Creating high-quality video lectures doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Follow these simple steps to plan, record, and share content that keeps your students engaged while ensuring accessibility for all learners.
Step 1: Plan Your Content
- Define Your Learning Goals: What should students know or be able to do after watching the video? Focus on 1-2 key concepts per video.
- Outline, Don’t Script: Create a clear, organized outline to guide your delivery. Aim for a conversational tone rather than reading a script.
- Chunk Your Content: Break larger lectures into 5-8 minute segments to keep students engaged and prevent information overload.
- Why It Matters: Research shows that longer videos often lead to decreased attention and retention. Shorter videos help maintain focus and allow students to revisit key concepts easily.
Need help identifying natural breakpoints? Contact the ID team!
Step 2: Create Your Slides (Optional)
Do you need a slideshow? Not always. Slides are like accessories; they can be nice touch, or distracting. If you’re using slides to reinforce your points, keep them visually engaging and easy to follow.
- Less Text, More Visuals: Use bullet points or keywords instead of dense paragraphs. Add relevant visuals, diagrams, or icons to reinforce concepts.
- Consistent Design: Stick to a clean, professional layout with consistent fonts and colors to maintain a cohesive look.
- Don’t Overload Slides: One main idea per slide keeps the pace manageable and helps students stay focused.
Pro Tip: PowerPoint and Canva offer sleek templates to streamline slide creation.
Step 3: Choose Your Recording Platform
You don’t need advanced tools—Zoom and YouTube make recording and sharing simple.
- Zoom: Ideal for recording slide-based lectures while narrating. Check out Zoom: How Do I articles for more information.
- YouTube: Upload recorded videos to your YouTube channel and generate shareable links to embed in Blackboard.
Using YouTube links keeps course file sizes small and ensures smooth playback for students.
Step 4: Set Up Your Recording Space
A well-lit, distraction-free space makes a big difference in the quality of your videos.
- Lighting: Use natural light or a lamp placed in front of you. Avoid sitting with your back to a window to prevent harsh shadows.
- Framing: Position the camera at eye level for a natural, conversational feel. A medium close-up (from the chest up) works best.
- Background: Keep the background tidy and neutral to reduce distractions. Avoid clutter or busy environments.
Pro Tip: Test your setup before recording to adjust lighting and framing if needed.
Step 5: Check Your Audio
Clear, high-quality audio is essential to keeping students engaged.
- Microphone Options: Use an external microphone if possible for better sound clarity. Otherwise, ensure your built-in mic is capturing audio clearly.
- Quiet Space: Record in a quiet environment to minimize background noise. Soft furnishings can help reduce echo.
- Pace & Clarity: Speak clearly and at a moderate pace. Pause briefly between concepts to give students time to process.
Pro Tip: Always do a quick soundcheck before recording.
Step 6: Dress the Part
Your appearance sets the tone for your class.
- Business Casual or Business Professional: Dress in a way that reflects professionalism while keeping the focus on your content.
- Avoid Distracting Patterns: Stick to neutral colors and simple designs to keep attention where it belongs—on your message.
Step 7: Record and Upload Your Video
Once you’re ready, hit record!
- Check Your Setup: Before starting, review your lighting, framing, and audio to ensure everything looks and sounds good.
- Upload to YouTube: After recording, upload your video to YouTube and generate a link to share in Blackboard. This keeps course file sizes small and ensures seamless playback for students.
Pro Tip: Double-check video privacy settings on YouTube to ensure students have access.
Step 8: Make Your Video Accessible
Ensuring your videos are accessible is essential for providing an inclusive learning environment.
- Captions in Zoom:
- Zoom automatically generates a transcript after recording. You can download this transcript and edit it for accuracy.
- Upload the corrected transcript as captions when you post your video.
- Closed Captions in YouTube:
- YouTube automatically generates closed captions (CC) after upload. However, these captions are often imperfect, so take a few minutes to review and edit them for accuracy.
- You can also upload your corrected Zoom transcript to YouTube to replace the auto-captions.
- Why It Matters: Captions benefit all learners—especially those with hearing impairments, non-native English speakers, and students who prefer reading along with the content.
Pro Tip: Double-check captions before sharing your video to ensure they align with your narration.
Step 9: Edit in YouTube
(Optional, But Helpful!)
If you want to polish your videos, YouTube’s built-in editing tools make it easy.
- Trim Unnecessary Content: Cut out long pauses or irrelevant sections to keep your videos concise.
- Add Captions for Accessibility: If not using Zoom captions, YouTube’s auto-caption feature is a great starting point, but be sure to review for accuracy.
- Enhance Visuals: Add transitions or highlight key points for a more polished feel.
Pro Tip: Basic editing can make your videos feel more polished without adding too much time to your workflow.
Step 10: Reach Out for Support
If you’d like assistance with:
- Breaking content into shorter segments
- Designing visually appealing slides
- Refining your recording setup
- Editing or captioning videos
The ID team is here to help!
Ready to get started? Lights, Camera, Action! ✨🎥🎬
Looking for more helpful Instructional Design tips?
Visit our ‘How Do I’ page for previously published tips.
Visit ID on Demand for course resources, templates, and to schedule an appointment with an instructional designer.