We kicked the OPWL eLearning class off with video introductions of ourselves. It was a fabulous start. First of all, because it immediately got us out of our comfort zone (there were criteria set to be successful) and the chance to get to see everyone and learn more about them.

Online - synchronous and asynchronous

This OPWL program is fully online. We hold zoom meetings regularly, but the rest is working through the learning platform and interacting via messages and forums. Especially, given that I’m currently based in The Netherlands, it has proven to be so valuable to see my classmates online, and when synchronous meetings were not possible to be able to replay the recording and provide or watch their video responses.

How popular is video?

I’ve always liked video. Especially for learning. I’m not alone either. A recent TechSmith research effort revealed that

·       83% of respondents watch educational video content more than twice a week.

·       Two out of three employees complete tasks better when instructions are provided visually and absorb information 7% faster.

·       More than 70% of YouTube viewers turn to the platform for help solving problems.

The research is described in the Ultimate Guide to Easily Make Instructional Videos. Access it here. Rather than repeating their view on instructional videos and when and how to use them, I recommend you bookmark this resource for great how-to's and tips.

Good uses I've seen

Personally, I’ve used it effectively in compliance training. Including a leadership message to explain the WHY is so much more effective than plain text. Embedding an inspirational TED talk that is relevant to the topic is frequently welcomed by participants. Showing the right way of doing things via screencasts and tutorials, or including video links to past events are useful ways to engage and develop your audience.

A team I’m currently supporting, took their first steps in building an onboarding module for new joiners. They included relevant videos to make it more engaging and really helped give a better overview of what new staff coming in can expect from their new employer and training team. For them this was a quick win, for the new joiners a clear overview and support in their new career, setting them up for success.

My learning journey with new tools

I’m glad to have had the opportunity to play around with video tools and applications more this past semester. I invite you to check out a recent project I created in an earlier post.