8 characteristics of good online video

Instructor-led video is a must in online learning, but not all videos are successes. Here are eight tips to help educators create effective online videos for their courses.

According to a report published in the MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, instructor-generated video can have a positive influence on student satisfaction with, and engagement in, online courses. But not all videos are created equal.

Research conducted by the American Academy of Neurology also reveals that “watching videos helps boost brain plasticity,” or the ability of the brain to undergo physical changes at any age. Learners who were trained to perform a particular task through videos performed better than those who learned through images and text, the researchers found—and they concluded that video has a “higher impact on the brain.”

However, researchers emphasize that the format of the video, its platform, and the subject are all variables in the video’s effectiveness.

“Creating interesting, professional videos does take some planning and technical skill,” says eLearn Magazine. “There’s also a fear of perceived high cost. But none of these barriers are insurmountable. By employing … tips to know when to use it, how to maximize its effectiveness, and how to keep costs reasonable, you can make video a key part of your next online course.”

Here are eight tips to help educators create videos for their online courses:

1. Know your video vocab.

Before beginning the video creation process, Purdue University’s ITaP program suggests that you become familiar with the terminology associated with video creation, terms such as…

• Compression: Reducing the file size of a video by packing the information into a smaller space.
• Framing: Composing a shot in the cameras viewfinder for the desired content, angle, and field of view.
• High Definition Video: Video that is of higher resolution that standard video. Generally, the packaging on a webcam or video camera will identify whether or not it is capable of producing high definition video.

(Next page: Know your resources and have basic standards)