Using Camtasia, H5P and LibGuides to produce online modules: Home

• Download Camtasia (free for McGill faculty)
  • I use Camtasia to create and edit videos (which often contain screencasts given the nature of library instruction)
  • Consider using the direct recording plug-in for Microsoft PowerPoint
• Request a McGill H5P account from Teaching and Learning Services (limited site licenses)

• Expect one minute of video to take about 1 hr 40 min to produce from start to finish if creating your content within Camtasia

• Have a folder for each separate project and work with the files locally, i.e., not in the cloud (back up the main folder regularly as a .zip file and store that file in the cloud or somewhere secure)
• This folder should ideally contain every file that you use to develop your module: This can make things much easier later if you need to make any changes in the future
• One project can be made up of multiple modules
  • Suggestion: One module = One H5P course presentation, possibly made up of multiple H5P slides (as is the case here)
• Each module or course presentation can be made up of multiple H5P slides
  • Suggestion: Each H5P slide = One video of 2 to 4 min or one activity
• Use of a file naming convention is strongly recommended when working on one or multiple modules:
  • First, structure your modules and keep the outline of the structure in a document, e.g., KS-Modules-Structure.docx
  • Each module, using the course presentation content option in H5P, is made up of sections called slides, e.g.,
    • Module 01: Preparing for a systematic search (this is the course presentation title)
      • 01_00: Land acknowledgment (McGill YouTube video embedded in first slide/subsection)
      • 01_01_Intro: Introduction ("Introduction" is the slide title)
      • 01_02_Why: Why are you searching?
      • 01_03_ClearQ: Formulating a clear and novel review question
      • 01_04_Define: Defining what you mean
      • 01_05_QFrame: Question formulation and concept tables
      • 01_06_FocusedQ: Focused questions are more feasible
      • 01_07_MultipleQ: Do you have multiple questions?
      • 01_08_WhatHowMuch: Getting a sense of what and how much literature is out there
      • 01_09_ExistingRevs: Finding existing reviews or protocols
      • 01_10_RelevantArt: Finding relevant articles
      • 01_11_Refine_Criteria: Refining your question and eligibility criteria
      • 01_12_Quiz: Quiz: Test your knowledge
      • 01_13_Activity: Activity: Apply your knowledge
• Try to maintain naming and numbering conventions: I found this really important when working on many videos and activities at once

Example of a file structure saved in the folder Desktop\Template (note: this folder structure was recommended by Chris Mattia in his LinkedIn Learning course called Camtasia 2018 Essential Training > Organizing project media):

• 01 Scripts: Could be a Word document for each section (or slide) of your module with a column for Actions and a column for the script (the actions are what you will be doing visually and it is highly recommended that you write out a script for exactly what you will be saying)
  • e.g., module 1 has 13 slides, each with its own script saved using file naming convention
  • Example of the beginning of the script in 01_08_WhatHowMuch_Exported.docx:

• 02 Prep Files: Any files you will be using to build materials (for example, a documented search strategy in a Word document that you will use as a basis for your screen casting)
• 03 Exercise Files: Files you will be sharing with students, for example a worksheet for keeping track of search terms
• 04 Project Media Files: This folder could include sub-folders for _Camtasia Recordings (screencasts), Audio (m4a files without video, e.g., if you are recording audio with another program like Audacity or recording voice narration separately from video), Pictures that will be used in your videos, Screenshots, PowerPoint PNG images of Slides (Slides PNG)
• 05 Camtasia Project Files: These files could mirror the structure of your online modules (one file per slide of your module/course presentation)
• 06 Exports: This folder could include a folder for each of your slides in your module, a Poster folder, a Captions folder
  • Posters are the opening images that each H5P (interactive) video will show by default
  • Captions for each (interactive) video are uploaded to H5P as a separate file

Note: File types will depend on the version of Camtasia you are using or have used, and you may need to research how to convert older Camtasia files (e.g., may require downloading older versions of Camtasia)

