How To Create Effective eLearning Educational Video Content
Education and technology have merged during the 21st century to become a powerful force for learning. Moving past traditional classroom or training conferences, eLearning has opened onboarding potential for new hires, allows users to network, learn and explore anywhere, and makes it easy to recertify licenses with online continuing education courses.
Video content drives the effectiveness of eLearning, as the delivery and format of the information is better received and retained when it has been localized to the consumer. Explore these tips and tools to help you create more effective eLearning video content.
Define Your Purpose
Before you begin to craft content, you must define a purpose or goal for your videos. Specific goals lead to messages that are focused and effective. Corporate training programs should include cultural and task immersion, as employees need to engage with the community while they do their job. Classroom eLearning has a more academic goal, specific to a course. Define your audience and their needs to define your purpose.
Deliver a Concise Message
Think of the average length of a YouTube upload. At 11.7 minutes, this is still considered a bit long for the average attention span, particularly when people are trying to retain information. Break down your message into small, manageable chunks that are no longer than five minutes long whenever possible.
Each video should only cover one concept and should deliver the message clearly and concisely. If you are creating onboarding content, you can break up the company mission statement, culture, and functions into different segments. Think of each topic as a potential video separately.
Demand Engagement
Do not take it for granted that everyone watching your video will give it their undivided attention. Even if it is short, create interactive content that demands participation. Make quick summaries, add in a quiz or question in between lessons, ask for feedback, or allow learner choice in the next path of information through a branching scenario. The more engaging your video content, the better the retention rate.
Make your interactive elements relevant to the content and audience. Adding in hyperlinks to additional resources or redirecting the learner to supplemental training modules are perfect cues that encourage employees and students to learn more about their industry or course subject.
Demonstrate Key Ideas
Simply watching a lecture is not very engaging or promising by way of retention. There are several learning styles, and auditory learning only accounts for 30% of the population. This means that instructional methods need to be varied. Teachers must make a point to do more than just talk about a topic. Instructors should be using mixed learning styles while discussing subjects to keep all learners engaged.
If a video includes still photos related to the topic, use voiceovers to narrate through the images. Separate the video into pieces. The first half could be the instruction, while the second half demonstrates or shows images related to the topic.
Deliberately Plan Each Minute
Every detail down to the minute of a video you are creating should be carefully thought out. While your goals may guide the content of your message, you need to have a sense of organization in the presentation. The opening moments of the video should grab the viewer’s attention, either by asking them a question or causing them to stop and think about the topic. This needs to happen in the first two minutes of the video.
After that, deliberately place your interactive elements and highlights strategically throughout the video. Make a timeline of the material to be covered, showing the highlights and corresponding icon, link, annotation, or other interactions.
Document Results
It takes time to make interactive and engaging eLearning course content. All of this time spent is compromised if you do not keep track of the results seen from the videos and other types of content you are producing. It is important to know that your strategy is driving results the way you intend.
Use learner feedback, analytics, and a Learning Management System (LMS) to keep track of course engagement. Analytics will show which interactive elements got the most engagement and for what length of time. Surveys reveal opinions from participants, letting you know if certain videos need revision or how to alter future content.
Leverage Your LMS
As mentioned above, the LMS allows you to not only track course engagement, but streamline video content delivery and interaction in one organized solution. Create an eLearning library within your LMS to store videos and other documents learners might need or want easy access to. Organize videos based on relevant lessons or areas of interest so they’re able to serve as long-term resources for learners.
The best online learning experience depends on your ability to grab the viewer’s attention. Your topics may not be thrilling in their own right, but crafting exceptional video content can keep viewers engaged during an eLearning course.
To learn more about using your LMS and video to create more effective eLearning content, reach out to the experts at Open LMS, or request an individual demonstration below.