MEDIAL | Want More Engaged Students? Try This AI Teaching Hack
- mollysturman3
- Nov 10
- 6 min read
Keeping students engaged is getting harder. They are used to short, interactive content and quick feedback from platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Sitting through long, static lectures no longer cuts it. The good news is you do not need to reinvent your workflow to boost engagement. With a few simple steps using MEDIAL, you can refine your recorded lessons, generate AI-powered quizzes, and have those quizzes graded and tracked inside your LMS. This guide walks you through the entire process, step by step, with practical tips and examples you can start using today.
Table of Contents
Why change what you are already doing?
Students today expect interactivity and rapid feedback. Consider these attention and engagement facts:
- Attention spans are shorter
—studies note a decline in average attention span to about eight seconds for general distractions.
- Peak focus is limited
—the strongest student focus typically sits within the first 15 minutes of a lecture.
- Students skip content
—around 70 percent of students admit to fast forwarding or skipping through online lectures.
- Interactive learning increases engagement
—adding a quiz inside a lesson can boost engagement by around 35 percent.
These numbers show that small structural changes to recorded lessons can have an outsized effect on learning outcomes. One of the most effective changes is introducing interactive checks for understanding, placed strategically throughout a lecture. MEDIAL makes it fast to add these checks without changing your recording habits.
What you need to get started
An existing workflow for recording lessons using Teams or Zoom.
An LMS where MEDIAL is integrated, for example Moodle.
A recorded lesson uploaded to MEDIAL or routed automatically from your recording platform.
A few minutes to trim, annotate, and let MEDIAL generate quiz questions.
Step by step: Transform a recorded lecture into an interactive, gradable activity
1. Record as usual
Continue to record lectures in Teams or Zoom just as you do now. MEDIAL will pull the finished recording into your media library automatically when your LMS integration is set up. This means you keep the same workflow and add new value with just a few clicks.
The recorded lesson flows into MEDIAL and appears in your course media library ready to be refined.
2. Trim and chop the recording
Open the media item in MEDIAL and use the trim and chop tools to remove filler sections such as long introductions, repeated instructions, or extended goodbyes. Shorter, tighter videos are easier to scaffold with questions and keep students focused.
Use the scissors tool to quickly remove unwanted footage from the start and end of your recording. Save a copy of the original if you want to keep it for reference.
3. Build an AI-generated quiz from the refined lesson
Choose the media item and select Build a Quiz. MEDIAL lets you define quiz structure: the number of multiple choice and true or false questions, difficulty level, and whether questions should be visible on the timeline.
Click the Use AI option and let MEDIAL generate questions automatically. You can choose how many questions of each type you want and set the difficulty to match your learners—options like university level are available.
MEDIAL generates multiple choice and true or false questions for you. If a question is not quite right you can delete or replace it and AI will generate an alternative.
4. Edit and refine AI questions
The generated questions are a starting point. You can:
Edit question wording to match course terminology.
Change or add answer choices for clarity.
Select or correct the right answer if needed.
Editing keeps control in your hands while saving time on initial question creation.
5. Add annotations and links for context
Annotations are a simple but powerful tool. Place a brief on-screen prompt right before a quiz item to refocus students, highlight a concept, or point them to a resource. You can also add clickable links that redirect students to additional readings, discussion boards, or assignment pages at the end of the quiz.
Drag a bright, visible annotation to appear just before a question. This cues students to pay attention and prepares them for the upcoming check for understanding.
6. Publish and integrate with grades
Once you are happy with the quiz, publish it to the course. MEDIAL uploads the activity into the LMS where you can set grade contributions and visibility. Students will see the quiz embedded with the video, and their results can be captured as part of the gradebook.
Published activities appear in the gradebook. You can include them in final grade calculations so these interactive checks count toward assessments if you choose.
Student experience: Why it works
From the learner side, the experience is simple and intuitive. When they open the activity they see the video with an introductory message and question markers along the timeline. Annotations appear at set times to nudge attention. When a question appears, the video pauses for response and resumes after the interaction, keeping the flow of the lesson intact.
Students see a welcome message with a clear prompt to complete the quiz and question markers on the timeline so they know where interactions will appear.
At completion, students receive immediate feedback and a score if you enabled score display. They can review their answers if you allow that feature, which supports reflection and learning from mistakes.
Grading and tracking
MEDIAL integrates quiz results directly into your LMS gradebook. You can make the video quiz count toward a final grade or keep it as formative practice. The platform also records engagement metrics such as who played the video, how long they watched, and their quiz responses, giving you clear insight into student participation and learning gaps.
Practical tips and best practices
Keep segments short and focused. Break long lectures into 10 to 15 minute modules to align with peak attention windows.
Place interactive checks strategically. Use questions to focus on key concepts, not trivia.
Use annotations to prime students before a difficult section and to reinforce why a question matters.
Start with formative assessments. Use quiz settings to show answers after questions to encourage learning rather than penalize trial and error.
Keep an original copy of the full recording. Trimmed and chopped versions are great for quizzes, but you may want the raw recording later.
Review AI-generated questions before publishing. AI speeds up creation but human oversight ensures accuracy and alignment to learning outcomes.
Common pitfalls to avoid
Relying on AI without editing. Always check that generated questions use correct terminology and match course goals.
Overloading a single video with too many questions. Balance frequency so students are tested often enough to stay engaged but not overwhelmed.
Forgetting to set grade settings. Decide if this activity is formative or summative and configure the gradebook accordingly.
FAQ
How long does it take to turn a recorded lesson into an interactive quiz?
If you already have the recording uploaded to MEDIAL, generating an AI quiz and publishing it can take as little as 5 to 15 minutes. Trimming and customizing questions adds a few more minutes depending on how much editing you want to do.
Can MEDIAL grade the quizzes automatically?
Yes. Multiple choice and true or false questions are automatically graded and results can be passed into the LMS gradebook. You can decide whether to count these activities toward final grades or keep them as formative checks.
Are the AI-generated questions accurate and reliable?
AI provides a fast starting point and is generally reliable for generating relevant questions based on the video content. However, instructors should review and edit questions to ensure alignment with course learning outcomes and to confirm technical accuracy.
Do students need special software to complete these quizzes?
No. Students access the interactive video and quiz directly inside your LMS. They only need the usual access to the course platform through a browser or the LMS app.
Can I add links and resources inside the video quiz?
Yes. MEDIAL supports annotations and clickable links. You can add a link to readings, discussion forums, or external resources and place it anywhere on the timeline, such as at the end of the quiz to direct learners to next steps.
What about privacy and student data?
MEDIAL integrates with your LMS and follows institutional data policies. Grade and engagement data are stored within the LMS environment. Check your institution's integration settings and privacy policies for specifics about data retention and access.
Final thoughts
You do not need to overhaul your teaching workflow to create more engaging lessons. By recording as you normally do and using MEDIAL to refine recordings, generate AI-powered quizzes, and integrate results into your LMS, you get a fast, scalable way to increase interaction and capture meaningful engagement metrics.
AI is here to help us and help us do things faster.
Start small: pick one recorded session this week, trim it, add two or three AI questions, and publish. Track engagement, review the results, and iterate. Small steps lead to big changes in student attention and learning outcomes.
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