• This can be incredibly frustrating

File types in Camtasia 2020:

• .tscproj – Camtasia project files: live in my 05 Camtasia Project Files folder
• .trec – Camtasia recordings (screencasting): live in my Camtasia 04 Project Media Files\ _Camtasia Recordings folder
• .m4a – audio files: live in my 04 Project Media Files\Audio folder
  • Used when recording audio separately from visuals
  • Try to label them by module number, e.g., 01_03_ClearQ.m4a
  • You add these as media to your project file

Before recording:

• Use room with good sound absorption
  • Don't record in a kitchen (good advice based on my admittedly anecdotal experience and kitchen setup), or in a room with too much metal or too many windows
  • Rooms with soft furnishings are good, but not too many; a bedroom or living room usually works
  • Do not record in dead center of a room or with mic close to a wall
• Avoid background noises or try to keep them behind the mic
• Check right mic is selected (e.g., a mic such as Blue Yeti is highly recommended; sound quality can be a significant factor in audience ratings)
• If using Voice Narration to record audio in Camtasia (if recording audio separately from visuals), click on the little wand – makes a difference in sound quality
• Calibrate your mic:
  • Make a test recording and compare to other recorded audio for consistency; also helps to make sure your rhythm, intonation, and words per minute (WPM) are similar across slides and modules, so be sure to compare, especially when changing settings/recording at very different times and in different locations (it's a bit of a weird effect on the listener if in one slide I sound incredibly peppy and then in the next I sound like I half asleep)
  • I keep my audio files in 04 Project Media Files\Audio and I use my file naming conventions for them, but I wasn't completely satisfied with my file structuring, to be honest
• Screen recordings:
  • Make sure camera is recording 1280 by 720 px (that is the ratio of my big screen and the ratio I chose to use, perhaps incorrectly (H5P uses a 2:1 ratio); I use full screen for recordings and increase size of content in browser using Ctrl+; if recording from laptop, I make sure to have this ratio in use ideally, in Display Settings)
• Recordings with audio:
  • Record a few seconds of dead airtime at beginning and end, to help with background noise removal later
  • If you make mistakes, keep going – mistakes can be cut out later

Saving audio and video recordings:

• I save my screen recordings in 04 Project Media Files (I do not rename them; that location should be set as default--this can be configured to happen automatically in Camtasia)
• Save audio recorded using More > Voice Narration in 04 Project media files\Audio (I rename them using standard format X_X_Name, following file naming & numbering convention)
• For audio, use More > Audio Effects > Noise Removal (not usually necessary to change the noise removal settings, but that is an option)

I use a 1280 by 720 px canvas (check project settings from % dropdown menu at top), but I have to admit that canvas sizing in Camtasia versus what works best in H5P is still a mystery to me (my H5P videos have black borders on the left and right sides because my m4p files, using 1280 by 720 px, do not follow a 2:1 ratio--would it be worth trying 1280 by 640 px? Possibly, but I didn't)

Suggestion: Add a fade transition between sections (remove from sections that have been cut though, for seamless transitions in those cases)

Audio: Use Audio effects > Noise removal

Beginning of a module (e.g., module 1: Preparing for a systematic search)

Suggestion: Use land acknowledgment as opening slide of first module

Suggestion: Use McGill bumper at start of the module (after the land acknowledgment)

• McGill Library Communications can provide this bumper

Beginning of a slide

Use a consistent opening if applicable: This can be added to your Library and then reused consistently across your slides, for example; document which media files this is for future reference

End of a slide

Use a consistent closing if applicable: Save this to your Library for ease of use and document which media file this is for future reference

Ending of a module

Use a consistent module ending if applicable: Save this to your Library for ease of use and document which media files this is for future reference

Background

Use a consistent background file, if applicable

• e.g., Right-click on canvas and change settings to set background colour to McGill grey

