Educational videos – planning and creation

What are learning videos?

Learning videos are increasingly being used in university teaching today - e.g. when students are preparing for the on-site attendance in an inverted classroom setting. Owing to significant advances in software and technology, the production of such videos is no longer restricted to experts, and the amount of time invested in the production can be controlled by the user. For instance, a screencast with on-screen recorded sequences (e. g. presentation slides with simultaneous audio recording), can be created with little technical effort in a short time. It is advisable to proceed pragmatically, i. e. without expecting any professional educational films. In the case of educational films, the quality of explanations and the structure of the content are more important than perfect video production so that the learning objectives can be achieved.

What types of learning videos are there?

Learning videos can be differentiated according to video content or production type. In the tab "Examples" you will find many examples of the types of learning videos described.

Types by content

• Explanatory video: In an explanatory video, the focus is on conveying content. A specific problem, a method, a theory, or some similar content is explained.
• Tutorial: a tutorial is an instructional video. It shows step by step how something is done.

Types by method of production

• Edited lecture-recordings: lectures that have already been recorded are divided into several shorter sequences, ideally arranged according to topics, and made available to the students (e.g. in the following semester).
• Screencast: on-screen actions are recorded with the help of appropriate software. There is a variety of ways in which screencasts can be implemented in instructional/learning videos:
  • Slidecast: On-screen recording of presentation slides and audio (including spoken explanations)
  • On-screen recording of software application workflow
  • Interactive webinars can also be recorded on screen and made available to the participants later
• Pencast (analog or digital): Handwritten explanations and the verbal explanations of them are recorded simultaneously, if possible. This is done with a smartphone, stand, pen, and paper or with a touchscreen notebook and active pen. A pencast is particularly suitable for people who usually use visualizer or blackboard to support their presentations. Recommendations for this form of production: Checklist for creating analog pencasts (PDF, german); Videotutorial: Explainer video with smartphone & stand (german)
• Camera recordings (e.g. in an office or in a recording studio): recording of one or more speakers in presentation- or interview mode– possibly also in combination with props and presentations on a blackboard or screen
• “Paper cut-out explainer videos": in this technique, a camera is filming vertically from above onto a table. The filming action consists of previously created, two- dimensional figures and written words that are pushed onto (and removed from) the recording section.
• Digital animation: this technique is similar to the "“paper cut- out explainer videos". However, all content is animated and rendered by a computer software. This eliminates the need to use a camera.
• Interactive videos: already existing videos are enriched with interactive content (e.g. exercise questions) through special software.

Note: The listed methods of production are sorted by amount of workload, starting with the example with the least amount of workload.

Please visit the german website for more information on how to create learning videos. There, you will also find software recommendations, tools and tips.