaging self-paced programs. 
• Personalize instruction: Target instruction with PlayPosit’s sequenced learning, playlists, jumps, and interactive touch points.