Benefits
Decide on a naming convention before you start making your videos. A consistent way of naming videos increases searchability (Students can search for videos in MS Stream) and helps students easily identify the:
- Video topic (content),
- Sequence of the video (if it is part of a series),
- Relationship of the video to a module,
It will also save you time finding and organising your videos.
Naming guidelines
When giving your video a Name consider the following:
- Chose a student friendly name that lets them know what the video is about.
- Keep Names short and concise. Less than 100 characters. Use the Description field to provide additional information.
- Include key details that will help you find the video again easily and remind you what it is and who it is for.
- Use Keywords in the name to improve searchability, for example, when students are looking for videos during revision.
- Use the module code as an easy identifier.
- Be consistent in the way you title your videos for a module. Agree to use the same convention with colleagues teaching on the same module and programme.
- You don’t need to include the date of the recording. This information is automatically associated with your video.
- Think about the order of the elements in the name:
- Start or prefix the name with the most important element,
- Or what will be most consistent across all the video names.
- Use numbering to indicate a series of videos that should be watched in order.
- Avoid special characters in the name, such as ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) ` ; < > ? , [ ] { } ‘ ” |
Examples
Name for a video providing learning material
Suggested format: Module Code – Week – Short descriptive title
- AB1CD3 Week 1 – Introduction to molecules
Name for a short series of related videos
Suggested format: Module Code – Week – Number – Short descriptive title
- AB1CD3 Week 1 – 1. What is a business plan
- AB1CD3 Week 1 – 2. Drafting a business plan
- AB1CD3 Week 1 – 3. Refining your business plan
Name for a generic instructional video to be used across modules
Suggested format: Application / Topic – Short title to illustrate the task
- Excel – How to edit cells
Name for a sequence of instructional videos
Suggested format: Application / Topic – Number – Short title to illustrate the task
- Excel – Part 1. Producing a spreadsheet
- Excel – Part 2. Updating a spreadsheet
Naming Channels in Microsoft Stream
You may wish to group related videos together in a Channel.
When saving your recordings to Microsoft Stream you can associate the video with a Group or Channel. This can help you manage the organisation of your videos. You can search and filter your videos by Group and Channel.
A Group represents either a Module on Blackboard or a Microsoft Team. When you create a Channel in Stream it must be associated it with a Group.
A Stream Group for a Blackboard Module is set up automatically using the Blackboard course code. Do not edit the name of a Stream Group.
Think of Channels as folders you can use within a Group to sub-divide videos into useful categories. Students can search for Channels in Stream.
Use the same naming guidelines for channels as you use for videos. Use channels to organise videos by:
- Topic or subject,
- Timeframe.
Suggested format: Module Code – Week – Short title
AB1CD3 – Week 1 – Business Plan