Online learning raises retention rates by 25-60%. What’s more, the overall e-learning market is predicted to hit $1 trillion by the end of 2023.
To help you maximise your part in this market, we’ve compiled ten amazing tips on creating e-learning videos that engage and educate. If you’re looking to wow your audience and keep them coming back for more, read on!
The correct format can make a great difference in helping audiences understand and retain what you’re trying to teach.
For instance, you may get by with a simple narrated slideshow video to communicate company policies to new employees. But if you’re posting a short explainer video online, an animated narration may work better. For more in-depth topics, you’ll need a presenter video to keep viewers engaged as you walk them through lengthy or challenging material.
Understanding your video’s audience and purpose can help you pick out the most effective video format.
A common e-learning video mistake is to dive right into the filming process without first laying a solid foundation. Scripting and storyboarding are essential to ensure you have a clear vision of what you want to create.
Start by creating a storyboard that maps out every scene of the video. Write a script to outline the dialogue, interactions, and narration. These two steps help ensure that you cover all the essential discussion points before you get to work. A detailed script will also let your graphic designer know where to add animations or background images to set the scene.
Here are some additional tips to keep in mind when writing your script:
People are more likely to engage with a video if it’s visually appealing. Using high-quality images, graphics, and animations makes your e-learning content more engaging. You should also use fonts and colours that contrast well and are easy to read. Be consistent with your visual elements and avoid using too many different font styles, as this can distract viewers from the video content.
Visual elements and design are also important for breaking the monotony of the video. Instead of a series of content slides and boring narrations, make sure to use visual cues to ensure you don’t bore viewers out of their minds. You don’t necessarily need animated graphics — simple drawings, photos, and regular cutaways to visual cues are enough to keep viewers entertained.
Also, make sure to not over-clutter your e-learning video with graphics or animations that distract your online learners. Keep in mind that sometimes less is more. The main focus of your video should be to give learners the information they need in a fun and engaging way. You want your viewers to remember the content and learning objectives of the video, not the stunning special effects you used.
If viewers are distracted by buzzing background noises or bored with the monotonous narration, your e-learning video will fail in its purpose to educate. When adding audio to your videos, make sure you avoid these distractions:
Make sure to use top-notch recording equipment to achieve the best voiceover quality. If you’re hiring voice actors for the narration, try getting professional actors on board to avoid making the narration monotonous or boring. Focus on voice acting elements such as delivery, tone, pitch, and accent to make your video engaging and hold the learner’s attention.
Viewers spend an average of four minutes viewing e-learning videos. This shows that today’s online learners have short attention spans and will click away from videos that are unnecessarily long.
This is why it’s important to keep your videos as concise as possible. If you’re delving into a complex topic that requires more time to cover, split the video into a series of shorter videos. If you’re posting on YouTube, divide the video into several parts, each covering a subtopic, and upload them as a playlist.
This allows students to feel like they are making progress and ensures they do not get bored or overloaded with information. Shorter videos also allow viewers to better plan their time, as they can easily jump in and out of a learning experience when their schedule allows.
Most e-learning content is passive — the learner watches the video and doesn’t really do anything else. Since there are no real-time conversations happening between you and your learners, it’s important to add interactive elements to keep them engaged and interested.
Plus, 82% of enterprise employees say that interactive videos hold their attention better than non-interactive videos. So make sure to include interactive elements like surveys, assignments, quizzes, and polls to enhance engagement levels and boost the viewer’s learning experience.
It’s important to make your videos accessible to all audiences. Incorporate subtitles and closed captions to make your content available for viewers with hearing disabilities, or those who’re listening in a noisy subway or school cafeteria.
Also include transcripts and other accessibility features like multiple language subtitles to make your video accessible to non-English speaking audiences.
Your video production journey doesn’t end once your e-learning video is published. It’s important to consistently test and analyse your video’s performance and incorporate improvements based on the feedback you receive.
For instance, play your employee training video for a small group in your company and get their feedback through surveys or satisfaction ratings at the end. Similarly, you can play your educational videos for a group of college students and ask them to rate their learning experience. Take into account their feedback and implement necessary improvements to ensure your newer videos are more refined than the trial ones.
The platform you choose to share your e-learning video is also important. Your hosting platform should be a place where your audience is active and most likely to search for and consume your content.
If you’re looking for recommendations, platforms like Vidizmo and Kaltura are great places to get started. Also, make sure to post your video on YouTube — there are 500 M views of learning-related content on YouTube every day, meaning you’re likely to find a large audience there. Post both long-form e-learning videos and small teasers and quick how-tos on YouTube Shorts.
Also, establish your presence on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Make short reels and TikTok videos to attract users to consume your longer content on YouTube.
E-learning technology is ever-evolving, and it’s important to stay up to date with the latest trends to ensure your videos don’t lose their appeal.
Make use of recent technological advancements to take your videos to the next level. For instance, if you can’t hire a live actor for your video, use AI-generated presenters. These are more lifelike and relatable than ever and will save you the costs and challenges of finding a human actor for your video.
Video learning is the best e-learning medium to engage viewers and increase retention. However, producing great e-learning videos can be challenging.
Modern learners expect something extra from online content today — your videos need to be interactive, immersive, short, and entertaining.
If you’re looking to infuse your videos with the perfect balance of these four elements, contact Ivory Media today. We are backed by 40 years of combined experience in video creation and can help you create engaging e-learning videos that your audience will love.
