Video editing and SCORM in eLearning
One of the benefits of eLearning is how it can cater to a wide variety of learning styles and needs. The use of videos really brings lessons to life and helps to engage the audience.
Here are some tips to help prepare for video production:
1. Outline the content to be included in the eLearning video.
Begin by making a detailed outline of what the eLearning video should include, all the visual elements that are absolutely necessary in order to convey your message, as well as the activities to be included in your eLearning video. 2. Match your video to the eLearning content.
One of the most challenging aspects of integrating a video into your eLearning course is to figure out how it can most effectively serve the end learning objectives or goals. At which specific point of the eLearning course do you plan to incorporate it? Which specific objectives does it cover? While an entertaining video will draw learners in and grab their attention, it won’t offer them real value unless it is a cohesive piece of the eLearning puzzle. Before developing your eLearning video, figure out how you can seamlessly integrate it into the content of your eLearning course in order to increase learners' engagement and knowledge absorption. 3. Plan for "pauses" in order to make your eLearning video interactive.
In order to not lose your audience’s attention while they’re watching your eLearning video, make sure that the video itself requires their participation. Consider creating pauses that allow your learners to reflect on the topic, or including interactive questions on the points you want to emphasize. Another idea is to design a branching scenario–based eLearning video, where your audience will be required to make choices and follow alternative paths; this also creates a suspenseful atmosphere, which can be particularly engaging.
In order to not lose your audience’s attention while they’re watching your eLearning video, make sure that the video itself requires their participation. Consider creating pauses that allow your learners to reflect on the topic, or including interactive questions on the points you want to emphasize. Another idea is to design a branching scenario–based eLearning video, where your audience will be required to make choices and follow alternative paths; this also creates a suspenseful atmosphere, which can be particularly engaging.
4. Write script for narrations and voice overs.
Once you have checked your eLearning video production outline for all the aspects mentioned above, you can start writing your eLearning video script. Use language that is natural for your eLearning video script or storyboard, and test it by reading it aloud to make sure that it flows and doesn’t sound too forced. In addition, utilize minimal industry-specific jargon, unless you know that your audience has prior knowledge on the topic or is more experienced in the industry.
Once you have checked your eLearning video production outline for all the aspects mentioned above, you can start writing your eLearning video script. Use language that is natural for your eLearning video script or storyboard, and test it by reading it aloud to make sure that it flows and doesn’t sound too forced. In addition, utilize minimal industry-specific jargon, unless you know that your audience has prior knowledge on the topic or is more experienced in the industry.
5. Check script for redundancy and repetitions.
If you are going to be including an audio narration in your eLearning video, there is no need to include text everywhere on screen. Instead, create text for key ideas or concepts that need to be emphasized or include visuals or tables that will help learners to better comprehend the subject matter, and write a good script to explain them further.
If you are going to be including an audio narration in your eLearning video, there is no need to include text everywhere on screen. Instead, create text for key ideas or concepts that need to be emphasized or include visuals or tables that will help learners to better comprehend the subject matter, and write a good script to explain them further.
6. Gather your equipment.
Make sure that you have the correct equipment. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it needs to be of high-quality. Gather your eLearning video tools and equipment. Regardless of the brand and model you choose, you need to make sure that your camera records high-definition (HD) video.
Make sure that you have the correct equipment. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it needs to be of high-quality. Gather your eLearning video tools and equipment. Regardless of the brand and model you choose, you need to make sure that your camera records high-definition (HD) video.
7. Hire professional actors.
For role playing scenarios, avoid using your employees or, worse, your friends. It is fun to see a familiar face on the screen, but a professional actor will save you editing time and ensure a more professional end product.
8. Film, record, and sound check multiple times.
Film and record your material several times, in order to make the editing process later on easier. If you can’t afford a teleprompter for the acting or your voice overs, use flip cards or a large whiteboard with your script written on it.
9. Pay attention to details.
Watch closely and make sure that every single aspect is perfect, so that your audience won’t be distracted by irrelevant details. 10. Be creative and plan ahead.
Keep your audience interested by trying new things. Use different camera angles, and consider how relevant movie clips, music, graphics, or animations are going to be integrated later on, during the editing stage, with each one of your shots. Plan ahead as it usually turns too costly not to foresee what you will need later on.
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Keep your audience interested by trying new things. Use different camera angles, and consider how relevant movie clips, music, graphics, or animations are going to be integrated later on, during the editing stage, with each one of your shots. Plan ahead as it usually turns too costly not to foresee what you will need later on.
(Pappas, 2015)
YouTube: Fstoppers
Editing video tips
1. Pair narratives with visual elements.
2. Keep your eLearning video short.
3. Integrate background music and visual effects to your eLearning video to make it immersive.
4. Ensure that your eLearning video is accessible.
5. Compress your eLearning video files.
(Pappas, 2015)
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Essentials to remember
Line length - To support the best reading experience, optimal line length should be between 50 and 70 characters. If you use fewer characters, the text will be too narrow. The reader’s eyes will have to travel from one side of the screen to the other very quickly, creating strain and frustration with longer pieces of text. But if lines are too long and wide, readers will struggle to focus as they move through the text.
Paragraph alignment - Avoid using justified paragraph alignment.
Fonts - Sans Serif fonts are easier to read onscreen. When choosing a font size, it's best to have it between 15 and 18px for longer pieces of body text. Learners over the age of 40 may struggle to read text in smaller font sizes. Using a smaller font also makes it likely that lines will be too long to read easily.
Graphics and images - be consistent in style and use.
(Buric, 2016)
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Tools
YouTube: KMI Learning
Don't forget SCORM
SCORM is the most commonly used content standard in eLearning. Since it was released 16 years ago, the SCORM specification has worked to standardize learning content between the industry’s many developers and vendors (Anderson, 2016).
The objective was first to simplify how eLearning content integrated with different learning management systems and tools. SCORM provided a set of technical specifications that gave developers an agreed blueprint to work with. It provided answers to questions about things like: How a Learning Management System should read and present content, how assessments should be scored, and how bookmarking and statuses should be exchanged between a course and a Learning Management System (Anderson, 2016).
The reason SCORM is so important is because successful eLearning delivery relies on the ability of your Learning Management System to read, run, and report on course content. If the tools you use really are SCORM compliant, you won’t need to worry about the standard very much. A main aim of SCORM is to provide a way to approach all kinds of decisions involved in delivering eLearning (Anderson, 2016).
Despite its flexibility, SCORM is limited in ways that have made it increasingly at odds with the current learning landscape. That’s the main reason why the Tin Can API (or xAPI as it’s also known) has come to threaten SCORM’s dominance. Tin Can is much better than SCORM at tracking mobile learning and learning that occurs in offline environments. So if mobile learning is very important to you, you should also research the suitability of Tin Can. But the reality remains that SCORM is so firmly embedded in the eLearning industry, organizations and developers will continue to rely on it for some time to come (Anderson, 2016).
References
Anderson, D. V. (2016, April 18). What Is SCORM? 5 Essential SCORM Facts You Should Know. ELearning Industry. Retrieved February 23, 2024, from https://elearningindustry.com/what-is-scorm-5-scorm-facts-know
Buric, A. (2016, March 14). Essentials of great instructional design. LearnUpon. Retrieved February 23, 2024, from https://www.learnupon.com/blog/essentials-great-instructional-design/
Pappas, C. (2015, May 10). Producing High Quality eLearning Videos: The Ultimate Guide. ELearning Industry. Retrieved February 23, 2024, from https://elearningindustry.com/producing-high-quality-elearning-videos-ultimate-guide
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