(Flashcards) 57 Tips For Instructional Video Creation

57
Instructional
Video
Creation Tips
01
Select
video
type
02
Create
CONTENTS Video
Content
03
How
Present Will
You Be?
04
Ask
Interactive
Questions
05
Enhance
Video
Navigation
06
Provoke
Engagement
07
Offer
Useful
Prompts
01
Select video
type
S E L E C T v i d e o t y p e
Screencasting
01
image source
Screencasting, also known as “video screen capture,’’

is the best tool to demonstrate how to use web apps
or desktop software. Screencasts consist of “the cap-
ture” of action on a screen and often contain audio
narration. A screencast is essentially a movie of the
changes that a user sees on a screen, enhanced with
audio explanations. There is a variety of free apps and
tools that you can use to create screencasts easily (see
for example, Bandicam).
Instructional Video Creation Tips

Slide-based videos are proba-
Slide
bly the most popular and easy
to create educational videos.
Presentations
Slides presentations can be-
come very engaging once you
put a lot of work into design-
Videos ing each slide. You only need

to create a screencast of your
presentation (e.g. in Microsoft
Powerpoint) while explain-
SELECT video type
ing the contents of the slides.
There are several plugins that
may help you make your pre-
02 sentations even more impres-

sive such as iSpring Suite.
image source

Slide Presentation
Videos with
Instructor
03
image source
This type of video is similar to the Slide Presenta-

tion Videos with the difference that the instructor is
present. However, the attention of the learners is still
directed on the slides. The narrator might appear in
the video screen at various positions adjacent to the
content of the slides.

S E L EC T v i d eo T YP E
04
Slide Presentation
Videos in Split Screen
image source
Split-screen video gives the illusion that instructor is em-

bedded in the slides. The presented material outmatches
the instructor in the viewing experience. To make it work,
you can use a white backdrop or a green screen in the
background and afterward add those shootings over your
slides. This way, you can present yourself talking simulta-
neously with your slides and in two adjacent frames.

05
Animated lectures
image source
Animated videos are becoming more and more popular,

allowing students to learn in a fun and relaxing way. Ani-
mations are very similar to the cartoons we used to watch
in our youngest age and perhaps this is what makes them
so engaging. For this type of video, the main protagonist
is the learning material presented, while the instructor
plays an assistive role with a voice-over. Most popular
tools to create animations are Animaker and VYond.

Whiteboard Videos
06
image source
In this type of video, the viewer sees the words being

written concurrently with the oral explanations while
the presenter is usually absent. Whiteboard anima-
tions can be created either by capturing the screen
of a tablet while using it with the help of a pen, or by
using specialized apps for whiteboard videos such as
VideoScribe.

07
Whiteboard Videos
with Instructor
image source
In this type of video, you make your presentation in front

of a real whiteboard, you create content on it and act
upon it. The video gives out the impression as though
there is a presence of two people in the room - the in-
structor and the student. The instructor’s presence, and
the instructional media complement each other and
learners tend to split their focus to each of those com-
ponents equally.

In lightboard videos, the in-
Lightboard
structor writes on plexiglass.
The camera is facing into a
Videos with
mirror and is filming through
it. The text that is written on
the plexiglass gets reversed.
Instructor At the same time your back-

ground color must have a
strong contrast with your
markers’ color so that your
SELECT video type
drawings are visible. In this
type of videos, the written
material is more important
08 than the instructor himself.
image source

S E L E C T v i d e o T YP E
Presenter only
Videos 09
Videos that show the presenter speaking directly to the

audience appear natural and help learners familiarize
with the instructor. Full-screen presence is usually being
recorded using the green screen technique. However, a
home scene in front of a library with some blur on the
background may be an even more warm and appeal-
ing set up. The use of keywords that either overlap the
presenter or appear next to him are also often. In each
case, you must decide where you will place these key-
words in the pre-recording stage.
image source
Video Creation Tips

Selfie Videos
10
image source
Selfie videos come out as lively and engaging, and

show a background that is much more interesting for
the viewer. Selfie videos can serve numerous purpos-
es from traditional lectures to long field trips. Selfie
videos are speaker-centric and also fit well with the
informal media culture of most learners. The present-
er may be interspersed with slides, animations, other
videos, images, etc.

