Echo Rivera, PhD

Hey #AcademicMastodon and #SciComm friends,

I'm curious about something...🤔

If you're going to watch a presentation (talk, lecture, training, etc) online... Which do you prefer the most?

Being able to watch as a replay (i.e., as a video)

-Or-

Watching it in real time (i.e., synchronous)?

If you prefer the replay/video, do you adjust the video speed?

(If other, comment below!)

@phdstudents @academicchatter @academicsunite

#Academia #HigherEd

Replay/video, regular speed
28.8%
Replay/video, different speed
36.4%
Real time
34.8%
Poll ended at .
Nov 30, 2022 at 10:45pmWeb
Show threadDr. RebeccaNov 30, 2022
@echoechoR @phdstudents @academicchatter @academicsunite it’s a bit of a toss up on one or two. In general I like regular speed unless I know the content well and I’m looking for tiny kernels within the lecture
Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDNov 30, 2022
@RebeccaPRN oh fair enough! Thanks for the extra detail, that's good to know.
Show threadDr. RebeccaNov 30, 2022
@echoechoR @phdstudents @academicchatter @academicsunite oops not a student anymore but I replied to the academic chatter part
Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDNov 30, 2022
@RebeccaPRN oh, the poll wasn't for students only! I'm glad you voted 🤗
Show threadRev. Eric Burrows-Stone ⳨Nov 30, 2022
@echoechoR @phdstudents @academicchatter @academicsunite Interesting that option 2 got so many votes!
Show threadMatt MackNov 30, 2022

@echoechoR @phdstudents @academicchatter @academicsunite

I'm hard-of-hearing so I'm pretty biased towards having a replay/VoD (video-on-demand) so that I can watch at my own pace.

My ideal scenario is that the talk/seminar be livestreamed with some chat option (so similar to Twitch/Youtube streams) and the VoD is also available, but I'd probably have to wait a generation for that to happen!

Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDNov 30, 2022

@matthras that makes so much sense!

Is the chat function is Zoom good for that as well? I've not really watched a YouTube live much or twitch streaming before so I'm not sure if it compares well enough.

If there were live captions during a zoom + the chat, and then the replay is made available so it's VOD... Does that work as ideal?

Show threadMatt MackNov 30, 2022

@echoechoR The chat function in Zoom is sufficient, just a bit more barebones compared to Youtube/Twitch chats (where users can be distinguished by colours/subscriptions/level of support; usage of emotes, etc.)

During the lockdown years some lecturers I spoke to mentioned presenting lectures over Zoom being a different experience purely due to students being more expressive through the chat in a way that they wouldn't see in a standard face-to-face lecture.

Having live captioning is undoubtedly an ideal, but not very affordable. In addition for niche subject areas, the captioner would also need to be sufficiently versed or briefed beforehand in the relevant jargon in order to produce accurate-enough transcripts.

Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDNov 30, 2022
@matthras ahhh gotcha. Zoom chat is definitely more bare bones. Thank you for the extra detail this is helpful to think about
Show threadMary WhitneyNov 30, 2022
@echoechoR @matthras I have found that you can turn on live captions in zoom. failing that, you can also turn on captions in powerpoint.
Show threadMatt MackNov 30, 2022

@DrMaryWh @echoechoR

Unfortunately for me in mathematics it'll be a long long time before automated captioning will be able to transcribe and write mathematical expressions as is rather than e.g. "x^2 + 3x + 4" being transcribed as "x squared plus 4 x plus 4".

Show threadMary WhitneyDec 1, 2022
@matthras @echoechoR oh wow, yes I guess so!
Show threadMary WhitneyDec 1, 2022
@matthras @echoechoR Thinking about this more - do you have an accommodations office to ask? if not, i can ask ours and see what options might be out there? We are a small institution, so we tend to go for free and public before buying.
Show threadMatt MackDec 1, 2022

@DrMaryWh @echoechoR

You're too kind! Yes, there is an accommodation office and I'm aware of what supports are available.

Thankfully I'm no longer a student (am now a teaching specialist/tutor coordinator), but being hard-of-hearing and also a touch neurodivergent makes me a unique enough case to fall through the gaps of current options being available. I'm just glad that any learning I want to do can be done on my own terms instead of having to be sped through a typical university semester.

I've been quietly (and slowly) researching and investigating maths-specific accessibility options for a while. Still much more consulting to do!

Show threadMary WhitneyDec 2, 2022
@matthras @echoechoR No problem! I have 3 students right now who are hard of hearing, so let me know if you find anything good.
Show threadSteven Losco | he/theyNov 30, 2022
@matthras @echoechoR @phdstudents @academicchatter @academicsunite I feel like I’m able to follow things better and take better notes if I have an on demand replay. Ears to brain to hand to paper can slow me down.
Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDNov 30, 2022

@stevenlosco @matthras that's highly relatable.

Do you often go back to watch to update your notes?

Or do you find that sometimes just *knowing* it's available reduces anxiety enough during the presentation, to help you focus more in the moment and then you don't end up needing the replay?

Show threadMatt MackNov 30, 2022

@echoechoR @stevenlosco Unfortunately I've gotten used to watching things only once, and I don't recall any moment where I've actually gone back to rewatch a lecture mainly because there's no easy/convenient way to figure out or find any section that I need clarification on (and am definitely not keen on clicking through the video to find the relevant slide it might relate to).

Youtube VoDs can be edited to have chapters/sections that indicate which bits refer to which section/slide, and it's also possible to search for keywords through the automated transcription for people to more easily find the section they're looking for. This is unfortunately missing in most traditional lecture video recordings.

