Content Delivery in the Online History Classroom

This presentation demonstrates ways in which video can be used to introduce historiography in online history courses and the extent to which that facilitates the creation of authentic assessments of student learning. Content delivery in the online format often relies on written content and traditional lecture delivered via video/zoom. Consequently, students do not often engage in the conversation that has shaped history over time. Instead, they encounter history as a static telling of chronological periods. Through collegial collaboration, short topical videos can present the ways in which historians ask questions of the past, consider topics, and develop narratives. Introducing students to the work of historians leading to the narrative product increases student engagement with the discipline. This presentation will draw on content videos developed for introductory history courses as well as provide examples of Open Educational Resources that bring a greater focus to historiography. Authentic assessment relies upon demonstration of skill and, as students better understand the work that historians do, a wider range of assessments become possible. Drawing on best practices articulated by the professional development branch of the California Virtual College, this presentation will provide examples of tools and assessments that require an authentic demonstration of student learning and skill.