We’ve all seen poor videos in our time. Whether these videos be a commercial advertisement, a music video, or an instructional video, similar characteristics of what can harm a videos’ quality are present in each. When it comes to educational videos, it is very important that effective video-producing tools are used as the primary goal of these videos is to retain information. For this blog post, I will sum up the production qualities that make an ineffective educational video and a few key points on how to avoid these problems.

1. Information Overload

This part of a poor video is associated with our limited cognitive loads. If too much information is being displayed or discussed over a short period of time, less information will be retained. To avoid these issues, tools such as only including key information and really emphasizing key points should be used. A really good example I found that displays this is the Khan academy

2. No Clear Message

One common theme for ineffective educational videos is the lack of a clear message. A lot of information (often valuable) is given, but lack of an overarching key theme to the video results in it difficult to retain this information. Videos should be structured in a way that introduces the key topic(s) and branches off onto supporting evidence or further explanation.

3. Too long

I know for myself that when attempting to find an educational video on a certain subject, I will go to the one that has the shortest length. key elements can often be summed up briefly, while the video creator drags on unimportant information. To deal with this, keep videos brief and to the point. If the necessity for a longer video is present, split the video into segments or multiple clips.

4. No Engagement

Videos that do not make the watcher think or engage are bound to result in minimal information engagement. Videos that involve on-screen questions and time given to answer these questions are great at fulfilling this necessity. Making the watcher be a part of the learning process instead of an idle watcher increases information retainment extensively.

This example by Khan Academy is a great example of how to create an effective educational video.

Effective educational videos

https://www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/cbe.16-03-0125