Can Videos Add Intrinsic Value To Online Learning Courses?
Videos are just the way learners prefer to receive their training content in today’s modern world. What does this mean for eLearning? Videos in eLearning accelerate performance by providing learners with engaging and rich learning experiences. Also, more importantly, learners can absorb content from various stimuli including visual, auditory, written, and kinesthetic which means it caters to all learning styles.
But there’s more to how videos can be used in online learning courses to boost learner engagement. Let's look at some ways here:
1. Offer Easy-To-Consume Information
Traditional eLearning courses are text-heavy and simply function as click-and-read exercises. For training such as compliance which is inundated with text, this approach does not work. A learning overdose can render the training boring and may lead to poor completion rates. What is required is are short and focused learning nuggets of 3-5 minutes each, designed to target a specific learning objective, and there is no better format for this than microlearning videos.
Using videos in eLearning, complex concepts can be broken down into several small videos. These short yet easy-to-consume videos are convenient to assimilate and focus only on the content that truly matters i.e., they do away with "nice-to-know" content and feature only the "need-to-know" information using smart visuals and graphics.
2. Ideal For A "How-to"/ Demo-Style Training
Videos are a good way of illustrating to learners how to and how not to do something. This is often referred to as behavior-based training or instructional training. Here are some examples:
In sales training, for example, learners are trained on how to effectively communicate with the customer and offer a sales pitch. Here, videos demonstrating the difference between a good sales pitch and a bad sales pitch can do a far better job than a dry, text-heavy eLearning course. Video-based learning is also extremely useful for teaching them how to handle customer objections. To achieve this, you can show them a video that features 2 scenarios:
| Scenario 1 | Scenario 2 |
| A sales rep who doesn’t apply the knowledge he’s gained from training and consequently fails in his job. | A sales rep who does apply what he has learned on how to tackle a customer objection. |
Another example of videos coming handy in imparting behavioral training is in safety training. Videos featuring reenactments of real-life incidents, and interviews with actual workers can be used to train safety personnel on the prevention and protection measures.
3. Easily Reach On-The-Go Learners
Today’s learners are, above all else, multi-device users who prefer learning on-the-go. As a result, the modern learner is accustomed to having 24X7 access to learning content (on their preferred choice of devices) to move beyond simply completing a course and wants to put the skills and knowledge into practice.
Training videos can be hosted on a Learning Management System (LMS) which learners can access using their smart devices. In environments focused on skill development, videos can be a powerful way to complement learning and can act as performance support tools. Here are a few examples:
- A sales rep can quickly access product demo videos on their smartphone/tablet to refresh their product knowledge before meeting a customer.
- If a sales technician must learn a series of steps to repair an appliance, a short 5-minute video can effectively and efficiently demonstrate the process.
Because most modern LMSs are responsive, videos can be easily accessed across devices which is perfect for multi-device learners.
4. Mighty Useful In Video-Based Assessments
At times, even the best multiple-choice assessments can turn into a limited mechanism to evaluate learners. In training such as compliance and safety training, merely evaluating the factual knowledge of the learners will not suffice. For this purpose, video-recorded scenarios simulating work-related activities can be offered to the learners and ask them to provide possible responses to the challenges and problems associated with the job. Learners select the demonstrated responses they would take in a similar, real-world circumstance and are given relevant feedback instantly.
5. Effective In Training Newly Hire Employees
A well-executed onboarding process leads to newly hired employees performing better in their job roles and showcasing a great commitment to the organization. The part of the onboarding process that is responsible for how an employee performs their job is the training. Video-based training for onboarding assists in mitigating the information/cognitive overload that is often associated with onboarding procedures.
Videos offer a storytelling narrative—from welcoming employees into the organization to training them on the safety procedures and expected employee conduct—and give new hires an opportunity to effectively assimilate a large amount of learning on how to do their job in a short amount of time.
Video-based learning allows countless opportunities for creatively structuring eLearning content. The "video first, text second" approach enables learners to interact with content in new ways and as a result, increases learner engagement. In addition, developing videos today has become easy for designers and more importantly cost-effective for organizations. With the availability of a wide range of rapid authoring tools, video developers can create animated videos that are interactive and engaging in a matter of few hours.
