Title: Making educational videos
Course: Producing Micro Content in a Team (Digivisio 2030) > Section: How to Create Micro Content?

Videos can be an incredibly effective medium to convey knowledge and information, if produced correctly. In many hybrid and online courses, however, educators will pre-record a lecture and upload it to the course environment as a video or make dedicated explanatory videos on a specific topic to transmit knowledge to students. These can be pretty dry and might not provide any additional value for the learner over a traditional in-class lecture other than they are able to watch it whenever it is convenient for them.

But then, what are the key elements of a good "micro" video?

- It should be about 6-8 minutes long. This is not always achievable or desirable for certain topics, but viewing statistics show that if a video is 12 minutes long, the completion rate can drop by up to 50%.
- It includes audio narrative elements to keep the learner interested, such as audio narration that coherently connects the learning material.
- showcases your personality and enthusiasm for the topic
- It is interactive and engages the learner. This can be done with questions either during the video or afterwards.
- It uses subtitles, which are displayed on the screen at a readable pace.
- It is more than just a talking person. There might be different images on the screen, animations, charts and graphs, illustrations, supportive text and images, and perhaps scenery, too.
- It is focused on a single topic. If you are making videos that are micro content, then keep it short and simple.

These are a few tips to help you get started with planning and creating educational videos. Digivisio2030 has also produced a series of excellent videos on using videos in teaching.

Using Videos in Teaching.

We encourage you to check them out!

Read more

Brame, C. J. (2016). Effective educational videos: Principles and guidelines for maximizing student learning from video content. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 15(4), es6.

Gillet, M. (2023)Top 10 best practices for making educational videos. Trends in Education. https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/making-educational-videos-10-tips
 Laurillard, D. (2012). Teaching as a design science: Building pedagogical patterns for learning and technology. Routledge.

Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia Learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press