The use of instructional videos with a teaching approach is not new. It’s been more than 50 years since teachers use it in class. However, with the rise of digital technology, this resource has achieved a greater impact.
Currently, students show a clear preference for accessing information when it is presented in video format in contrast to when it is presented by a different channel. It is no surprise, if we analyze how we consume contents nowadays we realize that videos are present in all the areas of our life.
Videos are a good way of presenting information in an appealing form. The great advantage is that we can incorporate in one same content different resources that strength each other. That is to say, a video can contain a combination of voiceovers, subtitles, sound effects, pictures, animations, real representations, etc. that are good for transmitting information altogether by appealing to the different senses of the user.
Aspects to consider before producing an instructional video
- Addressee or target: To whom is our video addressed? The first thing we have to be clear is what do we want our users to learn, which are their needs.
- Ask yourself if the video is a good option: It may sound obvious, but before getting down to producing a video, analyze if the information you want to transmit will be more effective with the video you have in mind or with other resources (infographics, pictures, text…). Take into account the multiple intelligences.
- Analyze your resources: We all would like to create videos with great special effects, voiceovers made by professionals, actors that help us to represent situations…. Unfortunately, it isn’t cheap. But don’t be discouraged, you don’t have to make a superproduction for your video to be appealing and effective.
- Write scripts: think about what should appear in each scene and how should it be. Don’t start the production of a video if you don’t have clear ideas about it. Think about the previous point, bear in mind the options you have within your reach when it comes to writing scripts.
- Connect concepts: Take advantage of the features of videos to reinforce those concepts you’ve presented in other formats.
- Introduce elements to get their attention: Here and here we already talked about how to create catchy contents. This advice is also applicable to videos.
Video production
The production of videos is becoming more and more accessible every day for everyone. Now we all have in our pockets devices that can record videos of a quality that wasn’t even conceivable for professionals just a few years ago.
But when we speak about videos, we are referring to a broad spectrum of typologies. We have to differentiate a video for instructional purposes from other that is only aimed at entertaining, promoting, etc.
Creating an instructional video requires experience, both at the level of didactic and pedagogical competences as well as audiovisual production.
We know it is a difficult task, that is why we have included a series of videos we ourselves have created in the categories we already offer to our clients so that they can use them in their challenges.
Moreover, in our customized contents service, we also provide the option of producing videos or supporting you throughout the process.
Examples of instructional videos produced by Snackson
Below, we show you examples of a variety of videos. Some of them have been created in order to cover a specific need of our clients and others contain transversal skills. We have differentiated them according to the pedagogical treatment given and the strategies used in each video:
Composition
This video represents an everyday situation, creating a digital staging to transmit the use of appositive commas. As may be seen, the video does not only use composition, but also examples that reinforce the message.
Animated diagrams
This video was created specifically for a client. The textual explanation about what is an insurance has been transformed into a diagram that is presented in sequences in order to achieve a better understanding.
Analogies and metaphors
This resource is part of the category “Don’t waste your time selling!” In this case, an analogy between road building and the 3 stages involved in route designing is used as a reinforcement to explain the routes that salesmen use to organize their visits.
Juxtaposition
One of the points to consider when it comes to the learning of social skills is to take interpersonal distances into account. This time, the information is presented in a fragmented manner, according to the zones defined by the different distances, and contrasting them. We think that in this way it is easier to understand them in contrast to if they were explained individually.
Demonstration videos
Demonstration videos are the most usual ones. They are those in which an expert performs a determined action with the purpose of promoting learning by imitation. This video in particular, originally made by Designtraining for UCF, shows how to make chest compressions in the cardiopulmonary resuscitation process.
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