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Nicholas Morton is road-testing some unusual ways to get, and keep, students’ attention
My latest idea is to create a series of one-minute “lecture trailers” – these rapidly show the students some of the places to be discussed and ask challenging questions. So, for a lecture on the First Crusade, I might show them some of the key battle sites and ask – in the video – “How did the First Crusade change relations between Western Europe and the Islamic world?” or “How did the Crusaders succeed in crossing thousands of miles of enemy territory before seizing and holding Jerusalem?” I’m not offering the students a replacement for the lecture, or an excuse for not attending (“I watched the video on YouTube, so I’ve already got the key messages”). Rather, I’m attempting to get them excited about what is to come.