11
Autobiographical
footage
image source
Autobiographical footages are a bit different to selfie vid-

eos. They are also spontaneous and fun, but they intend
to describe a specific experience of something (usually
the presenter’s). For example, the instructor tells a real
story or refers to a case where he explains the way he
achieved something and provides clear steps for the stu-
dents to follow.

These videos take a fly-on-the-
Raw
wall approach which empha-
sizes on producing material as
seen from the perspective of a
videos
neutral observer, a faithful, un-
scripted snapshot of real-life
practices. No pre-production
notes, no remakes, minimum
editing. Let’s take an example
of a daily activity - two women
SELECT video type
going out for lunch. Through
the footage, the instructor pro-
motes practice in English, by
pausing the video and putting
12 emphasis on specific phrases
of the conversation.
image source

S E L E C T v i d e o T YP E
Conversation
Videos 13
Creating videos where two or more people discuss a

topic and export valuable conclusions is a very engag-
ing and authentic way to convey knowledge and emo-
tional content. At the same time, it also offers the most
effective way for promoting the people talking inside a
video. Just make sure the conversation is informative
and substantial in terms of content and has something
great to offer to the students. The footage may some-
times be embellished with slides, keywords or questions.
image source

Interview Videos
14
image source
Although you are an expert, you can show your learn-

ers the knowledge and experience of another expert
on the same subject you teach. This way, you enhance
the strength of your assertions and increase your
learners’ trust to the learning content of your course.
If you have access to experts, do use such videos since
they are produced fast and usually are of great inter-
est to your learners.

15
Audiovisual
tours
image source
Creating audiovisual tours in museums, in offices or in

production lines is the easiest thing to do. Just use your
phone and a well-designed narration and you can cre-
ate stunning tours. The value of those videos comes from
your ability to access and navigate to these places. For a
more professional result, check out the available equip-
ment for creating more convincing virtual tours on your
own (e.g. a 360° video camera).

02
Create Video
Content
Your introductory video will
Establish
do much to set the tone and
expectations for your course.
your
Convey a sense of enthusi-
asm about getting started
the course. For example, you
Presence might say: “Welcome to our

course! I look at teaching…as
a chance to share my enthu-
siasm about this subject with
Create Video Content
all of you...” Then, talk about
yourself.
Provide some touchstones
16 about yourself and encour-

age learners to do the same.
Also, don’t forget to indicate
your availability for questions
and communications.

C r e a te V i d e o C o n te n t
Trigger Interest
17
After breaking the ice, use a short video (less than 3

minutes) to create an introduction on your topic. The
best way to engage viewers and develop an interest
on your course is by presenting a real-life situation.
For example, give a real-life dilemma such as a con-
flict between two or more people. You will immediate-
ly stimulate your learners’ attention.

C r e ate V i d eo C o n te n t
18
The Core of your

Course
After establishing your presence and triggering your learn-

ers’ interest, several mini-video can constitute the main
content of your course. Think creatively and come up with
videos that would best spice up your course and encourage
your learners to recommend it to others. Divide your content
into small meaningful pieces and present them with differ-
ent types of video (as described in the first section of this
book) in order not to become boring or predictable.

Promote Authentic
Scenarios
19
Learners are engaged in more multisensory ways and

also retain information longer from authentic learning
experiences. Authentic learning experiences are real
and connected with learners’ experience. The authen-
tic learning model is about allowing learners to pursue
learning opportunities that are unique to their interests
through real-life events and processes. What is consid-
ered as meaningful to your learners are elements that
are hands-on and can be met in real-life situations. Re-
trieving content for your video from real-life problems
can have a significant impact on learning efficiency.

