In March 2020, I designed and started teaching a 13-week International Relations module on Building Peace through the Arts. I assigned weekly readings and YouTube videos to a group of 20 students. The videos were in line with the topic of the week, such as reconciliation through the arts, music and peacebuilding, films and peace. Apart from doing the readings and watching the videos, I asked the students to divide themselves in groups and prepare a presentation (assessed) on the topic of the week.
Some students asked if, instead of preparing a classic presentation with slides, they could make a short video. In this visual era, images and videos represent an immediate and interactive way to learn and share knowledge. For this reason, I agreed to this suggestion.
I structured each class in three parts: 1) a short lecture given by myself; 2) a display of the slides/video made by the students; 3) a discussion with the whole group including a Q&A to the authors of the slide/video.
In this workshop, I will share the results of this method: how it has changed my teaching, what students have learned (both via video and slides), and how the use of student videos can be improved. I also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of participatory assessment design.
