Spotlight on Coordinator Videos

Did you know that course coordinators can record a short video about themselves and their courses? This is a great way for potential participants to see and hear the instructor discuss the course.

The videos should be from one to three minutes long, and the instructor should provide a brief background on why they are teaching the course and what the course will cover. The video will be posted on the course listing and also on the course webpage. Click into the link to see an introduction to the course instructor and a description of the course in the coordinator’s own words. Here is an example of a course coordinator video from Craig Wille's Spring 2024 meditation course.

Videos can easily be recorded using a mobile phone and uploaded either to Dropbox, Google Docs or Youtube. Jayne Fischer (jdfischer2@gmail.com) sends an email to instructors before each semester inviting them to create a recording for their courses. When they respond indicating an interest, she sends them instructions.

The PLATO Curriculum Committee began offering this option to course coordinators when Covid hit and we were not able to hold the course sign-up session at the Madison Senior Center. That session was a wonderful opportunity for prospective students to meet the instructors – but even then, not everyone could make the session. Covid prompted us to make changes – not only in the instructor meet-and-greets, but also to the courses themselves. As an example, in the current Spring 2024 semester, there are 29 courses, and over half are held either virtually (11 courses) or hybrid (both online and in person, 5 courses).

We are hoping that coordinators will see the value in recording a short video, and students reviewing the courses will have another way to help them decide which courses to take. There are so many good courses to choose from that sometimes it’s hard to decide! As we know, at PLATO “the love of learning never grows old!”