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What is an Instructor Introduction Video?

An instructor introduction video is a short, personal recording that gives students the opportunity to get to know you as their instructor. In this video, you might share:

• Your professional background – academic field, areas of expertise, or career path.
• Your teaching experience – how long you’ve been teaching or the subjects you’ve taught.
• Your academic interests – research areas, projects, or professional interests.
• Personal interests – hobbies, fun facts, or anything that helps students see you as a real person.

Sharing who you are helps establish your presence, build trust, and create a welcoming learning environment.

Why Create an Instructor Introduction Video?

An introduction video is a simple but powerful way to set the stage for a positive learning experience. Creating one can:

• Establish your presence – students see and hear you, which humanizes the online environment.
• Build trust and connection – students feel more comfortable engaging when they know their instructor.
• Create a welcoming tone – a friendly introduction makes the course feel approachable from day one.
• Increase motivation – students are more likely to participate and persist when they feel connected to their instructor.
• Support student success – a sense of instructor presence is linked to stronger engagement and learning outcomes in online and hybrid courses.

Planning Your Instructor Introduction Video

Step 1. Create an Outline

A great way to start is to build an outline of specific topics you plan to cover or demonstrate in your video.

The following are example topics you might consider including:

• Welcome the students by introducing yourself and your preferred title.
• Information on your education, field of expertise, and career background.
• Why do you love your discipline and the courses you teach?
• What excites you about online teaching or teaching generally?
• Personal notes that you would like to share, such as hobbies, travel, family, or pets.

Step 2. Create a Script.

Writing a script is highly recommended because it helps ensure clarity, focus, and efficiency. A script allows you to organize your thoughts, cover all essential topics, and avoid rambling or missing important steps. Having a script can boost your confidence while recording, allowing you to speak naturally and maintain an engaging presence. Additionally, a script can serve as the basis for captions or a transcript, making your video more accessible and ensuring accuracy when presenting technical terms, links, or instructions. Overall, scripting is a simple step that leads to a polished, professional, and student-friendly video.

Other Considerations Before Recording

Before you start recording, take a few moments to consider the following tips that can make a significant difference in the quality of your video and the experience for your students:

Environment and Equipment

• Choose a quiet, well-lit space to minimize distractions.
• Ensure your microphone and camera are working properly.
• Test your screen recording software to avoid technical issues during recording.

Length and Engagement

• Keep the video concise — ideally 3-5 minutes.

Accessibility

• Add captions and provide a transcript to support all learners.
• Use clear, simple language and avoid excessive jargon.

Tone and Presence

• Speak naturally and warmly to create a welcoming instructor presence.
• Ensure that your tone, pace, and enthusiasm are inviting to students.

Create a Reusable Video Asset

• Creating a single video that can be used across multiple courses saves time and reduces the need for last-minute videos.
• Do your best to avoid mention of a specific term, course dates, or details that may apply to only one iteration of a course.

Practice Run

• Do a short practice recording to check timing, clarity, and flow.

Recording Your Video

Once you have planned your content and considered the ideas above, it’s time to record your course introduction video.

Set Up Your Recording Space

When you’re ready to record, be sure you have the following ready to go:

• Your quiet, distraction-free recording space.
• Your script is visible from your recording space, ideally open on the screen in front of you. Doing this will make it much less noticeable when you’re reading your script since you won’t have to look away from the screen-and the camera-to do so.

Using Kaltura Capture

The University-supported tool for screen and video recording is called Kaltura and will allow you to record screen, video, webcam, or a combination of all three. In addition to its video recording capabilities, Kaltura integrates seamlessly with Canvas, allowing you to upload your video directly to your course homepage or to another location of your choice.

• Download and Install Kaltura Capture - This guide explains how to download and install the desktop recording application.
• Record a Video with Kaltura Capture - This guide explores how to launch Kaltura Capture, select options, record your content, and save your video to Kaltura for sharing.
• Upload a Video to Kaltura - If you prefer another video platform, you can upload your own video files in various formats to Kaltura for sharing.

Captioning Your Video

Captioning your video is helpful for all students, even those without a documented accessibility need.

Kaltura REACH

Kaltura REACH uses automated speech recognition (ASR) to transcribe spoken words in your video and generate machine-generated captions. Kaltura REACH captions are typically 75-85% accurate and can improve over time as the program adapts to learn your voice. Kaltura REACH also provides an editor to revise and improve the accuracy of your video captions.

Any instructor can request machine captions; just remember to edit them for accuracy. Please note that any SAS accommodations for captioning will go through the Student Accessibility Offices for professional captioning.

Adding Captions to Your Video

Once your video is saved, it will be processed and added to the My Media section of your Kaltura Library. To access the video:

• Navigate to .
• Log in to your Kaltura account using your kent.edu credentials.
• Click on your name in the top right corner to access My Media.
• Follow the steps in this guide to add machine captions to your Kaltura video.

Adding Your Video to Canvas

Once your video is created and captioned, you are ready to share it with your students!

Embed Via the Rich Content Editor

Kaltura integrates seamlessly with the Canvas rich content editor, so you can share your video with just a few clicks.

Often, Course introduction videos are shared on the course Homepage, making them one of the very first pieces of content students see. Other times, it may be included in a Start Here module or on the Syllabus page. However, you can add your video to any place in Canvas you like.

• Embed a Kaltura Video in the Canvas Rich Content Editor - This guide explains how to add your video to a Canvas page using the Kaltura App.
• View Kaltura Video Analytics - When you embed Kaltura videos in your Canvas courses using the Kaltura App, you can view analytics to see who has watched your video, the number of views, and how much they watched.

Upload Your Script

Along with the video, please upload a document version of your script. If you stray from the script, as is common, be sure to edit it before posting so that it serves as a word-for-word transcript. Providing a transcript not only ensures accessibility for all learners but also supports different learning preferences.