The production professional's guide to designing and recording an instructional program
The creation of online learning courses requires a lot of hours of laborwhich can turn into a painfully lengthy process, particularly if you make a large number of educational video.
A way to aid in reducing the complexity of course design and production? Stories.
Elise London, the expert resident in video who films all our marketing and in-house classes, explains that the secret to creating an interesting online courses is using stories in order to arrange and communicate the information.
The ability to find the story in the subject matter your course is addressing and structuring your content with the hero's journey storytelling technique are game-changers. This is everything you must have to plan, organize the course, create a plan and design an exciting online course, which includes every tool you need to create a successful course.
Jump ahead:
- A great topic for your online class
- Planning and structuring your online course
- Shooting your course video content
- Are you ready to design your own online course?
Finding the ideal topic to your online class
There is no need for a brand fresh idea, right out of the box to create your online course.
Instead, identify a topic which is popular. A thorough understanding of your objectives and the audience you are targeting will assist. Here's how:
Recognize what's currently resonating
Use data measurement tools for example Google Analytics to find high-performing ebooks. Spot an ebook on particular topic that performed very well? Consider expanding it into a detailed video course.
It's also possible to look through your emails to unearth subjects that you'd like your subscribers to take a virtual class on. It is also possible to distribute the questionnaire to your social media (if there is an active audience on those platforms) as well as to the communities you're associated with.
Keep in mind that the aim is to select a topic that people have an keen interest in.
Deepen your dive, don't widen it.
The solution? Examine the struggles that audiences face as they discuss the subject.
Ask yourself:
- What sort of confusion is causing us to be unable to solve the problem?
- Are there emotions that seem that overwhelming, we need to assist those overcome?
If you're dealing with live streaming live streaming, your answer could be anxiety as you attempt to begin your very first live streaming. A course on this topic might include "How to easily set up live streams to ensure you're not overwhelmed."
The best tip you can give the course's name
If you're thinking of the names of your classes, think about the way your intended group of students thinks regarding the particular issue that you're working on and integrate it into your names.
The process of planning the outline of your online class
Elise advises you to use the Hero's Journey to outline the online courses you will take. This includes:
- Answering the problems that students have. Find these by asking the right questions concerning the class topic.
- Helping them overcome obstacles and helping them find solutions. It is here that it is possible to break down the topic into videos and modules in each lesson, with every lesson responding to questions.
- leaving them with the promised change. Provide additional tools, like templates, checklists and other forms to aid students to apply what they learn.
Learn how to identify your audience's needs and questions in order to structure and plan your event:
Find out what questions your target audience might have
Instead of assuming, try these steps:
- Search Reddit as well as Quora to create a list of common questions being asked.
- Survey and hold individual conversation with students to ask questions directly.
- Answer calls of customers who are part of the support or sales teams seeking answers to the most common questions.
- Browse bestseller books Index pages of bestseller books on Amazon for a better understanding of the questions they tackle on the subject of study.
If you've been hosting webcasts on the topic, you can also review the questions that guests asked during the webinar to help you in your investigation.
Divide the topic for the lesson into categories
In the next step, consider the challenges and concerns of your audience so that you can divide your subject into narrative components which build upon each other as you progress to the next step of the learning journey.
"Instead instead of saying 'We're going to train you how to use an interactive program' (which is a broad difficult-to-understand thing) Instead, state "We'll teach the beginner, intermediate and advanced capabilities.' That's how your subject matter for your online course] will fit into the three categories." Elise London, Senior content production manager
Put simply, Break down "disparate ideas" and then put them into buckets, so that when watching the course from afar, the course appears more manageable."
A tip to help structure your course
Make sure you outline the course structure to meet the students at any point on their path. It's common to overwhelm students and cause them to be confused because of the problem of knowledge (a mental bias which assumes that your students know as much as you do). Be sure to check the course's design to ensure the course is easy.
