Labs

The Cost of a Reply

Tally

For one student in a class of 25, Face to face costs the most at 80 minutes of required work, and Vivipod the least at 11.1. In Vivipod, students add 8.9 min by choice. Live, 3 to 5 students take most of the 20 turns.

Each option runs as it usually does: a live class, 1 post + 2 replies in Canvas and Kaltura, and a Vivipod loop.

How long each student talks
Bad takes per student
How students reply to a moment
Illustrative model

Face to face

Same room, same time

80 min

to attend the class

 

Turns
0.8
Per turn
100 min
Waiting
None

  1. Already on the calendarSET
  2. Travel there and back30 min
  3. Stay for the whole class50 min

Voices that speakAbout 7 of 25

  1. Raise your handINCL
  2. Wait to be called onINCL
  3. 3 to 5 students take most turnsINCL

  1. No retakesN/A
  2. Stop to think while the room waitsFREE

  1. Hear every turnINCL
  2. Raise a hand to replyINCL
  3. Wait to be called onINCL
  4. Reply from memory, no replayINCL

  1. You're still in the roomFREE
To attend the class
80 min
Engaged beyond that
0 min
Total
80 min

One student, one discussion

To get in
30 min
Each reply
INCL
Steps
2
Voices that speak
About 7 of 25

What's lost

  • Most voices. 3 to 5 students take most of the 20 turns, and about 18 never speak.
  • Connecting with anyone. Students can only answer the few who got a turn.
  • Replay. A reply leans on memory.
  • Retakes. What's said is said.
  • Anyone absent. Nothing stays behind for them.
  • Time to think. The moment passes quickly.

Thank you for coming.

Zoom

Same time, any place

50.3 min

to attend the class

 

Turns
0.8
Per turn
63 min
Waiting
1 min

  1. Already on the calendarSET
  2. Open the meeting link6 s
  3. Host admits you1 min
  4. Join audio12 s
  5. Stay for the whole class50 min

Voices that speakAbout 7 of 25

  1. Raise your handINCL
  2. Wait to be called onINCL
  3. UnmuteINCL
  4. 3 to 5 students take most turnsINCL

  1. No retakesN/A
  2. Stop to think while the call waitsFREE

  1. Hear every turnINCL
  2. Raise a hand to replyINCL
  3. Wait to be called onINCL
  4. UnmuteINCL
  5. Reply from memory, no replayINCL

  1. You're still on the callFREE
To attend the class
50.3 min
Engaged beyond that
0 min
Total
50.3 min

One student, one discussion

To get in
18 s
Each reply
INCL
Steps
6
Voices that speak
About 7 of 25

What's lost

  • Most voices. 3 to 5 students take most of the 20 turns, and about 18 never speak.
  • Connecting with anyone. Students can only answer the few who got a turn.
  • Replay. Unless someone records the call.
  • Retakes. What's said is said.
  • The room. Side comments and small glances.
  • Anyone on a weak connection. They can drop out of the discussion.

You're on mute.

Canvas

Native recording in a discussion

16.4 min

1 post + 2 replies

+ 25 s engaged

Turns
3
Per turn
5.6 min
Waiting
up to 1 day

  1. Course and roster already hereFREE

Voices that speakAll 25

  1. Open the course6 s
  2. Open the discussion6 s
  3. Click Reply6 s
  4. Open the Media menu6 s
  5. Choose Upload/Record Media6 s
  6. Open the Record tab6 s
  7. Start recording6 s
  8. Talk1.5 min

  1. No pause: Start Over6 s
  2. Half a take, lost45 s
  3. Start Over ×212 s
  4. Whole take again ×23 min
  1. Finish6 s
  2. Name the file12 s
  3. Save Media6 s
  4. Upload and render2 min
  5. Post Reply6 s

  1. Required: 2 repliesRULE
  2. Open the discussion ×212 s
  3. Find a classmate's video ×21 min
  4. Watch it ×23 min
  5. Note the time by hand ×224 s
  6. Click Reply ×212 s
  7. Open the Media menu ×212 s
  8. Choose Upload/Record Media ×212 s
  9. Open the Record tab ×212 s
  10. Start recording ×212 s
  11. Say "at 1:14..." on video ×23 min
  12. Finish ×212 s
  13. Name the file ×224 s
  14. Save Media ×212 s
  15. Upload and render ×24 min
  16. Post Reply ×212 s

