Online learning success has not come as dramatically as some may have expected. Today some still consider a gap exists between online and physical classroom collective learning. However, many schools are finding ways to create a blended learning environment combining characteristics of an online course to the traditional educational experience.
Videos have played a crucial part in narrowing the gap between effective online learning and its traditional counterpart. It is no surprise that videos are the most consumed type of media online today. The flexibility of online coursework for self-motivated students combined with the social interaction of a physical class environment is powerful. But not all video is created equal.
Ineffective Static Videos
Static videos that are embedded straight from YouTube or Vimeo are very common in education. The trouble is students, just like the rest of us humans, have trouble concentrating on most traditional, long lectures. As eLearning Industry puts it,
“The rise of online learning has made education accessible to a wider range of people, but it’s also diluted the interactive component. Oftentimes, instructors will simply post video lectures online. The students can take in the information, but they can’t ask questions. They don’t interact with the teacher or one another.”
Engaging Interactive Video
Introducing interactive videos! It may sound new to some but the reality is interactive video content has been around for a while. Different forms of the technology are starting to make its way into the online classroom but let me give you a specific example:
Let’s take Mr. Jones, a high school Geometry teacher, who has embedded various 10-20 minute YouTube videos on his school’s Learning Management System (LMS) that he likes to use as class prep to introduce lesson material before students come into his class. The major problem Mr. Jones is seeing, however, is that most of his students mark the viewing assignment as “complete” and then in class, it is painfully obvious the majority did not understand or probably even watch the videos. He ends up covering everything the videos had taught in class feeling like the assignments were a waste of time and effort.
How could interactive video help Mr. Jones?
Imagine taking those same educational YouTube videos and overlaying engaging questions and other resource materials to ensure student engagement and understanding. Take one of those 20-minute lecture videos and insert a quiz question that pauses the video after it explains an important point you don’t want your students to miss. Use a poll questionnaire to have students view their peer’s collective answers. Provide a downloadable PDF guide as extra help directly within the video. And as some consider the best part, the system automatically applies a grade based on the student engagement with the videos. How many more students do you think will completely watch and engage with the videos ready for class? We wager over 50% more students will engage with your video content.
Conclusion
Sound like the future? This is only the beginning. The requirement to embrace technology as educators is only becoming stronger. eLearning Industry concludes,
“Educational institutions at all levels -from elementary schools to universities- are often criticized for being behind the times when it comes to technology. Even the youngest students are now tech-savvy. To effectively teach, educators must embrace popular technology to make online learning live up to the hype.”
Check out our interactive education video example here
