The Best Tips for Using Video in eLearning

Video is one of the best types of content to include in your eLearning program. Your course takers will be able to relate to you better, and nowadays, you can create video content from the comfort of your home. So, here we’ve gathered our best tips for using video in eLearning, all of which are based on our experience. 

Tip #1. Always Do a Cost-benefit Analysis First 

For nearly every single decision involved in creating an eLearning program, you want to do a cost-benefit analysis before spending your hard-earned money. 

Having good lighting and good audio is great, but spending twice as much won’t necessarily deliver twice as much of a return. Before increasing your investment in a part of your video content creation process, always consider both the cost and the benefit. Make sure that increased investments come with increased returns. 

Tip #2. Focus on Micro Content (With a Handful of Exceptions)

When creating the content for your eLearning courses, focus on microlearning. This means videos that aren’t longer than ten minutes. This will keep the learner’s attention and help make your content searchable. 

Exceptions

There are two main exceptions here. First, if you have a very technical topic that you can’t cover in 10 minutes, make it a little longer if necessary, such as 15 minutes. 

And if you plan on hosting content on YouTube, consider content that is a little longer. That is because YouTube’s algorithms prioritize longer videos as a way to compete with streaming services. So, YouTube videos can be 20 to 30 minutes. 

Tip #3. Have Good Audio

When preparing your tech to record, make sure you have good audio. Remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect. Consider the cost-benefit analysis when deciding on the quality. Just make sure that your audio is clear enough to be understood and not have unnecessary feedback. Stay away from your computer’s microphone but buy a budget-friendly microphone instead of one that costs thousands of dollars. 

Tip #4. Ensure Your Camera Is in Focus

If your camera isn’t in focus on your subject matter expert, it will distract learners. So, ensure that your focus is always pulled. This is very easy with modern smartphones, as they tend to do it automatically. 

Tip #5. Have Clean Lighting

Part of ensuring your subject matter expert is in focus is having clean lighting. One important point here is that unless you have a lot of experience, you shouldn’t try to do fancy things with the lighting. Keep it simple for good illumination. Only play around with lighting if you have experience. Otherwise, you will spend too long for minimal benefit. 

Tip #6. Script With Bullet Points

As you create your script for the video, try to make bullet points instead of full sentences. This will create a more natural video and improve engagement. If your SME is nervous on camera, go ahead and ignore this point. You can make a full script and teleprompter as needed. But, generally speaking, it’s better to use bullets than a full script. 

Tip #7. Types of Videos

You can apply the above tips to all types of videos. There are two main types of videos, each with sub-types. 

Show and tell videos 

Show and tell videos demonstrate the process while practical theory talks through the theory. Show and tell videos can involve screen capture or a camera. You can also opt for animation, but we don’t suggest this due to the high cost and time investment. 

Practical theory videos 

Practical theory videos can be a PowerPoint with screen captures or, our recommendation, using a Lightboard. You can learn about Lightboard in our articles on how to make videos with a Lightboard. 

Conclusion

When it comes to using video in eLearning, it’s important to keep in mind that the production can get costly. So start with a cost and benefit analysis. You can then apply the above tips to any type of video to maximize your value for learners and the quality of your video without increasing your investment too much.