Featured Research Article
"Evidence-Based Guidelines for Recording
Slide-Based Lectures"
Dina Kurzweil, Karen Marcellas, Brandon Henry, and Eric Meyer
Medical Science Educator , vol. 30, no. 4, Dec. 2020, pp. 1611–16. Springer Link ,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-020-01032-w
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Creating effective video recordings requires mastery of two skill sets: the development of effective educational slide-based lectures, and the effective recording and distribution of video content.
Don't let that statement intimidate you. This page will summarize a dozen recommendations that, if followed, will give you a strong start on building both skillsets. These broad recommendations are explained in greater detail on the next three pages ("More about Proper Process"). Across a range of styles and approaches, every video in this gallery exemplifies these qualities well.
It is tempting to short shrift the planning phase in the eagerness to just “get on with it.” However, time and effort spent here will pay dividends repeatedly down the road. We point out examples in the videos where this is true (usually in the "Scripting" category).
Planning begins with a careful articulation of instructional goals you want students
to achieve (as opposed to content you wish to cover). Once you have your goals defined,
then you can better identify how the video will help students achieve them.
Choose your favorite lecture from your class to work with first. Break this 50- or 75-minute lecture down into a sequence of topics (think of them as a series of “mini-lectures”). Plan the duration for each topic, striving to stay under 10 minutes.
Creating a written script is highly recommended. Your organization and wording will
improve, necessary visuals will be identified, and you will already have produced
a transcript for accessibility.
The Office of Digital Learning can assist you with ensuring the legality and accessibility
of the media you use.
Want to learn more? See "Planning the Lecture" for explanation in more detail.
Grabbing your students’ attention within the first 30 seconds is vital. So is telling
a compelling story, where the narrative structure itself sustains their interest
until a satisfying conclusion is reached. As your narrative unfolds, allow your slides
to make the most of the visual channel—use diagrams, images, and limited text to
clarify and reinforce what you are saying.
Grabbing and holding student attention is a "high risk, high reward" design consideration. Capture them at the outset, or risk losing them altogether.
Complete sentences, and any text that requires more than a few seconds to read and process, serve only to compete with the narration and distract from it.
Similar to Guideline 6, graphical elements need to be high quality, showing easily what would be difficult to describe with words alone.
Building slides (slides that initially display little information but build up element-by-element to a complete screen) have their place, but should be reserved for specific use cases; generally, avoid them in favor of a "straightforward" presentation.
Time the appearance of graphics, additional text labels, or other important information to coincide precisely with their mention in the narration.
This one is about what not to say or include in the video, such as references to days/dates or references to lesson structure/sequence that may subsequently change.
Want to learn more? See "Creating Content and Slides" for explanation in more detail.
This is the second skillset mentioned above. All that careful planning and content creation will count for little if your voice is flat, the audio quality poor, and the background behind you is distracting.
As the authors point out, "Your voice will be the students’ primary connection to the content, so think about how you sound to them." Use the Recording the Video link below to learn how to improve narration and increase audio quality.
Thought should be given to the clothing worn on camera, the lighting and aesthetics of the space, and to camera placement. Follow the link below to learn specific tips for ensuring excellent video.
Want to learn more? See "Recording the Video" for explanation in more detail.