Training videos are created by various businesses, organizations, and individuals to teach students a new concept or idea. They may be static or interactive. Static videos present a concept or idea where the student listens and only interacts in learning when the video has completed. Interactive videos involve the student throughout the whole learning process.
Most effective training videos are interactive. Interactive videos employ clickable objects that prompt students to make choices navigating their own learning. When an object is clicked upon, a video starts to play, and after the video is over a quick quiz is presented to the learner. A series of videos make up a module. At the end of the entire module another quiz is given or a final test. Interactive videos may be accompanied by PDFs for learners to download and follow along also.
There are several steps in creating an interactive video.
- Determine your learning objectives and goals. What do you want to accomplish with this video? What do you want your students to learn? How many modules do you want to incorporate into the video? How many quizzes? Do you want to award your students who pass the final with a certificate? Prepare an outline.
- Decide on what authoring tool(s) to use. What software do you want to use? What can you afford? Is there a learning curve you need to address?
- Create the video. Create the base video using the software you have selected.
- Determine what interactions you would like to add to the video. Create the base video using the software you have selected.
- Edit the video adding the interactions. Edit the video to incorporate the interactions.
- Add quizzes/tests to video. It helps to add module quizzes and a final test so that comprehension is guaranteed for your students.
- Add timing to interactions. The modules should have an allotted time for each of them, as should each interaction. The quizzes and test should be timed also.
- Test your video. Test your video and enlist beta testers
- Create pdf for learners to follow. Create pdf handouts so learners can follow along with the video. They also help with the quizzes and tests. They serve as a future reference.
Planning your interactive video will save you time and money. It will also allow you time to polish the video after the beta testers provide their feedback. The finalized product will reflect the production process and so will the outcome of the students.
