[Douglas Edwards]

Hi, I’m an instructional designer who uses a lot of video and animation to teach people.

1. Video can be very passive, and most of us believe people learn better when they are actively engaged in the learning material, hence we like some kind of interaction with any learning that is not in a classroom. Software like “Camtasia” can add interactive hot spots and questions to the a video.

2. Video can be more effective if it tells a good story. Just like a good movie, people will be more engaged and remember more of what they saw if they see stuff in an engaging story. This takes a little practice, but people can do it if they spend time trying it.

So, if I use video, I always try to make it compelling through the use of clickable questions on the screen, or by telling a compelling story that is set in the context that is familiar to the learner.