  1. About 1 in 5 comes backUSUAL
  2. Alert, by your settingsup to 1 day
  3. Open the alert ×0.21 s
  4. Find the reply in the thread ×0.26 s
  5. Watch the reply ×0.218 s
1 post + 2 replies
16.4 min
Engaged beyond that
0.4 min
Total
16.8 min

One student, one discussion

To get in
0 min
Each reply
6.9 min
Steps
27
Voices that speak
All 25

What's lost

  • The second turn. About 1 in 5 students comes back for a reply.
  • A reply for everyone. Replies pile onto early posts, so about 3 in 10 students get none.
  • Quick back-and-forth. A reply can take a day or more.
  • The room. No glances, laughter, or sense of who's listening.
  • Pause. A stop means Start Over.
  • A link to the moment. The time gets typed by hand.

Grades included.

Kaltura

Webcam recorder inside Canvas

16 min

1 post + 2 replies

+ 25 s engaged

Turns
3
Per turn
5.5 min
Waiting
up to 1 day

  1. Course and roster already hereFREE

Voices that speakAll 25

  1. Open the course6 s
  2. Open the discussion6 s
  3. Click Reply6 s
  4. Open My Media6 s
  5. Click Add New6 s
  6. Choose Webcam Recorder6 s
  7. Start recording6 s
  8. Talk1.5 min

  1. Pause, if your version has it6 s
  2. Resume6 s
  3. Record Again ×212 s
  4. Whole take again ×23 min
  1. Stop6 s
  2. Click Use This6 s
  3. Rename the video12 s
  4. Upload until it says completed1 min
  5. Save and Embed6 s
  6. Post Reply6 s
  7. Kaltura processes the video10 min

  1. Required: 2 repliesRULE
  2. Open the discussion ×212 s
  3. Find a classmate's video ×21 min
  4. Watch it ×23 min
  5. Note the time by hand ×224 s
  6. Click Reply ×212 s
  7. Open My Media ×212 s
  8. Click Add New ×212 s
  9. Choose Webcam Recorder ×212 s
  10. Start recording ×212 s
  11. Say "at 1:14..." on video ×23 min
  12. Stop ×212 s
  13. Click Use This ×212 s
  14. Rename the video ×224 s
  15. Upload until it says completed ×22 min
  16. Save and Embed ×212 s
  17. Post Reply ×212 s
  18. Kaltura processes the video ×220 min

  1. About 1 in 5 comes backUSUAL
  2. Alert, by your settingsup to 1 day
  3. Open the alert ×0.21 s
  4. Find the reply in the thread ×0.26 s
  5. Watch the reply ×0.218 s
1 post + 2 replies
16 min
Engaged beyond that
0.4 min
Total
16.4 min

One student, one discussion

To get in
0 min
Each reply
7 min
Steps
30
Voices that speak
All 25

What's lost

  • The second turn. About 1 in 5 students comes back for a reply.
  • A reply for everyone. Replies pile onto early posts, so about 3 in 10 students get none.
  • Quick back-and-forth. A reply can take a day or more.
  • The room. No glances, laughter, or sense of who's listening.
  • A good first half. Record Again discards the whole take.
  • Posting right away. The video has to process first.

Labels vary by campus.

Vivipodours

Video posts in a Topic

11.1 min

1 post + 2 replies

+ 8.9 min engaged

Turns
4.4
Per turn
4.5 min
Waiting
up to 3 h

Voices that speakAll 25

  1. Open the Topic6 s
  2. Create a post6 s
  3. Start recording6 s
  4. Talk1.5 min

  1. Pause6 s
  2. Resume6 s
  3. Delete last clip ×212 s
  4. Confirm ×212 s
  5. Last clip again ×21.5 min
  1. Next6 s
  2. Upload6 s
  3. Video uploads1 min

  1. The first 2 replies1 + 2
  2. Open a classmate's post ×212 s
  3. Watch it ×23 min
  4. Choose React ×212 s
  5. Start recording ×212 s
  6. Talk beside their video ×23 min
  7. Next ×212 s
  8. Upload ×212 s
  9. Video uploads ×22 min

  1. You're notified automaticallyAUTO
  2. Email digest by defaultup to 3 h
  3. Open it, land on the reply ×2.414 s
  4. Watch the reply ×2.43.6 min

  1. No rule: replies notify peopleLOOP
  2. Reply again ×1.45 min
  3. Video uploads ×1.41 min
1 post + 2 replies
11.1 min
Engaged beyond that
8.9 min
Total
20 min

One student, one discussion

To get in
0 min
Each reply
5.1 min
Steps
15
Voices that speak
All 25

What's lost

  • Everyone replying. Nothing requires it, so about 6 of 25 don't.
  • Quick back-and-forth. A reply can take a day or more.
  • The room. No glances, laughter, or sense of who's listening.
  • Grades and rosters. No roster sync or grade passback yet. We're working on LTI 1.3 for both.
  • One login. Students sign in apart from the LMS.
  • Instant mentions. Email comes in a 3-hour digest by default.