Titles and sub-titles

Document the case you will use for your titles and sub-titles (e.g., title or sentence case)

References

Document what citation style you will be using for references and maintain consistency

Images

See "background" section as well

Saving images in the project files

• Save in Template\04 Project Media Files\Pictures (do not use section numbering as pictures may be reused across sections)
  • If applicable, save licenses for images to > License folder
    • Can subscribe to Freepick, The Noun Project and not need attribution for works downloaded during subscription, but make sure to save license

Captions

Train Camtasia using the Camtasia Voice Training Tutorials: More > Captions > Settings icon > Speech-to-Text

Once audio is done, go to More > Captions > Speech-to-Text > Continue to generate captions (you can also import your script and create the captions that way)

Correct captions in Camtasia (Camtasia is pretty good at captioning)

• Camtasia will help establish if captions are ADA compliant

When done editing captions:

• Share > Export Captions > Can save as .sri file in Template\06 Exports\Captions (following file naming conventions)

H5P uses .vtt rather than .sri so you might need to convert:

• I used Subtitle Edit (free software you can download) to open the .sri file and save as .vtt file (just click on the Save button: There is no Save As option specifically; then change file format to .vtt)

Upload this caption file to H5P: Edit > Go to slide: Edit > Text Tracks > Subtitles > Track source: Import .vtt file from Template\06 Exports\Captions

Poster

This will be the image that people see when they go to each video slide in the module/course presentation

• Before exporting a frame from your Camtasia video as a poster, hide the captions in Camtasia (if applicable)
• Select the frame in the video timeline in Camtasia
• Go to Share > Export Frame As… > Save file to, e.g., 06 Exports\Captions, using file naming and numbering conventions

Production settings

• Video options > Options button > Spell out title and add author info on next tab

Exports

Files to export to H5P:

• Video files from Camtasia
• Captions file (save srt from Camtasia and convert to vtt with Subtitle Edit program)
• Posters from Camtasia (for thumbnail-like image in H5P: Picture that shows up when you switch to a video slide, contains section title and sub-title)

Share (Export)

• Custom Production > Dimensions: 1280 x 720 (Editing Dimensions) > MP4 (Recommended) > Next > Smart Player Options Options tab: Unchecked Table of Contents and Captions (will add captions separately to H5P) > Next > Video Options: Video Info > Options button > Title: Sentence case, Language: English (Can enter keywords, description (keywords: Sentence case with first letter capitalized, separated by commas) > enter Author information > Rights management: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 > Production
• Export file: Template\06 Exports

Add the video exported from Camtasia (.mp4) to a course presentation (which you would have already used the "add content" button to set up). The course presentation content type allows you to add interactive videos as slides.

To create a course presentation, create a folder for your project, e.g., here called Demo:

 

 

Create a new content type for your module called Course Presentation:

 

Add an interactive video: Click on the icon illustrating more options (three dots) to see this option:

Upload your video or use a link to a YouTube video. When uploading your video:

• Add title
• Video quality: 1280p in my case
• Upload video
• Upload poster (should have been saved in Template > 06 Exports > Posters): This is the image that displays when people first open the slide or video
• Upload vtt file for the file captions (should have been saved in Template > 06 Exports > Captions): See instructions suggested above
• Change title of interactive video and "hide title on video start screen" if desired
• Click Done
• Stretch out the video to take up the whole space
• Save
• Add interactive elements such as external links, hotspots, quizzes separately

 

If you want to have a course presentation with multiple slides, add slides:

License

• If possible, CC-BY-NC (decided on CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Publish

• When you are ready to publish your content, when in View mode in your H5P content type (e.g., in my course presentation), click on the three dots (...) in the upper right corner of the screen and select "Publish": You can choose Protected (to insert into an LMS) or Public (which allows you to copy and paste the "Embed code", which you will enter in your LibGuide using the Media/widget option from the drop-down menu called "Add / Reorder" within a LibGuide content box)