With the newer and more advanced technological developments in our country, the traditional method of teaching via in-person lectures and instructions is becoming less popular because more accessible and preferable eLearning tools are being launched in the market.
Especially at times like these when the COVID-19 pandemic is exponentially rising and the social distancing culture is becoming more prevalent, it is important for instructors in higher education or trainers in corporate environments to adjust to eLearning methods.
eLearning through videos, in particular, is a way lauded by scholars as it proves out to be an effective educational tool and is increasingly loved by learners who prefer audio-visual methods of learning better than textual descriptions. Since today’s generation has grown up using Youtube, eLearning videos deliver a uniquely immersive and engaging experience for the development of concepts and skills.
However, on the flip side of the coin, watching a dry, hour-long lecture can be quite an exhausting experience. Therefore, to make your recorded content both valuable and interactive, one must adhere to strategies that can help in creating active learning approaches and enhancing the experience of the learners.
Over the last few years, through extensive research, it was finalized that there are generally four types of video formats that assure engaging eLearning and offer a unique experience to the learners as well as the instructor.
1)INSTRUCTOR-LED LECTURES AND TRAINING
Being a very commonly and conveniently used type of eLearning video, instructor-led lectures, and training method is the most trusted form of video training. They are essentially a video version of a live and in-class instruction. The videos have an optimal format that supports Lerner engagement, teacher presentation, and provision of supporting slides and screen sharing. This video format can be easily recorded as well.
2)DEMONSTRATIONS
Demonstrating and showing students the actual way of doing a particular thing is a way more powerful and engrossing alternative as compared to showing static pictures and drawings to train students. Physical actions to show how things work along with an effective narration can be really helpful as compared to other forms of video teaching and live demonstrations in the person itself.
Through videos, learners get the opportunity to pause, slow down, rewind, and change playback speed according to convenience – every type of individual can be accommodated. In addition, one may change camera angles to get more detailed views for better understanding that wouldn’t have otherwise been possible in case of live interaction. (Also Read: How product videos are driving sales)
3)SCENARIOS AND SIMULATION
For capturing scenarios and simulations that display various situations a learner may encounter during the course of specific training, videos play an extremely efficient and effective role. By viewing their own recorded performance, one may look out for flaws, analyse, and critique his/her own performance with the motive of improvement in the future.
Especially useful for nursing and medical students for patient interactions, preparing students for courtroom scenarios, for teaching new managers soft skills, etc – these videos can be way more effective than real-world classrooms and valuable for making students understand new concepts at a much greater depth to improve knowledge and manifest new skills in them.
(How interactive videos can help you in scenarios and simulation based videos)
4)LEARNER GENERATED VIDEOS
Learner videos include not only informal training but the professional ones as well, for example, colleagues at work. Students can practice the new skills they have learned through this platform. More of a learner-generated video, these videos are proven to be powerful in both formal and informal fields. Specially created for higher education framework, through these videos, students can easily learn foreign languages and practice speaking them. Provision for providing immediate feedback for each student is also available, that too in a more convenient way. MBA students from University of British Columbia, School of Business used learner-generated videos for communicating at the workplace and were highly impressed by it.
If we talk about workplaces since social learning is now considered a very valuable and scalable solution for sharing ideas and knowledge. Therefore, subject experts and employees can record themselves demonstrating action and can prevail in the facility of sharing the videos with either the entire team or the organization.
(Also Read: How to build an e-Learning platform)
CONCLUSION
For the sake of an improved educational system, the evolution of eLearning is crucial. Many educators do predict that virtual reality has a very high scope of transforming the way students learn because by immersing them in actual simulations and experiences, enhancement of their skills is ensured.
Nevertheless, be it any field, video-based learning will always rank number one in the list of the most effective and interactive methods of learning and teaching, not only now but for the years to come as well!
