15 Years of Video Coaching at UMich and UW

Before video coaching became a standard part of teacher preparation programs, supervisors and coaches were working with incomplete information. They read lesson plans. They sat in the back of rooms with a clipboard. In some cases, they listened to audio recordings. What was actually happening between teachers and students, moment to moment, remained largely invisible.

That changed when programs began recording classroom instruction and building structured reflection around what the video captured.

The University of Michigan and the University of Washington have used Edthena’s VC3 video coaching platform for 15 years. That kind of longevity is uncommon in edtech.

What the “Before” Looked Like

Tim Boerst, Ph.D., a professor of clinical practice in education at the University of Michigan’s Marsal Family School of Education, describes the shift plainly:

“Before video coaching with Edthena’s VC3, many important aspects of teaching were simply not visible, and feedback cycles were often time-consuming and cumbersome. Edthena changed that by making instructional practice more accessible and, importantly, the feedback we are able to deliver timelier and more meaningful.”

The visibility problem he names is fundamental. Coaching only works when there’s something concrete to coach from. Observation notes taken in real time are selective and partial. Video gives supervisors, mentor teachers, and candidates a shared, complete record to work from.

With VC3, teacher candidates upload videos of their classroom instruction and share them with peers and coaches. Coaches respond with timestamped comments organized by type: questions, suggestions, strengths, and notes. That structure keeps feedback grounded in specific moments rather than general impressions.

Serving Candidates Where They Actually Are

The University of Washington’s context adds a different dimension. Its teacher candidates are working educators across the state, not full-time students on a single campus.

Megan Kelley-Petersen, Ph.D., teaching professor and U-ACT program director at the University of Washington’s College of Education, describes what that requires:

“At the University of Washington, our teacher candidates are working educators across the state, and VC3 enables us to stay closely connected to their classroom practice. The platform’s user-friendly design allows instructors and coaches to view classroom teaching as they support teacher candidates with their ongoing reflection and critical thinking. Our candidates learn to ask important questions about their own practice and continuously improve their teaching to better support their students.”

The program needs a way to maintain a coaching relationship across distance, without waiting for an in-person visit. Video makes that possible without compressing the quality of the feedback. Candidates develop the habit of asking questions about their own practice rather than waiting for someone else to tell them what to fix. That shift from evaluation recipient to self-directed learner is exactly what preparation programs are trying to build.

The Coach Network That Video Makes Possible

One outcome that Boerst returns to is how VC3 changes both the coach-candidate relationship and the relationships among the adults supporting a candidate’s development:

“VC3 facilitates multiple layers of work that enhance the overall quality of teacher development and are essential to educating future teachers. In addition to supporting personal reflection and rich feedback, it is helping us engage our mentor teachers and field instructors in well-grounded conversations about what high-quality teaching and learning looks like in today’s classrooms.”

Teacher preparation programs typically involve multiple supervisors: university faculty, site-based mentors, field instructors. Aligning those voices around a shared vision of good teaching has always been difficult when each person observes a different slice of a candidate’s work. Video creates a shared object. Everyone can watch the same lesson, respond to the same moments, and build their coaching guidance from a common reference point.

This is also what 15 years produces: candidates who reflect more effectively, and a coaching culture among the faculty and mentors around them.

Staying Connected to Practice at Scale

Today, schools, districts, and teacher education programs from more than 20 states and multiple countries use VC3 to make video observation a regular part of how teachers grow, whether through teacher induction, peer observation, professional learning communities (PLCs), or mentoring programs.

Michigan and Washington show that reflective practice built around video can be a permanent part of teacher preparation, not a one-time initiative. The programs have evolved, but the core approach has held: give candidates a clear picture of their own practice, structure the feedback, and develop habits that carry into a teaching career.

For programs exploring what that infrastructure looks like, VC3 by Edthena is built for this work. Teacher residency programs and university-based programs alike have used it to embed video coaching as a routine part of how candidates grow.

FAQ

How does video coaching work in teacher preparation programs? Teacher candidates record their classroom instruction and share the video with supervisors and peers through VC3. Coaches leave timestamped comments organized as questions, suggestions, strengths, or notes. Candidates review feedback and reflect to identify areas for growth, building a coaching cycle that extends over time rather than a one-time evaluation.

What makes VC3 effective for teacher candidates who are working educators? Candidates can upload videos on their own schedule and receive coaching feedback without in-person visits. Instructors and coaches view classroom teaching and respond asynchronously, staying closely connected to candidates’ practice regardless of geography. The University of Washington’s U-ACT program relies on this structure to support working educators across the state.

How long does it take to integrate video coaching into a teacher preparation program? The technology setup is straightforward: candidates upload video, share with supervisors, and receive structured feedback. The more significant work is building coaching culture and feedback norms. Programs like the University of Michigan’s have embedded video coaching as a permanent part of their curriculum rather than a one-time pilot.