Fire safety courses are always in danger of being dull, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I recently worked on one which used video in an innovative and refreshing way, to enliven the subject and really grab the attention of our audience.

We shot a number of scenario videos for different roles within the business. To really place the learner within the scenarios, these were filmed from a first person persective using head mounted cameras.

While we scripted dialogue for other characters, the main character – through whose eyes the scenario was viewed – remained silent. This further ensured that the learner was placed firmly within the context they were seeing. The videos were shot at the client’s own premises, further adding authenticity.

At a number of points throughout the videos, the learner would be presented with a dilemma relating to fire safety, and would have to make a decision about what to do next. They would then see another video showing the result of their decision – whether right of wrong.

If they selected the wrong answer, they would have the opportunity to try the decision point again before moving on, ensuring that the learning point was captured. We also used supplemental e-learning content to fulfill any learning points that could not effectively be delivered through the video content.

The rise of video in e-learning

Video is fast becoming the most popular – and in-demand – form of media used in e-learning.

Fosway’s most recent report suggests that this trend is likely to continue – whether it’s for performance supprt, user generated content, or learning scenarios – and will also become core to what is viewed as micro-learning.

They argue that the weaknesses of using video – such as low bandwidths and framerates – have now been negated by modern tech solutions, and further to that, that video is a great way for late adopters of e-learning to ‘leapfrogging laggard status’ to become digital learning leaders.

If Fosway’s analysis is anything to go by (and it probably is) then providers of elearning will do well to focus their energies on being able to deliver high quality video content that targets the learning goals of their clients. While other until-recently-in-vogue trends, such as micro-learning and AR, appear to be in decline – the uptake of video has nowhere to go but up.

So what is video good for?

providers of elearning will do well to focus their energies on being able to deliver high quality video content that targets the learning goals of their clients.

Of course, it’s important to know when video should – and shouldn’t – be used.

Video is an ideal medium when we want to:

• Model behaviour. Such as in the case of the Fire Safety course I’ve already described. Unconscious Bias is also an ideal subject for this kind of video.
• Tell a story. When done well, a powerful narrative can really engage learners and enable them to take ownership of their learning. A good story can engage learner’s emotions.
• Convey a culture. Using video can be a great way to induct new starters into the culture of an organisation they are joining, or when an organisation is trying to effect a shift in culture.
• Demonstrate a process. In systems training, it can be very helpful for the learner to simply see somebody else do something first. This can also be useful for on-the-spot performance support resources.