How to make the best use of video in learning
We recently ran a webinar about how to make the best use of video in learning. It was a comprehensive look at all the various video formats and their strengths and weaknesses in learning.?I’ve summarised the more important learning points below.?Here’s a list of the subject areas to help you skip through.?
Semantic v episodic memory
There are two main ways that memories are encoded - semantic memory and episodic memory. Semantic memory consists of conceptual knowledge and episodic memory consists of rich and detailed memories of events.
Video is a powerful tool for encoding information in an episodic way, which is further enhanced when that meaning is made emotional. However, video is not so great for passing on detailed conceptual information.
Working memory can only hold about 3 or 4 things and lasts for about 20 seconds, so it is important to be aware that continuous streams of information are a poorly embedded into long-term memory. Emotional, episodic encoding, however, can impact long term memory after a single viewing.?Factual details generally take longer to encode and video is not such a good medium for them.?For example, while you may not recall detailed information presented in a TV documentary, you will remember the general message it conveyed.?
The best length for a learning video
?The ideal duration for a learning video is around 6 minutes.?Studie show that learners drop out in large numbers beyond this point. To improve learning, use "visual rests" or breaks that allow learners to stop and think. Chunking is a well-known method that applies to video and other media. Deliver videos in short chunks of no more than 5 minutes with active learning in between, such as asking learners to explain what they have learnt.
Interviews?
Video interviews are a cheap and accessible format, but to get the best results, it's important to use experts or witnesses who bring a human element and emotional punch to the content. It's best not to provide questions in advance, as passionate and unpolished testimony is more engaging and memorable than perfect but dry responses. To design interview-based content, decide on the concepts you want to convey, identify the best people to deliver them, and write a script with notional quotes.
If you interview a well-known person there is evidence that the mere knowledge of them as a famous expert increases retention, plus there is a social learning effect. We are influenced by people of influence.
User-generated interviews?
User-generated interviews can be an affordable and effective way to collect stories and knowledge. Storytagger is an app that facilitates self-recording video interviews on smartphones, with users answering questions in 30-second segments. The app hosts the responses on a server for curation and editing. This approach is cost-effective and allows for a wide group of people to participate.
Presenter-led?
After interviews, the next most simple to produce format is presenter-led content.?It’s quite a straightforward type of presentation.?It’s a little like a lecture of course, and you can cut away to footage of what is being discussed.?
As with all video learning assets, though, presenter-led content is not a replacement for written material. It is, however, better than written material at delivering a high-level with key points.?Here it can be impactful and memorable.
A presenter can embody the spirit of your message with their personality.?No matter what personality they have, research shows that the more relaxed and informal their style the more effective the communication.?
When including graphics, it's best to avoid text as far as possible as it can reduce comprehension of the message. If you do include text, make sure it uses the same terminology as the presenter.
The Battle Speech?
The notion of the Battle Speech is my own term.?It’s a short video that serves to kick off a piece of learning. It’s like the speech before the battle in Henry V – it gives an overview of the battle (the learning ahead).?It tells you why the learning is important, which, combined with the delivery, engages you emotionally. It can be delivered through various formats, including presenter-led, montage, animation, or talking heads.?It’s what you might call an ‘easy win’ in terms of use of video in learning as it clearly leverages the strengths of the medium.?
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Training and Events?
Recording live training sessions or events can provide extra value and life to them. The techniques of learning from live presentations, such as re-listening, note-taking, chunking, and double-speed watching, all contribute to long-term memory retention. These principles are also used by university students when they watch recorded lectures, making them more efficient at consuming the material. While a recording may not convey the same atmosphere as a live event, it is a more efficient way to learn.
Process videos?
Video is a great tool for communicating processes and procedures, as shown by the popularity of instructional videos on YouTube. If you film a process from a single angle it should mimic the viewpoint of the person doing the task.?If you can, enhance this with further angles to communicate the process accurately.?For example, posture with regard to lifting.?
360 video?
360 video is a different medium than ordinary video and is mainly useful for physical, situational awareness.?It’s kind of the poor person’s VR – which is great when spatial awareness is the core of your training.
Emotional immersion is better created with traditional dramatic techniques rather than 360 video.
Animation?
Animation is often used in learning as an explainer, and can also show processes, graphs, and complex visual metaphors. Simplicity is key for effective design.
Animations should be high-level and have a unifying visual metaphor.?You should also avoid being too literal with representation in animation.?Icon-like representation communicates concepts quickly and efficiently.?
Over-use of animated text should be avoided for reasons discussed in the presenter section.??
Drama?
Drama can effectively communicate fundamental facts and ideas that stick in a viewer's memory, as long as they are used to articulate a story. In large organizations, drama can be used to get people thinking about a problem, drawing them in with relatable characters that face challenging situations. This engages viewers actively, encouraging them to think about what they would do in the same situation. A drama clip can be used in eLearning or MOOCs, and can be shared with discussion groups via Zoom or LMS, or distributed in instalments via email. Drama clips can also be used in live events to stimulate discussion. Discussion, however you facilitate it, it the best way to make a dramatized message resonate.
Overall, corporate drama can be a powerful tool for engaging audiences, stimulating problem-solving, and communicating key ideas in a memorable and impactful way.
Interactive branching scenarios?
The format of interactive branching drama goes beyond video and overlaps with other aspects of learning design. Creating interactive branching drama involves balancing analytical and emotional engagement.
?Here are some top tips for creating interactive branching scenario drama:
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For deeper dives into the use of video in learning, follow me on LinkedIn or visit nicemedia.co.uk
Look out for our next webinar will be on the subject of Drama for Change – using a video drama based campaign to affect behaviour and culture in organisations.