Introduction
In regards to produced outcomes, video has always performed more effectively compared to other forms of media and advertising, and the educational industry is no exception. Educational content often involves conveying intricate concepts and ideas, which can be challenging to present in a captivating way through text alone.
Videos, though, allow educators and institutions to transform dry academic content into interactive, visually stimulating experiences that enhance comprehension and retention among learners. Moreover, videos can evoke emotions, tell compelling stories, and create a more memorable impression on viewers.
Wondering how to actually produce effective educational content? What are the best practices for creating video in e-learning? In this article, we’ll discuss all this, plus tips for successful video creation in e-learning. Interested? Keep reading 👀
Summary:
- How Better Videos Make Students More Involved
- 7 Killer Tips for Effective Video in E-Learning
- How Blue Carrot Can Help Boost Your Business Image
- Summing Up
How Better Videos Make Students More Involved
In the era of modern education, the power of e-learning videos as a pedagogical tool cannot be overestimated. Aside from the mere convenience and better accessibility it brings, videos have the potential to increase engagement levels and enhance knowledge accommodation. This means learners can not only absorb the information but also process, analyze, and apply it in real-time.
High-quality educational videos prompt viewers to answer questions, solve problems, and participate in discussions with their peers. When taking a video course, learners can pause, rewind, and revisit content at their own pace, which allows them to go through the material at comfortable speeds.
When it comes to achieving the main educational goals set for an e-learning video, there’s a lot that course designers can use to their advantage — keep videos to a certain length, make them interactive, add a storytelling component, and other elements. To discuss all these methods in detail, let’s go through the 7 killer tips for effective video in e-learning.
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7 Killer Tips for Effective Video in E-Learning
1. Keep videos short and to the point
One of the fundamental principles of effective online education is to keep your learners focused on the course material and avoid distracting or overwhelming them along the way. Lengthy videos and lectures, on the other hand, can reduce the level of knowledge retention. They can make it difficult for the audience to grasp even basic information by dispersing it through excessive amounts of information.
To prevent your viewers from getting bored, keep your e-learning videos short and to the point, ideally no longer than 6-10 minutes each. Present information in a ‘digestible’ form or bite-sized segments that can be easily processed by a learner. By doing so, the viewers will be able to 1) absorb information faster, 2) more effectively, and 3) receive amore positive learning experience.
2. Focus on the quality of your material
Even though the production standards for educational online courses are more moderate compared to the promo ads or explainer videos, there are still strict requirements to be met.
There may be no objective reasons to create hours of 3D animation for training programs or a one-time educational lecture. However, course designers still have to ensure they create a well-structured visually appealing video. They need to establish a cohesive flow of content that allows learners to follow the educational material with ease.
To get a good-looking video you don’t need to invest top-dollar in its production. Nowadays, with the help of various AI tools you can create an effective e-learning video.
👉 For more information, read our article: The Future of Video Production With AI: Opportunities, Challenges, and Real Cases
3. Add storytelling
Aside from the main advantage of storytelling — to successfully engage viewers for longer periods — it also can remove barriers associated with learning new or complex subjects. By incorporating different storytelling techniques into your e-learning videos, you can make the content more relatable, engaging, and memorable for learners.
A well-developed storyline can give context to the subject, make it relevant to the audience, and establish a direct connection with the lecturer — something that can be a real problem in traditional classrooms. Not only that, but adding storytelling to your educational courses can make it easier for learners to grasp intangible concepts and enhance their understanding and retention of the learning material as a whole.
4. Make your video content accessible
In 2024 and beyond, it’s crucial to ensure that your video content is accessible to all learners, regardless of their abilities or inabilities. For example, the use of closed captions will be essential for those with hearing impairments, providing them with a text-based representation of spoken content. At the same time, audio descriptions can be used to describe visual elements for the visually impaired, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the video.
5. Check your audience’s feedback
User feedback is an invaluable tool that helps to improve a product and make sure it meets the needs of your audience. At times, however, especially in the educational industry, feedback gets overlooked. All due to not-so-practical but naturally obvious reasons — assessment is the traditional feedback. Additionally, SMEs and course designers with years of experience in the industry have already established their own ways of producing educational content. Unfortunately, all that know-how to prepare a lecture or course may not work with modern learners.
It’s necessary to keep in mind, though, that audience preferences may change and that audiences themselves change. What worked well for Millenials can quickly become outdated and not applicable for Gen Z. Thus, we advise you to actively seek feedback from your target audience and analyze their responses to understand what works well and what can be enhanced.
6. Include interactive elements
Aside from keeping learners focused on the course content, it’s also important to keep them engaged as this can significantly improve their learning experience. Usually, course designers integrate quizzes, polls, clickable links, annotations, or interactive exercises that promote active participation. In addition to that, these interactive elements help to transform monotonous passive learning into an engaging process that 1) motivates learners to move through the course, 2) enhances their comprehension of the information, and 3) creates an immersive learning environment.
7. Exclude distractions
Visual distractions within a video can hinder the learner’s concentration and understanding of the material. This is why it’s necessary to design a video with clear, uncluttered backgrounds and a minimum of extra content — whether it is visual or textual. Avoid using unnecessary animations, flashy graphics, confusing transition effects, etc.
Not only does it divert the learner’s attention away from the main subject, but also increases the extraneous load, making the material harder to understand.
👉 For more about how to manage different types of cognitive load and additional online learning techniques, read Cognitive Theory of Video Production for Universities and Higher Education.
How Blue Carrot Can Help Boost Your Business Image
🔹 White Glove
Our team took on the challenge of producing an extensive e-learning video series for a client from the logistics field. The objective was to create a comprehensive video course aiding white-glove contractors in swiftly and effectively tackling new work tasks. These videos, featuring flat 2D animation, totaled over 30 minutes of educational content. The project took four months to complete and involved a diverse team of professionals from screenwriters and illustrators to localization experts, resulting in a successful educational course.
🔹IRI
In cooperation with the International Republican Institute (IRI), our team embarked on a task to create 11 videos for their educational course on the development of a democratic society. The task involved producing 34 minutes of whiteboard animation, 24 minutes of animation overlays, and 5 minutes of live-shooting, complemented by 26 illustrations for educational materials. Despite the tight schedule, our team managed to produce the 11 educational videos, each delving into political theory and complex concepts. To engage viewers even more, the scripts incorporated 2D animations and real-world examples.
Summing Up
We’ve taken you through the main tips for creating killer videos in e-learning. These key learning strategies for boosting engagement can serve as a foundational framework to elevate the quality of your educational video lessons. By following these tips for video production in the e-learning industry, you’ll be able to produce engaging, concise, and accessible videos that cater to the modern audience.
If you need further assistance or simply are interested in knowing more about best practices for video in e-learning, reach out to our team. With almost a decade of experience in the video production industry, we’ve gained the necessary know-how to provide you with practical advice for making effective video in e-learning and can successfully handle any project regardless of its size, type, and complexity. Contact us today!
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