Grades not included yet.

What the model assumes

  • This is a model. No real classes or student data went into it, and its numbers aren't findings.
  • The big number starts with one student's hands-on minutes for one discussion. Tallying the whole class multiplies that by the class size and adds the instructor's minutes, and adding weeks repeats it. Setup counts once, however many weeks run. Waiting is calendar time, so it's shown on its own and left out.
  • Each option runs as it usually does, using the same assumptions as the Discussion Cylinder. The big number covers the work of 1 post + 2 replies, or of attending the class.
  • Engaged minutes are the ones nothing required: replies past the second, and coming back to read a reply. They're real time, so they count toward Total and Per turn, but they stay out of the big number. That split is our choice, and it favors whichever option gets students to do more.
  • Turns are posts and replies online, and spoken student turns live. One student's live turns are a class average, and most students take none. Per turn is the total divided by the turns. Each reply is what one more reply and one trip back cost a student who's already set up.
  • Canvas and Kaltura ask for 1 post and 2 replies. Replies pile onto early posts, so about 3 in 10 students get none, and about 1 in 5 students comes back to read one. Canvas does send alerts, so check this against your own courses.
  • Vivipod asks for 1 post and requires no replies. Replies notify people, and students come back about 7 times for every 10 replies. Students who choose to reply make 2 to 7, about 4.5 on average, and fewer choose to as the class grows. A count like ×3.4 is the class average, so it includes students who don't reply. In Vivipod, 1 post + 2 replies is a yardstick and not a rule: the first 2 replies of that average count toward the big number.
  • Online, the instructor watches every post and reads or watches every reply. Extra replies add to the instructor's minutes, and those stay in the big number, because engaged minutes are students' choices.
  • Steps come from public help pages. Nothing here has been run in a live Canvas or Kaltura account, and button names differ by campus. Steps counts each kind of step once, however many times a student repeats it.
  • Every minute is an estimate: 6 seconds a click, 1 minute to write a comment, 12 seconds to read one, and 15 minutes of travel each way.
  • A live class runs 50 minutes and everyone stays for all of it. If the class would meet anyway, those minutes are already spent, and they also buy lecture and everything else that happens in the room.
  • When it isn't on the calendar, a poll takes the instructor 5 minutes and each student 1, and booking a room takes 5 more.
  • Live turns are a ceiling: 50 minutes divided by each turn plus one minute from the instructor, however large the class is. 3 to 5 students take most of them, and about 7 speak at all.
  • Voices that speak counts the students who say anything at all in one discussion, whatever the tally. Online, every student posts, so everyone is seen and anyone can reply to anyone. Live, about 7 do, however large the class is. The online minutes count watching only the classmates a student replies to.
  • A bad take happens to every student. Canvas and Kaltura redo the whole take. Vivipod redoes the last clip if the student paused, because pausing splits the take into clips, and the whole take if they didn't.
  • A stop to think happens halfway through a take. Canvas's guide lists only Start Over and Finish, and an open 2020 request asks for pause in its media comment recorder, so we assumed no pause. Check this in your own course.
  • Kaltura uses the browser webcam recorder, the shorter path. Screen recording needs the Kaltura Capture desktop app, which isn't on phones. Pause depends on your version, and we couldn't confirm whether a Kaltura comment alerts the author, so we treated it like Canvas.
  • Waits are upper bounds. Canvas alerts follow each person's settings, and defaults vary by campus. Vivipod emails a digest every 3 hours by default, and people can choose right away.
  • Vivipod's receipt leaves out grading. Vivipod doesn't sync rosters or pass grades back yet, and Canvas handles both on its own. We're working on an LTI 1.3 integration for both.

Where the steps and turns come from

Found a step we got wrong, or have an idea to make this more real? Email us.