Note: this post was created as an assignment for the course LDT300x Instructional Design: Digital Media, New Tools, and Technology. You can learn more about this course (and the Micro-Master's program it is a part of) here. This is not meant to be an exhaustive discussion of storyboarding, video creation, or e-learning strategies!
Many of us were not prepared to go fully remote or online, but were thrust into remote or fully-online learning as a result of the pandemic. Now, nearly a year later (yes, it has only been a year) many of us are thinking about how we can improve our online pedagogy and make our material more interesting, interactive, and meaningful for learners.
Creating videos can be a great way to engage your learners and present content in an interesting way; however, many of us are nervous about the technology, worried that we will not produce videos that are of high enough quality for students, or simply don't know where to start. In this post, I am going to briefly outline suggestions for creating quality e-learning videos, provide links to resources that you can use, and demonstrate how you can create a short, quality video using tools you (most likely) already know how to use.
Video Creation: The Basics
A video can be a great educational tool to engage learners with course content. You can use videos to draw attention to key points, discuss criticisms and alternative perspectives, provide examples of course concepts, and myriad other uses.
How do you create quality e-learning videos?
While this is by no means an exhaustive list, here are some important things to consider:
What are the learning goals and objectives for the video?: Much like you would with any lesson plan, identify the goals and objectives that learners will take away from the video. While we want our videos to be entertaining, remember that these are tools for learning rather than pure entertainment.
Outline, plan, and script the video: Before recording, plan what you will cover. You can use storyboarding templates (more on these in a minute) to outline the content and visualize segments of the video. If you are going to include voiceovers or narration, script it in advance to ensure that the segments and transitions are smooth, clear, and engaging.
Recording options: If you have access to high-quality recording equipment, use it. If not, most laptops and smartphones come with camera recording options (I use the Quicktime option on my MacBook for recording). If you do not have a webcam built-in, there are programs that you can use (Screencast-O-Matic is free). You can also use the editing software built into your PC or Mac, or utilize simple editing features (like trimming or adding intro and outro material) in YouTube or other video sharing sites.
Timing and length: By outlining and scripting content, you are able to plan and visualize the timing of your e-learning videos. Generally, learners' attention weans after 5-6 minutes, so if you really want your learners to watch the entire video, keep it short!
Sharing the content: There are multiple options for uploading and sharing your content (Vimeo and YouTube are the most common). I use YouTube for my videos, as learners are often familiar with the platform and it allows you to upload videos as public (everyone can see), private (only those with special permission can see), or unlisted (only users with the link can see). I recommend the "unlisted" option for course content.
Want to learn more about creating effective educational videos? View this post from the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching, or this guide on creating high-quality videos.
Video Creation: Planning, Outlining, and Storyboarding
Planning your e-learning video ensures quality content for learners. There are many ways that you can do this (for example, a traditional outline); however, what I want to talk about in this section is the use of storyboards. When you think of a storyboard, you probably visualize something like this:
Photo by Matt Popovich on Unsplash
You might be thinking: "I am not creating a movie, this seems way too involved for me!" While it might be fun and engaging to learn how to storyboard in this way (for example, Canva has free templates), depending on the content and delivery or your video (as well as your technological skills and capabilities), this type of storyboard might not be your best bet.
For people new to storyboarding (as well as those who are creating videos that will be largely devoid of animation), I would recommend turning to a program that you probably already use: Microsoft Office.
Microsoft Word and PowerPoint are great storyboarding tools! As you can see in the image below, you can use Microsoft Word to create a storyboard/outline for your e-learning video:
If you want to download the document above and use it for your own video creation, please click on the link below:
You can do something similar using Microsoft PowerPoint, using a new slide for each scene:
For a much more involved PowerPoint template, click on the link below:
It can be fun to play around with online templates for storyboarding (I know I got a bit lost in Canva thinking of all of the things I could create); however, using the options above can help you to storyboard in a manner that is more familiar (and perhaps more useful for the type of video you want to create).
Video Creation Example: Film Your Video
Now that we have covered the basics of outlining video content for digital learning, let's use the following example to apply these foundations in the creation of an instructional video.
Instructional Goal and Learning Objectives
Goal: You are working on a professional development/employee training course at your current institution on Open Educational Resources (OERs) for faculty. Course content will cover: (1) what are Open Educational Resources; (2) why use Open Educational Resources; (3) where to find Open Educational Resources; (4) how to evaluate Open Educational Resources; and (4) implementing Open Educational Resources in the classroom. As a part of module one of the course, students will watch an instructional video outlining what to expect from the course.
Objectives: After watching the video, students will be able to:
Define Open Educational Resources
Recall steps in the training
Identify next steps
Storyboarding
Using the sample Word template above, here is a brief storyboard outline I created for this educational video:
The Final Product
If you are lucky enough to have access to instructional designers, graphic designers, video animation software, and high-quality videography equipment you probably aren't reading this blog post. I am going to assume that if you are still reading you do not have access to the aforementioned resources, have never made an e-learning video before, and maybe aren't even comfortable being on film. Don't worry- you can still create engaging educational videos for your learners!
For this example, we are going to use Microsoft PowerPoint. If you are completely new to recording lectures in PowerPoint, you can read this short description from Microsoft, watch this how-to video, or learn how to get even fancier by incorporating video and slide presentations using additional free software.
To make a video using PowerPoint:
Create a slide show presentation using images (make sure to download non-copyrighted images from sources like Pixabay, Unsplash, or The Gender Spectrum Collection), graphics (created in PowerPoint or by using templates from free sites like Canva), and traditional text.
Use the recording feature to record narration for each slide (use your script that you storyboarded!)
Watch your video and edit and re-record as necessary.
Post your video for learners to watch directly or to embed in your Learning Management System.
Returning to the example of an introduction to a training module on OERs, I created the following video:
In addition to the recording options available in PowerPoint, you can also utilize video editing software (I use iMovie, but there are other free software options available) to trim your videos, add additional multimedia, adjust color, and optimize sound. However, if you are COMPLETELY NEW to video creation, this might seem a bit overwhelming. For the purposes of this example, I did not use ANY additional editing software or gear. I recorded the audio using the built-in microphone on my laptop and uploaded my video to YouTube without any additional editing.
Hopefully this example demonstrates that you can create quality videos even if you do not consider yourself particularly technologically-savvy.
Comments