Show Several
Contradictory 20
Situations
Draw examples from real-life but in a way that provokes
a cognitive conflict or a dilemma. This way, not only
will you engage your learners but also give out the most
in-depth understanding of the message(s) you want to
convey. An example of conflict is this: “I know it is wrong
to steal, but then why was Robin Hood a hero?”

An excellent way to create a
real-life scenario is to follow
Design a
the four steps of narration
theory:
Short Plot
1) Decide who your Char-
acters would be and how
they appeal to your target
audience.
2) Create a Cognitive
CREATE video content Conflict in the scenario - an
obstacle to your characters’
happiness or performance
on a specific task(s).
21 3) Give a Quest - explain
the problem and a path for
resolving it.
4) Give a Resolution: The
characters will now know
how to deal with the prob-
lem, as they have developed
the necessary skills.
Then just like that, we have a
happy ending.

Demonstrate
22
Are you teaching specific procedures? A demonstra-

tion is the best way to do so. Create videos showing
yourself demonstrating these procedures. In your pre-
sentation, offer a piece of practical advice and give
an example of its application. Compare different
pieces of information and present the most useful that
learners will keep.

C r e ate V i d eo C o n te n t
23
Use Videos to
Assess Learning
Include questionnaires into your videos that test peo-

ple skills. Test competency, not memory. Assessment
shouldn’t be about what people know; it’s about what
they can do. Also, you can ask learners to respond to spe-
cific questions after watching a video.

Create Video
Summaries 24
Reading or writing a summary has many benefits for

comprehension and retention of information. It requires
learners to retrieve data from memory. Summaries hold a
so-called testing effect, which is beneficial, even though
no kind of feedback is given. Provide short textual sum-
maries of your videos so that learners can read any time
the video content and retrieve information. Alternatively,
ask learners to write the summary by themselves.
image source

Create Conclusion
Videos
25
Videos at the end of your course are useful as tools to

summarize your course’s content. In your final video,
you can present all the key ideas of the course and
thank your learners for watching. These videos enable
learners to identify the most critical issues of the subject
they have just studied and memorize/organize them.

03
How Present
Will You Be?
Some researchers claim that
videos showing an instruc-
Will you insert tor’s talking-head are more

engaging, while others claim
instructor’s
that this may result in learn-
ers’ split attention because
talking head?
learners have to divide their
attention between the in-
structor and the learning ma-
terial (e.g. slides), which may
How Present Will You Be? hamper learning.
Choose the talking-head

if you want your video to be
26 more personal and guide
your learners through body
language.
Avoid a talking-head if
you believe it will require ex-
tra effort from your learners
to stay focused.
Use talking-head videos
to build rapport with your
learners.

H o w P r ese n t W i ll Y o u B e ?
Write a specific
script and 27
record it
Before producing any part of your video, make sure that
you know precisely what you will record. Usually, video
producers write a specific script and then read it again
and again until they are confident they know how they
will narrate it. Doing many rehearsals will give out the
best tone and pace of your voice.

04
Ask Interactive
Questions
As k I n te r a ct i v e Q u est i o n s
Ask authentic
questions
28
Design questions that are within the context of the pre-

sentation. Associate them directly with the content you
are teaching at the moment that it is being presented.
Video embedded questions must always be content-re-
lated and interwoven with the plot of the video.

Give feedback to questions
Give
immediately and on the same
screen with the question. Ex-
plain why the learner’s choice
feedback in is correct or why it is wrong.

Immediate feedback gradu-
questions
ally closes the gaps between
the current and the desired
performance. Make sure that
you give positive and kind
feedback that encourages
Ask Interactive Questions
learning. In your feedback you
can either show a message or
open a link to provide further
details or lead viewers to a
29 specific video point.

As k I n te r act i v e Q u est i o n s
30
Ask predictive
questions
Questions that require students to predict what is going

to happen, can stimulate the viewers’ attention, and also
do so much more than that.’ Learners are forced to recall
the knowledge they already possess. This activates the
information processing in their brains immediately, espe-
cially if there are intense contradictions. Predictions also
keep learners stimulated and focused. Predictive ques-
tions are valuable when people can’t predict the right
answer and answer wrongly.

