Production of teaching videos

In principle, you can record audio with any microphone, including your headset. For a more professional setting, it is worth investing in a good recording device, as a poor quality audio track can make a very good video almost "unwatchable". Tip for university members: The External link opens in a new window:Rapidmooc all-in-one video studio in Furtwangen!

Our tip for a professional setting without any effort is our External link opens in a new window:rapidmooc all-in-one video studio in Furtwangen!

Internal link opens in the same window:Further recording tools for screencasts

When making a screencast you are often faced with the decision: with or without webcam recording? There is no general answer here and no clear empirical evidence in favour of one option or the other (Findeisen et al., 2019). With very dynamic content, the person explaining can be distracting, whereas with static content (e.g. slides) the gestures and facial expressions of the person explaining can be helpful. In purely online events, students can at least get to know their lecturer virtually if the webcam is used (Handke, 2020, p. 155f.).

It is advisable to produce short educational videos (under 6 minutes) (Guo et al., 2014) or (at least) to divide long videos into smaller chapters (Persike, 2019, p. 10).

In a study by Guo et al. (2014), 6.9 million videos were analysed. Videos that lasted longer than 6 minutes were more likely to be interrupted and subsequent tasks were not completed. It is also known from teaching/learning research that concentration wanes after around 15 minutes of "being passive" (Biggs & Tang, 2007, p. 109). 

Whether video or lecture - keep this ability to concentrate in mind and use interactive elements to turn passive recipients into active learners.

The "classic" three-part design can serve as a "framework".

• Introduction: Introduction to the topic / intro slide  
• Main part: subdivision into subtitles if necessary
• Conclusion: outro slide; summary / take-home message

One way of "framing" an explanatory video is storytelling. This technique can often be found in laying technique explanatory videos or in animated videos. Examples:

• "Prof. Smart explains" (Geisenheim University) External link opens in a new window:Youtube playlists
• Stefan Erwin and the pitfalls of teaching (FBZHL at FAU) External link opens in a new window:Youtube link

Study to read up on: Jahn, D., Tress, D., & Chmel, L. (2018). Educational videos can do more than just explain: A study on the use of narrative film anchors in a university didactic online continuing education program. In J. Buchner (Ed.), Inverted classroom - vielfältiges Lernen: Begleitband zur 7. Konferenz Inverted Classroom and Beyond 2018 : Fh St. Pölten, February 20 & 21, 2018 (pp. 149-164). ikon VerlagsGesmbH.

Put your slide set to the test:

• Add an intro and outro slide.
• Your slide format should be in 16:9 (set under the Design > Slide size tab). 16:9 is currently the standard aspect ratio for videos. Videos that are recorded in 4:3 format will "get" annoying black bars later on.

Check your content:

• Highlight what is important ("signal principle"/Mayer, 2014)

• Place facts that belong together close together in terms of space and time (principle of spatial and temporal proximity / Mayer, 2014): Do this either in your slide set, during recording or use post-processing tools for this purpose.

• If possible, avoid purely decorative or distracting images, background noise and unnecessary information ("Coherence Principle"/Mayer, 2014).

• Check whether you are allowed to use the images shown in the video or the music used in your setting.

Less is more: Avoid potentially distracting background music, especially when you are speaking ("Coherence Principle"/Mayer, 2014).

Nobody's perfect: Slips of the tongue are part of the process and can also be likeable. If you want to eliminate slips of the tongue afterwards by editing, pause your speech and repeat the entire last sentence again.

Active and direct approach: Remain true to "your" style, even if it is informal, and stay in dialogue with the learners ("Personalization Principle"/Mayer, 2014).

Take breaks (approx. 2 seconds): Small pauses provide structure and give the listener a short time to process what has been shown - without actively pressing the pause button themselves (e.g. Findeisen et al., 2019 , p. 24f.; Merkt, 2015, p.3, Merkt & Schwan, 2018, p.6)

Sustainability: Remember that you want to use your video for as long as possible. Videos that refer to and address very specific current events (e.g. "right now in lockdown", "against the backdrop of the upcoming federal elections") can quickly appear outdated, even if the content is still relevant.

• Pay attention to the recording area for screencasts that you record on your home computer. It is best to select the entire screen and do not change the recording area if there are several "flaps".
• Check that you have selected the correct microphone.
• Make a short test recording to check your audio.

Think about accessibility.

• Use sufficient contrasts (e.g. complementary colours, but no red/green)
• Sans serif font such as Arial Narrow
• Subtitling for people with hearing impairments, non-native speakers and mobile users without headphones
  External link opens in a new window:"Create subtitles and add them to the media portal" Helpcard
• Audio description for people with visual impairments: Explain visual content in your video that is essential for understanding.

Sources and further information:

• Aktion Mensch. 4 tips for your accessible video. https://www.aktion-mensch.de/inklusion/barrierefreiheit/barrierefreier-videoplayer/4-tipps-fuer-dein-barrierefreies-video
• BiK for all. Guide to accessible online videos. https://bik-fuer-alle.de/leitfaden-barrierefreie-online-videos.html
• NDR. Subtitle standards (as of 30.03.2015). https://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/barrierefreie_angebote/untertitel/Untertitel-Standards,untertitelstandards102.html
• University of Potsdam. Creation of accessible videos and video recordings. (2021, February 1st). [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/OHSZ3SGbFu8 Last accessed on 13.12.2021

Editing is not always necessary, but it can be useful if you want to optimise the audio, cut out voiceovers or highlight certain things. Internal link opens in the same window:More information about post-production tools (e.g. Shotcut, Camtasia).

As a member of Furtwangen University, you have access to the External link opens in a new window:HFU media portal. Publish your video there with the desired access options.

• Biggs, J. B., & Tang, C. S. (2007). Teaching for quality learning at university (3. ed.). Open University Press
• Findeisen, S., Horn, S., & Seifried, J. (2019). Einzelbeiträge 2019. MedienPädagogik: Zeitschrift Für Theorie Und Praxis Der Medienbildung, 2019 (Occasional Papers), 16–36.
• Guo, P. J., Kim, J., & Rubin, R. (2014). How video production affects student engagement. In M. Sahami (Ed.), L@s 2014 : Proceedings of the first ACM Conference on Learning @ Scale : March 4-5, 2014, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (pp. 41–50). ACM.
• Handke, J. (2020). Handbuch Hochschullehre digital: Leitfaden für eine moderne und mediengerechte Lehre (3., aktualisierte und erweiterte Auflage). Tectum Verlag.
• Mayer, R. E. (2014). The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning (Second edition). Cambridge handbooks in psychology. Cambridge University Press.
• Merkt, M. (2015). Didaktische Optimierung von Videos in der Hochschullehre. https://www.e-teaching.org/news/eteaching_blog/didaktische-optimierung-von-videos-in-der-hochschullehre
• Merkt, M., & Schwan, S. (2018). Lernen mit Bewegtbildern: Videos und Animationen. In H. Niegemann & A. Weinberger (Eds.), Springer Reference Psychologie. Lernen mit Bildungstechnologien (pp. 1–10). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-54373-3_32-1
• Persike, M. (2019). Videos in der Lehre: Wirkungen und Nebenwirkungen. In H. Niegemann & A. Weinberger (Eds.), Springer Reference Psychologie. Lernen mit Bildungstechnologien (pp. 1–31). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.