How to Engage Students through Online Courses Videos?
COVID pandemic has fast paced the digitization of education. We have realized that we don’t have to be tech experts to conduct online classes. There is a plethora of online courses in the market — from learning excel to making rockets, one can learn anything and everything online. However, some are more popular than others. So, what makes a few courses stand out, make them more effective? This isn’t difficult to guess — the answer lies in the level of engagement.
Why videos?
Videos are an excellent way to deliver learning outcomes. Not only is it more engaging than text, it also allows the students to pause, rewind and go through the lectures at a time of their convenience. Videos are actually more effective than plain classroom teaching. This is not me, but the research speaking. According to Dale’s cone of learning, “we remember only 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see and at least 50% of what we see and hear”.
So we now know that using videos as tools in our online courses is great. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s always effective. The video has to be curated to be engaging. Only then, it will arrest the attention of your target audience. Let us now go through some ways which you can apply to ensure that your videos hit the bull’s eye.
Tips to make engaging videos for your online course:
- Purpose — First things first. Even before you start recording your videos, you should have a clear understanding of the reason behind making it. You may ask yourself some important questions like -
● Will this video help my students in achieving their learning goals?
● Will my video help my students in getting clarity over their concepts?
● Will it help them in completing their assignment?
2 . Work on a script — It is always better to be prepared for your content. You are an expert in whatever concept you are presenting. However, to make your videos more engaging; how you present your thoughts is also important. Besides, it also keeps you on track as to what you want to present so that you don’t miss out on key concepts. Using real life examples and case studies in your script will help you to increase the ‘engaging quotient’ with your audience as they will be able to relate to what you are teaching.
3. Value for students — We are now spoiled for choice with regards to content. Therefore, to effectively engage your learners, you must think differently. Students naturally are inclined to go through some content which they feel is useful to them. Therefore, it is always better to plan a video from their point of view.
4. Using visuals — Utilizing visuals or diagrams on boards alongside your talking points to clarify concepts are a good way to engage your learners. You can include diagrams, mind maps and even GIFs to weave a story around your concept to make your videos for your online courses really engaging. Softwares like ‘screencast-o-matic’ or apps like ‘mathigon’ can serve as awesome free tools to create some amazing visuals without much ado.
5 . Visuals should be engaging, not distracting — How many times have you started watching a video and left it halfway between, because it had a loud background score or a lot of visual effects. Even kids these days get bored of just animation. In our excitement, we sometimes tend to overdo things, like using loud background music or using too much animation. While a little of these tools helps engage the learners, too much of them will distract them and eventually they will lose their interest.
6. Short and Sweet — A long video lecture, however engaging that might be is unwelcome. One has to deliberately take out the time to watch long videos courses, which is difficult in our busy schedule. Shorter videos not only keep the learners attentive, it also helps them plan their time better. In addition, the student is sure to watch the full video without skipping parts of it. Hence, it is better to avoid unnecessary details and stick to the main points.
7. Engage them with inquiry — Asking questions in between the video lectures is another great way of making the video interactive. This allows the learners to actively participate with the content rather than just consuming the content passively. This also helps you as a teacher to achieve your teaching goals by helping the student access himself.
8. Edit and refine — A well edited video is a pleasure to watch. It is almost as smooth as watching a movie. If you want to make your videos more engaging, if you want to get your students to watch it with rapt attention, if you want to get more views on your video, you have to spend some time editing it.
9. Invite speakers — If your course content allows you, you can always record videos of guest lecturers or some subject matter experts or even of some motivational speakers to pep up your learners. This will not only bring some variety in your lectures, but also convey the message to them that you are concerned.
Creating content for your online course is no child’s play. It requires effort and patience. However, with a little help from the above mentioned tips, you can surely make some amazing engaging videos for your online course to achieve your desired goals.