As k I n te r a ct i v e Q u est i o n s
Make reflective
questions 31
Stop the video at specific moments and ask students

to reflect on what they have watched. Allow them to
act as the video protagonist and think what would have
happened if the plot was different. What would they do
if they were the protagonist?

Researchers investigated the
Add Not
optimum rate of interactive
questions, in regards to their
position and tightness. They
Too Many showed that too early appear-

ing questions are prone to be
Questions
answered incorrectly. Thus, it
is advisable to wait patiently
until the first question pops up.
At around one-quarter of the
entire video, length has prov-
Ask Interactive Questions
en to be an adequate time for
the first question to appear.
Make sure that you don’t over-
load learners. A question per
32 minute is the suggested rate
between questions.

05
Enhance Video
Navigation
E n h a n ce V i d e o N a v i g a t i o n
Create Table
of Contents
33
A table of contents provides quick access to different

sections inside a video. This is a good practice especial-
ly if your video is longer than 6 minutes. Each section
becomes a meaningful unit that is summarized in the
section heading. To showcase an example, see Thomas’
Hank video “How to Ace a Job Interview: 10 Crucial Tips”.

E n h a n ce V i d e o N a v i g a t i o n
Navigate User
to What She 34
Wants More
Questions can also be used to allow participants to
shape the video experience actively. The viewer can
decide on how the video continues. As a result, learn-
ers feel greater ownership of the video. For example,
through a question, the viewer can choose what portion
of the video they would like to watch. This way, students
adjust their viewing experience to their interests.

E n h a n ce V i d eo N av i g at i o n
35
Provide Skip/
Next buttons
With navigational buttons, learners can easily navigate

inside your video content, jump segments, or watch a spe-
cific video part again. It is essential to include navigation
buttons in a video because students must develop a sense
of confidence for the available learning paths. When the
learner skip specific portions of a video, the cognitive effort
they must take decreases. They don’t have to watch the
whole video to get the answers they want.

06
Provoke
Engagement
Provoke Engagement
Add Interactions
with Video 36
Objects
New interactive video platforms, such as LearnWorlds,
enable learners to interact with the video content it-
self. For example, viewers can click an area on the vid-
eo screen to learn more about it. That way, the videos
become alive, more interesting and increase users’ en-
gagement. Allow your learners to interact with the ob-
jects presented in the video!

Provoke Engagement
Add Interactive
Labels
37
With interactive labels, you can give an overview of

the ingredients you are going to use to carry out a
procedure (e.g. a recipe). You can make those labels
interactive by presenting a message every time the
user clicks on them, or you can evem make these la-
bels navigational buttons!

P rovo k e E n g ag e m e n t
38
Add Clickable
Images
With clickable images, you can now create beautiful

overviews of your videos’ contents and let users choose
where to go. Clickable images can also be a part of a
question or a helpful external link that students can visit.
Such interactive elements make your users feel like they
have more control over the learning content.

When you create a video,
Add
make sure to include links to
other sources of information
at different points of the vid-
eo timeline. This makes the
Readings
whole learning experience
much more explorative and
provide opportunities for dig-
ging more into the learning
content (at least for the ones
Provoke Engagement that are interested in doing
so). However, make sure that
you don’t overdo it with the
extra information.
39

Provoke Engagement
Provoke 40
Discussions
about the Video
Contents
Urge your learners to comment or discuss what has been
said, at the end of the video or at a specific time point.
Discussions over a video, make the video more active,
appealing and also promotes collaborative learning.

Provoke Engagement
Draw Attention
with your Gaze
41
Guide your students with your gaze and provide a

sense of social connection and interaction. Gazing
guidance in learning videos means that the instruc-
tor is not merely looking into the camera but switches
between looking at the camera and the content pre-
sented in the background or the objects that are in the
same room. For example, you can look at the camera
and then at an object appearing on a slide or at the
button of a web app.

