How UAB Used Playlists to Improve Pre-Orientation Effectiveness

All images courtesy of UAB

 The challenge

In their work with graduate and doctoral students at the University of Alabama Birmingham’s (UAB’s) School of Nursing, professors Dr. Curry Bordelon and Dr. Tedra Smith encountered a consistent issue during orientation: ineffective pre-orientation processes. Incoming students needed information about available campus resources and first-year expectations without having to sit through presentations that they likely would not remember. After discovering PlayPosit by WeVideo at a professional conference, director of instructional technology, Matthew Jennings, found a simple solution: Playlists.

The solution

PlayPosit by WeVideo gave UAB's School of Nursing a scalable interactive video solution that helped professors create playlists and share them beyond a pre-orientation application. Professors used PlayPosit to:

• Create Bulbs (interactive videos): Professors incorporate Bulbs, allowing students to engage with each other and team up to go through the orientation process together.
• Implement structured playlists: Jennings and his colleagues organize the playlists to show different resources available to students and make it clear where to find information.
• Empower learners with course certificates: Students must show evidence of completion to register for in-person orientation.

The results

After adopting PlayPosit, UAB School of Nursing observed:

• Positive student feedback, citing ease of navigation and a more immersive experience.
  
• An expanded number of campus organizations that can be involved in orientation.
• Reduced number of hours spent on orientation for faculty and students.
• More digestible content, reduced cognitive load, and increased retention.

Key takeaways

Using PlayPosit by WeVideo for pre-orientation has shown:

• Enhanced Learning: Tailor content specific to audience needs.
• Effective Assessment: Validates PlayPosit as a tool to measure progress.
• Higher Ed Potential: Tool that aids collaboration, discussion, and interactivity.

Regardless of the programming, PlayPosit offers a platform that scales to meet the needs of organizations of all sizes. With many interactivity and accessibility features, it’s easy to make your content engaging, no matter how broad or narrow your audience.

Hear their story

Watch Professors Dr. Curry Bordelon, Dr. Tedra Smith, and director of instructional technology, Matthew Jennings, share their approach to using PlayPosit in UAB's School of Nursing, recorded during the PlayPosit Exchange summer event. Access the full session below.

Benefits of interactive video

• Triple engagement: Interactive video helps educators drive and monitor engagement and create checklists to ensure effective curricula.
• Create on-demand learning: Engage with audiences  after a recording has already taken place.
• Combine thematic content: Build curated playlists and adjust sharing settings for a specific audience.

Practical strategies for educators

• Use interactions to fuel engagement: Suit interactions to your audience and place them strategically for optimal engagement. 
• Target learning objectives: Whether for enhanced understanding, retention, performance, or all of the above, identify learning outcomes and create content accordingly.
• Save time with scalable content: Beyond solving problems at hand, implement iterative content that saves time for students, faculty, and can scale for future courses.