Context and Motivation

CHEM V104 (formerly V30) is a combined General and Organic Chemistry course taught at a faster pace than the introductory sequence. Although students handle advanced material, many of them are encountering chemistry labs for the first time and often benefit from clear, visual guidance.

The project began in Fall 2024, initially sparked by an accessibility need. One of Antonia’s V104 sections included a hearing-impaired student who attended class with a sign-language interpreter. Because live lab demonstrations move quickly and involve background noise, the interpreter found it challenging to translate every step in real time. Antonia suggested that if the student could preview each experiment through a captioned video, it would make the lab session smoother and more inclusive.

That request became the starting point. I began recording short demonstration videos with Antonia, who performed and narrated each experiment. I handled filming, editing, captions, and post-production. As the workflow developed, we found the videos useful for all students—not just for accessibility—so we decided to expand the project to cover every V104 experiment.

By Spring 2025, filming and editing had become a steady weekly routine: one lab recorded, rough-cut, reviewed by Antonia for accuracy and narration, then revised and finalized. The goal was simple: to give students a reliable visual reference they could revisit anytime, while maintaining the in-person lab as the core learning experience.

Design Objectives

The project’s design goals centered on clarity, accessibility, and consistency.

Since the videos were meant to support both hearing-impaired and general audiences, every production choice—from camera angle to text captioning—was made with inclusivity in mind.

Development Process

The recording and editing workflow developed gradually over the academic year and became a consistent weekly routine by early Spring 2025. Each video went through several rounds of collaboration between Antonia and me to ensure both accuracy and accessibility.

This back-and-forth cycle continued for nearly every experiment, resulting in a complete set of videos that were technically clear, pedagogically accurate, and department-ready.

Implementation and Impact

By Summer 2025, the full set of CHEM V104 lab videos was completed and shared through multiple platforms. Each experiment had its own video (and in some cases, multiple segments), allowing students to preview procedures or revisit them afterward for review.

Distribution and access:

• Uploaded to the Ventura College Chemistry YouTube Channel, organized in a public playlist titled “CHEM V104 Laboratory Demonstrations.”
• Also uploaded to Canvas Studio and linked directly in the course modules for both lecture and lab sections.
• The department Canvas page included a shared folder so other faculty could easily embed or download the videos.

Student use and classroom integration:
Students began using the videos as pre-lab preparation material. Many reported that seeing the procedure beforehand reduced anxiety about making mistakes and improved their understanding of what to expect. Hearing-impaired and ESL students, in particular, benefited from the synchronized captions and slower pacing. Instructors also used the clips as in-class visual aids when live demos weren’t feasible.

Departmental impact:
The collection quickly became a shared resource across sections. Other instructors were encouraged to use, adapt, or reference the videos in their own courses. Because the files were captioned, clearly labeled, and modular, they could be integrated into Canvas pages without additional editing or formatting. The videos also provided a long-term foundation for ZTC (Zero Textbook Cost) and OER-compatible lab materials.

What began as a single accessibility solution evolved into a department-wide visual library—one that strengthened both instructional consistency and student confidence.

Sustainability and Future Use

The CHEM V104 video series was completed and archived by Summer 2025, closing the first full production cycle. With the foundation established, the next step is to gradually expand this model to other chemistry courses.

I plan to begin filming CHEM V101 experiments during Spring 2026—roughly one video each week—so that by the following Fall semester, all core lab courses will have accessible, captioned demonstrations available for instructors to use or adapt. These future recordings will follow the same structure and workflow refined during the V104 project, ensuring consistency across courses.

Because the workflow is lightweight and collaborative, new recordings can be produced during slower weeks without interrupting teaching duties. The ultimate goal is to build a unified departmental video library where every experiment can be previewed, reused, or updated with minimal effort.