42
Speek fast
It can be tempting for the narrator to speak slowly to

ensure that learners grasp important ideas. However, it
is better to achieve understanding by including in-video
questions, or “chapters,” or speed control. As the narra-
tor’s voice speeds up, the learners’ interest increases.
This is an important tool you need to become familiar
with because you do not want bored learners! Avoid sen-
tences that are too long and break up the narration into
separate segments. Becoming familiar with your script
will help you go through the narration with more ease.

High instructor expressiveness
Be highly
is a crucial factor for your vid-
eo design. Emotion can short-
en the distance. The emotion
expressed by the instructor’s
expressive
facial expressions creates the
perception of closeness. Name-
ly, it could overcome students’
feeling of isolation in video
training. Many instructors hav-
Provoke Engagement en’t realized the importance of
their facial expressions in video
lectures and how their emotion
affects students. However, it is
43 a fact that the way instructors
express is more important than
the verbal content of the com-
munication.

Provoke Engagement
Avoid the
monotony of 44
one voice
Learners may find demonstrations from only one person
monotonous and boring. Let a variety of presenters par-
ticipate with different approaches and a range of voices
to maintain students’ interest. Learners ask for differenti-
ation in the voice pitch, expressiveness, and gender.
Do not forget: According to the “Voice Principle,” people
learn better when the narration in multimedia lessons is
spoken in a friendly human voice rather than a machine
voice.

Provoke Engagement
Make an exciting
beginning
45
Start with an active opening line in the first few words

or with a robust first scene. For example, use the ex-
pressions “Imagine...” or “Think...” or “What if...” to
stimulate interest. Another way to boost the engage-
ment is by posing a question about a learner’s experi-
ence (e.g., “Have you heard about..?”) or introducing a
character and a real-life situation.

46
The Eight-Seconds
Window
Most viewers will click away from your video after the
first eight seconds if their attention wavers. The first eight
seconds of video are just enough to include a hint about
what you are going to talk about. The “why” of your video
is what will keep viewers engaged long enough to hear
you in the video.

Provoke Engagement
Signal the 47
important ones
Signaling is the use of keywords, phrases or pointers
that highlight the critical information of the video. Col-
ored frames or boxes can also be put around the object
in question, or arrows can point at them. Highlighting
particular objects interrupts the visual representation of
the whole video. This is why it is crucial to give the user
enough time to view the entire frame initially and then
focus on the details.

Provoke Engagement
Present Relevant
Elements Close
Together
48
This is the “spatial contiguity principle” which sug-

gests to present relevant elements as close together
as possible. For example, students learn better when
the on-screen text is near the related graphic, since
the need for visual scanning is reduced.
Do not forget that it is a good practice to align text
inside a video to the left and limit text to a maximum
of 8-10 words per line.

49
Show text on
time
According to the “temporal contiguity principle”, students

learn better if the narration and the video animation are
displayed at the same time. Hence, narrate over the ani-
mation, explain when your video presents your case.

Provoke Engagement
Prefer audio
rather than 50
on-screen text
This is the “modality principle”. There is considerable
evidence that presenting with audio, rather than with
on-screen text, results in significant learning gains. The
psychological advantage of using audio results from the
incoming information being split across two separate
channels - words in the auditory channel and pictures
from the video in the visual channel. Otherwise, both
written text and images occupy the same visual channel.

Avoid showing text together
Avoid
with narration and video ani-
mations (“redundancy princi-
ple”). Deeper learning occurs
extraneous
from animation and narra-
tion than from animation,
narration, and on-screen
information
text. Information that is pre-
sented simultaneously from a
variety of sources imposes an
extraneous cognitive load on
learners. Any degree of infor-
Provoke Engagement mation redundancy may re-
sult in distraction.
51

Provoke Engagement
Add Video Labels

52
Video titles can reveal different sub-goals to your

learners and give structure to your content. Titles
might solve another problem that arises while learn-
ing with animations: Learners often lack the appro-
priate vocabulary to describe the learning content
they see. Thus, labeling can help to foster declarative
knowledge acquisition. With video titles, learners are
directly prompted to validate the relevant sub-goals
of your course.

