Videos are central to the learning experience, therefore the type of production we do affects student engagement.
We are now in a huge production for Francisco de Vitoria University, in Spain, and we want to share our experience. (The picture above shows Professor Ángel Sánchez-Palencia during a recording of a MOOC about Antropology).
Some findings:
- Pre-production is key. We plan lesson content carefully before jumping to the ground.
- Post-production is equally important. We add lots of images, b-roll and graphic resources. We don’t want to merely display a talking head.
- We avoid studio recording. We like videos produced with a personal feel, filmed in informal settings.
- We encourage and train instructors to speak in a quick and enthusiastic manner. We want them to bring out their enthusiasm as educators.
- Shorter videos are much more engaging, since engagement drops after 5-6 minutes. (Regarding the engagement time, there is an interesting analysis from the University of Rochester).