The video lessons will be scheduled
- Bring your student's problems up to speed with the issue that the videos will help solve.
- Answer the questions by giving solutions to the problem they're confronted with.
- Recap the video, or give other resources that will help them adapt.
Video on demand, with scripts
pro tip
Shooting your course video content
It will require tools
For a decent manufacturing toolkit and set-up There are the following items you'll need:
- Microphone and cameras (two at a minimum) as well as a 3- or 4-point light kit
- Learning Management System (LMS). This software houses the videos, which makes it available to students. Examples include: Teachable, Podia, and Kajabi.
- . Video hosting platform that's ad-free to host, recording edit and also integrate interactivity into videos for educational purposes that you can and then upload onto your LMS.
- Teleprompter. A display device which displays text that is moving on screen in order to make it simple to allow people who are using the screen to capture videos.
- music pedal. A low-cost keyboard controlled via a foot, allowing users to change the direction of slide slides displayed on the screen.
Making the perfect video collection
Elise recommends you:
1. Don't use overhead fluorescent lights.
They can create unnatural shadows over your face. The light bulbs of fluorescent lamps are prone to flickering and create a greenish hue, altering the video's quality and the consistency.
2. Record without natural light
Natural light patterns alter throughout the day and if you're recording for a long time in a row the lighting quality on the video will not be consistent, Elise warns. This is also a problem in the event that you decide to copy portions of one video to an entirely different one.
3. Set your cameras at different angles
The second camera doesn't "just make it easier to do the editing (which is beneficial regardless of whether you're using the script, or if you get it all done in a single take) however, it also helps to avoid the boredom of watching at the face of the instructor."
"More importantly, a different camera could be utilized to hide cut-outs," Elise adds. "So whenever you're creating a presentation that is not likely to be released immediately, how the cut-out could be concealed is using B-roll or cutting it up on another camera."
4. You should ensure you keep your home tidy and clutter-free background
Don't use vibrant colours like magenta, orange and yellow as they reflect in the color and can be distractions for the viewers. Make sure you use neutral shades for your background including dark grey, blue and soft white. They look stunning on the camera and are also comfortable on your eyes.
Recording your online video course
Naturally, recording can feel like a bit of a nerve. If you've spent some effort in creating your plan, recording doesn't seem like a huge deal.
5. Always make use of the Teleprompter
Teleprompter can help you avoid being stuck in a screen freeze as you attempt to work out which next step to take.
This makes recording easy and helps with editing, however "it can also help users to keep eye contact with the camera when watching the screen of a teleprompter," says Elise.
6. Make use of a music pedal change between slides
"Instead instead of having the keyboard or clicker that is visible on your hands, try using a music pedal in order to toggle the slides you're playing. This is basically the same thing as an USB Bluetooth keyboard with a left and right. Using it means the person presenting doesn't have to reach for the mouse or keyboard to advance it."
You can edit the videos that you own available for editing
Make an effort to reduce the duration of your edits, and make sure that you engage viewers by using these tips from professionals:
7. Refine your edits ruthlessly
8. Include B-roll video content to ensure maximum participation
One way to cut through monotonous talking head videos is switching between cameras at an ad-hoc rate.
You can also include animations, graphics, clips and slides as well as personalized recordings to give you an immersive learning experience.
9. The layers of interactivity
- Enjoy a build-your-own-learning path
- Hit the video hotspots below to explore other learning resources
- Jump between sections that are most pertinent to these sections (useful to show onboarding videos for the workplace)
The result is that interactive videos boost viewer involvement, results in higher retention. You can also check your students' skills using conducting video quizzes through interactive.
Are you willing to develop your own online course?
The process of creating a video course that the audience enjoys is as simple as:
- It is important to be specific in the issue you want to solve
- Building the information into a cohesive story
- Making the content organized in a way that makes it simple to read and understand
Don't forget that with the right tools, you can ease the stress producing high-quality videos. They also give you a fully immersive learning experience.
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