Guidelines for students recording media for submission for assessment

Please be aware that you must refer to the guidance from your module convener first and foremost. 

Outlined here are several methods that you can use to record audio or video. 

Adding narration to PowerPoint for assessment

NOTE: There are four parts to these instructions, please read all of the steps up to Part 4.

This document outlines the steps you need to take to record a PowerPoint slide show with audio narration, save as video and upload to an assignment in Moodle. 

These instructions are for PowerPoint for Office 365, but you can use an earlier version of PowerPoint. The interface may look a little different, but you should still be able to record. If you need to download a recent version of PowerPoint go to https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/itservices/software/office.aspx

PART 1: Setting up

You will need a computer with a microphone and speakers and PowerPoint installed. Note that you cannot record using the Office365 web version of PowerPoint.

To get ready to record, select the small arrow to the bottom right of the Record Slide Show button on the Slide Show tab of the ribbon.

PART 2: Making a recording

From the menu that appears, choose to start recording on the current slide or start from the beginning (depending on your preference).

(The Clear command deletes narrations or timings, so be careful when you use it. Clear is greyed out unless you have previously recorded some slides.)

The slide show opens in the Recording window, with buttons at the top left for starting, pausing, and stopping the recording.

Click the left/right button to go through your slides.

Disable camera and preview so that only audio narration is recorded. 

Check that your microphone is functioning correctly.

Click the round, red record button  when you are ready to start the recording. There is a three-second countdown, then the recording begins. You can also use the annotation tools at the bottom of the screen during the recording if you wish.

Your narrations will be separated into slides. A speaker icon will show at bottom right corner on each page. You can click to listen to the audio file. Your annotations will be saved on the slides.

If you re-record your narration, PowerPoint erases your previously recorded narration (including audio and ink) before you start recording again on the same slide.

You can also re-record by going to Slide Show > Record Slide Show.

To end your recording, select the square Stop button. 

When you finish recording your narration, a small picture appears in the lower-right corner of the recorded slides. The picture is an audio icon, or, if the web camera was on during the recording, a still image from the webcam.

PART 3: Save as a video file (required in order to upload the presentation to Moodle)

On the File menu, select Save to ensure all your recent work has been saved in PowerPoint presentation format (.pptx).

Click File > Export > Create a Video.

In the first drop-down box under the Create a Video heading choose 480p in the export settings. This reduces the file size and ensures that the file exports quickly and will upload more easily.

The second drop-down box under the Create a Video heading tells whether your presentation includes narration and timings.

If you haven't recorded timed narration, by default the value is Don't Use Recorded Timings and Narrations.

If you have recorded a timed narration, by default the value is Use Recorded Timings and Narrations.

The default time spent on each slide is 5 seconds. You can change that timing in the Seconds to spend on each slide box. To the right of the box, click the up arrow to increase the duration, or click the down arrow to decrease the duration.

Click Create Video.

In the File name box, enter a file name for the video, browse for the folder that will contain this file, and then click Save.

In the Save as type box, choose MPEG-4 Video.

You can track the progress of the video creation by looking at the status bar at the bottom of your screen. The video creation process can take up to several hours depending on the length of the video and the complexity of the presentation.

Tip: For a longer video, you can set it up to be created overnight. That way, it’ll be ready for you the following morning.

To play your newly-created video, go to the designated folder location, and then double-click the file.

PART 4: Upload the video to Moodle assignment (required for submitting)

You can upload the video to Moodle assignment as described in this Moodle help page: https://workspace.nottingham.ac.uk/display/StudentMoodle/How+to+submit+a+media+file+ via+a+Moodle+Assignment

Using Teams to record a screencast

NOTE: There are 8 easy steps, go all the way to step 8

These instructions explain how to record a screencast using Microsoft Teams. With this method you can record your slides, your voice, and/or webcam. The editing features of this methods are more limited than if you were creating your presentation by narrating a PowerPoint.

To start creating your screencast:

1. Go to Teams and click on Calendar (menu on the left).
   
   
2. Select 'Meet now' (top right)
   
   
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3. In ‘Title’ add your StudentID_modulecode_SEMYear (or the title advised by your module convener). 
   Make sure your webcam and microphone are correctly set up and click on ‘Join now’ to start the meeting (make sure the microphone is on. The use of the webcam is optional).
   
   
   
   
4. Once you have started the meeting, open the menu from the three dots and select ‘Start recording’. If you want to record your screen, choose ‘Share’ and choose your screen.
   NOTE: Everything on your screen AND your voice is being recorded, thus if you see yourself in a small window on the side, you may wish to close that window.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. When finished, stop recording and end the meeting.
   
   
   
   The screenshot below illustrates the screen after you have ended your session.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Once the recording is saved, click on the three dots and select ‘Open in Microsoft Stream’.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Download the video from Microsoft Stream
   
   
   
   
8. Submit the file via the Moodle Assignment in your module, by following these instructions.