Video Response App Updated with More Faculty Control

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 08/11/16

A company that flips the flipped model has updated its software. Flipgrid, created by a professor at the University of Minnesota and produced by Minneapolis-based Vidku, allows instructors to set up queries for students who respond by posting videos they've made of themselves.

Flipgrid was introduced in 2012 by Charles Miller, an associate professor in U Minnesota's LT Media Lab as a social mechanism to enable students to use video to discuss classroom topics.

The instructor sets up a "grid" for the classroom or a group on a learning management system, blog or website and then adds topics to get the discussion started. Students record and post videos to reply to the topic. Other students can view and respond to the videos.

Version 4.0 adds several new capabilities:

  • Cross-student posts. In previous editions of the program the teacher acted as the hub and all responses were posted to that individual. The new release allows students to respond directly to each other's posts, enabling peer-led discussions.
  • More teacher control and customization. Teachers have greater manipulation over the look and operation of their grids to reflect the specific environment in which they're working. They can also more tightly control the privacy and security settings of content in their grids.
  • Support for high resolution video. The latest version doubles the video quality across platforms.
  • Basic data reporting. Teachers can measure the engagement level of students through "simple" data visualizations to test and compare approaches for maximum participation.

"With Flipgrid, we are committed to helping educators fuel active learning with video to ensure all students have an equal voice," said Miller in a prepared statement. "Our goal for the upgraded design is to continue to foster what our users love most about Flipgrid — its simplicity — while adding new features to drive discussion and empower students to participate in the active learning process."

Versions of Flipgrid for students are freely available for browsers, iOS and Android.

The software has been used by faculty members at Penn State University, Doane U in Nebraska and Rutgers in New Jersey, among others.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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