This is one video where I purposely sat down and took notes, but also included timestamps when I posted a comment (scroll down to see my comment): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj6xbe21HxM

Accessibility Best Practices for Moving Mathematics Online, July 13, 2020

YouTube
Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDNov 30, 2022
@matthras @stevenlosco such good points, thank you! Chapter/bookmarks really are helpful for going back and referencing!
Show threadSteven Losco | he/theyNov 30, 2022
@echoechoR @matthras I wouldn’t be surprised if it did. Today it was apparent that I’m missing more than I thought because of the brain fog and other medical issues going on this year, I’m focusing on one thing to get it down fully and then missing whatever my prof is saying to explain the topic. I think this is what is making my relationship to STEM classes (as opposed to social science seminars) much harder to prepare for and study for exams.
Show threadSteven Losco | he/theyNov 30, 2022
@echoechoR @matthras moving forward to PhD work in more STEM-y fields I think I’m going to need to record lectures and play it back so I can really digest the lectures.
Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDNov 30, 2022

@stevenlosco sorry to hear about the brain fog and struggles. You're definitely not alone. I had to record my grad classes or essentially transcribe them on my laptop so I could re-read and go through it at my own pace later.

Honestly I think that's why I do what I do now (academic presentation trainer)

I'm trying to teach profs to create more accessible teaching environments so that doesn't happen anymore. It's so hard on students.

Hang in there. 💪

Show threadSteven Losco | he/theyNov 30, 2022
@echoechoR thanks! I think also the undergraduate teaching environment at Columbia/Barnard is probably the worst I've ever had. It feels punishing and just everything is telling me to shut down so I don't break, so not only am I behind in STEM exposure, but it doesn't make me feel inspired to learn and perform in the ways I need to.
Show threadSteven Losco | he/theyNov 30, 2022
@echoechoR I have a master's in the social study of science and hopefully, take that research and apply it to public health and epidemiology, so I'm not dumb, i just feel so punished for wanting to learn the material, but it's been presented in such an inaccessible way throughout my time, that I am just not able to keep up.
Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDDec 1, 2022
@stevenlosco how awful! That really sucks 😔
Show threadSteven Losco | he/theyDec 1, 2022
@echoechoR I love what you are doing because I thought about doing what you are doing because academics need to learn how to actually present. Too many runovers and then the moderator not actually pulling them back. My dad taught me how to present (and would run extension classes on presentations) and is still encouraging me to go to Toastmasters to improve my skills.
Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDDec 1, 2022

@stevenlosco thank you 🙏

And I hear toastmasters is great!

Show threadAlon LischinskyNov 30, 2022
@echoechoR a speeded-up lecture can be tolerable, but give me a transcript and I'll be a happy person!
Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDNov 30, 2022
@alischinsky so no visual component at all? Your ideal would be getting presentations just as a written handout or something like that instead? (Just wanna make sure I understand the comment.)
Show threadAlon LischinskyDec 1, 2022

@echoechoR visuals can be useful: graphs, maps and the like efficiently communicate information that's hard to put in words

But any content that's in words, I'd much rather read than listen to. That way I can adjust the pacing so I don't get bored (if the rate of information is too slow) or lost (if it's too fast)

Does that make sense?

Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDDec 1, 2022
@alischinsky yes, got it, thank you!
Show threadAlon LischinskyDec 1, 2022
@echoechoR I suppose it's worth mentioning that I'm #ActuallyAutistic and I know a fair few other ND people who feel the same about this issue, though it's hardly universal
Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDDec 1, 2022
@alischinsky exactly the folks who tend to fall through the cracks in teaching approaches... And exactly the folks I'm trying to improve education for. 🙏✨ So much of education is for neurotypical people without disabilities and to me that's unacceptable.
Show threadDrPeteyNov 30, 2022
@echoechoR @academicsunite @academicchatter @phdstudents I've been using VoiceThread more and more in my courses. It is a "living video" where users can insert audio or video comments anywhere in the presentation. Its great for asychronous discussion.
Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDNov 30, 2022
@DrPetey whoa that sounds cool. I've not heard of it before, I'll be checking that out for sure.
Show threadsydmjohnsonNov 30, 2022
@echoechoR @phdstudents @academicchatter @academicsunite depends on what it is, but if it’s something I’m required to watch, like a mandatory training video, I watch at 1.5x normal speed. But for an actual talk I’m interested in, I’d rather hear it live, if I can.
Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDNov 30, 2022
@sydmjohnson ahhh yeah that makes so much sense!
Show threadMary WhitneyNov 30, 2022
@echoechoR @academicchatter @academicsunite @phdstudents For me, I would prefer the synchronous, but with all the crazy schedule, I default to replay. Maybe speed up some parts but generally at regular speed.
Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDNov 30, 2022

@DrMaryWh good point that sometimes it's more about logistics/practical aspects.

what do you like about synchronous that feels missing from the replay/video experience?

Show threadMary WhitneyDec 1, 2022
@echoechoR It is more on my side - I can be more present if I know I might miss something. Pre-recorded my brain whispers "go ahead, check Mastodon, you can always replay it."
Show threadJeff DoshnaDec 1, 2022
@echoechoR @phdstudents @academicchatter @academicsunite I'm a big fan of speeding talks up on replay. I also like having captions and the ability to pause. Trying to incorporate #EdTech into my courses where appropriate.
Show threadEcho Rivera, PhDDec 1, 2022
@jdoshna so many benefits indeed!