07
Offer Useful
Prompts
O f f e r Use f u l P r o m p ts
Activate Prior
Knowledge
53
At the beginning of your videos make sure to link the

content you are going to present with pre-existing
knowledge, with what the learners already know or
believe. Activating learners’ prior experience is essen-
tial for helping them to construct their new conceptual
understanding. Make sure that you discuss the main
issues from previous experience and not provide re-
dundant details.

O f f e r Use f u l P ro m p ts
54
Urge Learners
to Practice
The practice is the most crucial component in improving

the transfer and application of knowledge. Prompt your
learners at the end of a complicated task to repeat the
procedure presented and, if possible, provide immediate
feedback. Give them a specific job to complete. Don’t ask
them just mechanically to follow the steps described.

Give Explicit
Time 55
Requirements
Describe in a video a precise estimation of the relation
between the learning objectives and the minimum time
requirements for achieving them. This way learners will
organize their study model better. At the beginning of
the course, give learners a support tool for creating
study plans based on the learning objectives and the
time at their disposal.

Reinforcement comes with
Reinforce
the repetition of words, pic-
tures and meanings. The use
of repetition on specific con-
knowledge
cepts inside a video is often
essential because viewers’
concentration can fade in and
absorption
out during a video segment.
A great way of repeating an
idea is done by comparing or
contrasting it to another con-
cept. This contrast promotes
Offer Useful Prompts appreciation and sharpens
the understanding of the first
concept.
56

Promote 57
Self-Regulation
Create videos that support students to steer their
learning. Mention the self-direction strategies they can
follow (e.g., a diary document where they can keep
notes about their achievements). Learners who report
higher levels of self-regulated learning either follow se-
quentially the learning units of the course or strategical-
ly seek specific information to complete the course. In
contrast, learners who have lower self-regulation inter-
act with the course materials irregularly and are unlikely
to complete the course.

Authors
GEORGE PALAIGEORGIOU, Anthea Papadopoulou

Phd Anthea is a Course designer and
George is co-founder of Learn- Content Creator for the Learn-
Worlds and Assistant Professor Worlds team. She holds years of
in Educational Technology. His experience in instructional de-
research focuses on offering au- sign and teaching. With a Master
thentic, creative, intensive and of Education (M.Ed.) focused in
embodied learning experiences Modern Teaching Methods & ICT
with state of the art technolo- (Information & Communications
gies. He has been a pioneer in Technology), she tries to bring
designing innovative learning more scientific research to the
environments since 1999. E-Learning industry.
©2020 LearnWorlds. All Rights Reserved.

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Creation Tips
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57

Screencasting, also known as “video screen capture,’’

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Videos ing each slide. You only need

02 sentations even more impres-

Instructional Video Creation Tips

This type of video is similar to the Slide Presenta-

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Split-screen video gives the illusion that instructor is em-

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Animated videos are becoming more and more popular,

Instructional Video Creation Tips

In this type of video, the viewer sees the words being

Instructional Video Creation Tips

In this type of video, you make your presentation in front

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Instructor At the same time your back-

08 than the instructor himself.

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Videos that show the presenter speaking directly to the

Video Creation Tips

Selfie videos come out as lively and engaging, and

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Autobiographical footages are a bit different to selfie vid-

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Creating videos where two or more people discuss a

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Although you are an expert, you can show your learn-

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Creating audiovisual tours in museums, in offices or in

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Presence might say: “Welcome to our

16 about yourself and encour-

Instructional Video Creation Tips

After breaking the ice, use a short video (less than 3

Instructional Video Creation Tips

The Core of your

After establishing your presence and triggering your learn-

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Learners are engaged in more multisensory ways and

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Are you teaching specific procedures? A demonstra-

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Include questionnaires into your videos that test peo-

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Reading or writing a summary has many benefits for

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Videos at the end of your course are useful as tools to

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Will you insert tor’s talking-head are more

Choose the talking-head

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Instructional Video Creation Tips

Design questions that are within the context of the pre-