Video Studio is an audio and video tool built into Blackboard. It lets you record from your camera, capture your screen, or record audio only, and it lets you upload video files you already have. Because Video Studio is part of Blackboard, your video is stored and streamed within the course, so you do not need a separate recording program, hosting account, or storage plan.

You can use Video Studio to record a welcome message, a lecture or demonstration, a walkthrough of an assignment, or a quick explanation in a discussion. Students can use it too, to record submissions and to take part in discussions.

Video Studio is available wherever Blackboard gives you the content editor, which is most of the places you add or respond to content:

• On the Course Content page and inside a Document.
• In Announcements.
• In Discussions, for both you and your students.
• In Assignments and Tests, including student submissions.
• In feedback when you grade student work.

In each of these places you either select the plus sign to add content or open="" the content editor and choose the option to record or add a Video Studio video.

To record on the Course Content page, select the plus sign where you want the video, then choose Record Audio/Video. Your browser will ask permission to use your camera and microphone. From there you can:

• Record your camera to put yourself on screen.
• Record your screen to demonstrate software, walk through slides, or show a website. You can include your camera and voice at the same time.
• Record audio only when you want a spoken explanation without video.

When you finish, you can review the recording, add a title, and save it to your course. Video Studio can also record 360 degree video for immersive content.

If you already have a video file, you can bring it into Video Studio instead of recording. In the same place you would record, choose the option to upload, then select your file. Once it uploads, it lives in your course like any recording you make, and students can play it without downloading anything.

Uploading is the way to add longer videos, or videos you produced in another program, while still keeping everything inside Blackboard.

You can place a Video Studio video on its own on the Course Content page, or add it inside a Document alongside text, images, and files. Inside a Document, add a video block where you want it so your explanation and the video appear together in one item.

A good first use is a short welcome or introduction video. Recording a brief hello, telling students who you are and how the course will work, is one of the simplest ways to build your presence in the course.

Because Video Studio is part of the content editor, students can record or upload video in their own work. This makes it easy to assign presentations, speaking practice, lab demonstrations, or reflections without asking students to learn a separate tool.

• In an assignment, students open="" the content editor in their submission and record or upload a video the same way you do.
• In a discussion, students can reply with a short video, which adds voice and face to the conversation.

Student video submissions come to you in the gradebook like any other work, and you can respond with written, audio, or video feedback.

When you grade, you can record audio or video feedback that appears alongside your written comments. A short recording can explain a point more clearly than text and adds a personal note, which students value. You can record your camera, your voice, your screen, or a combination, right from the feedback editor.

For more on feedback while grading, see the OIR page on communicating with students.

Captions make your video usable for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, students in a quiet space, and students who follow along better with text. Add captions to the videos you record and upload, and provide a transcript when you can. Speaking clearly and at a steady pace makes captions more accurate.

When you record your screen, describe out loud what you are doing rather than relying only on what is visible, so a student listening without watching can still follow. For the full set of accessible content practices, see the OIR page on developing accessible courses.

• Keep it short. Several focused videos of a few minutes each work better than one long recording. Students are more likely to watch a short video and to find the part they need later.
• Plan a few notes first. A short outline keeps you on track and reduces retakes.
• Mind your setup. Face a window or light, keep the microphone close, and record somewhere quiet.
• Say what is on the screen. When you share slides or software, narrate what you are pointing to so the video works for everyone.
• Do not aim for perfect. A natural, human recording builds more presence than a polished but distant one. A small stumble is fine.