With so many options, choosing and rolling out video tools for online learning can present a challenge. But selecting the right ones can be a great way to help professors or staff add engaging elements for students and improve learning.

If you’re in charge of onboarding faculty to a new program or getting them to adopt a new tool, it can be even tricker. 

But it doesn’t have to be difficult. 

There are definitely wrong ways to select and incorporate video into online courses, but to help make your life and your staff’s lives easier, we’ve broken down the five big mistakes to avoid when adding video to your online learning. 

That way, you’ll be able to successfully get faculty to adopt your new video tools and engage their students.

Here are the mistakes you’ll want to avoid (and tips on how to fix them):

1. Not making content accessible

Online learning needs to be accessible to every student, regardless of their needs or abilities. As such, it’s imperative that you choose a video tool with accessibility features that all students can easily use. While some may offer captions or other features that technically meet basic ADA requirements, look out for those that lack any of the following:

• Easy, web-based caption editing with built-in compliance checker
• In-house human captioning workflows
• Third-party import and export options
• Integrated third-party human captioning
• Audio description support
• Accessible student viewing and interaction

Additionally, your users shouldn’t have to be accessibility experts to create ADA-compliant content. Accessibility features should also be easy for faculty to use and integrate into video lessons. ADA guidelines undergo changes and updates, so it’s important that the platform you choose is prepared to adapt and support you through any transitions.

Solution: Find a platform with established accessibility workflows, up-to-date captioning features, and a reputation for staying ahead of the accessibility curve.

2. Not being able to create or edit engaging content

If a tool doesn’t allow faculty to easily create and edit engaging content, it won’t be much help for students or staff alike.

The same goes for tools that have the capability of creating engaging content, but are confusing or complicated to use. 

Creating video content for online learning should be as easy as a few clicks, and editing that content should be as easy as dragging and dropping it onto a timeline. Your faculty and staff have enough to worry about without the added stress of complicated processes or poorly designed user interfaces. Tools should be intuitive and easy to learn. 

Solution: Choose a tool that offers easy-to-use tools for adding engaging elements to videos, such as effects, in-video quizzing, and more. 

Learn more about editing videos with Camtasia.

3. Not properly training faculty

Once you’ve selected a reputable company that meets your support, price, feature, and accessibility needs, it’s time to roll out the tool.

Even though the video platform should already be as user-friendly as possible, you’re still going to need to offer training and support to be able to use its full potential.

Faculty or staff will likely have a variety of reactions to new changes, ranging from excited or optimistic to unenthused or doubtful. If insufficient training is provided — or worse, none at all — you’re setting up faculty to fail. Changes should be easy to adopt, and the benefits of making them should be clear.

You can help ease staff’s concerns by providing them with the necessary training and tools for success. 

Solution: While you may need to provide some in-person or live training sessions, consider making the bulk of your onboarding content via training videos! That way, staff can rewatch the training as many times as they need and walk through the steps at their own paces. Make sure a resource is available for questions, though!

If you’re in charge of the training content, consider using the same video platform as the one you’re rolling out to make the videos. That way, you’ll be able to experience firsthand the challenges your faculty may encounter while learning the new tools. 

You can read more about how to make a great training video here.

4. Only using synchronous video

One of the biggest mistakes your organization can make when creating content with your new tool is only utilizing synchronous video rather than incorporating asynchronous options.

This is the reason you want an online video tool in the first place. 

Synchronous video is where the communications happen in real time, with all parties engaged simultaneously. An example of synchronous video is a live lecture or video chat. While these real-time discussions can be valuable, they also have several limitations. 

When you only use synchronous video, you may present challenges to students who:

• Live in a different time zone
• Work in a noisy or distracting environment
• Have poor internet connection
• Don’t always have access to technology or share technology with others
• Sometimes struggle to keep pace with live lectures
• Otherwise can’t attend live sessions or experience barriers to live participation and discussion

Asynchronous (or on-demand) video learning content doesn’t try to replicate the in-person classroom experience, but instead leverages the unique advantages of the online environment to meet — or sometimes exceed — the in-person environment.

Solution: Encourage staff to use asynchronous video options! One great example is posting lectures online. That way, students watch the videos on their own schedule, consuming as much or as little of the content at a time as they can. Students can go back and rewatch or review content as needed.

Asynchronous videos can even be enhanced with features such as embedded quizzes for extra engagement. Synchronous learning doesn’t have to be completely eliminated, but mixing it up a little can really help students who face challenges with remote learning keep pace.

Read more: Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Communication

5. Choosing the wrong company

When your organization decides to search for an education video tool, prioritize selecting an experienced, reliable company that can help walk you through the rollout process. 

Avoid companies that fall into any of the following categories:

A company or tool that isn’t easy to use

While some companies may have more features, that doesn’t necessarily make them better than others. 

In fact, overly complex video tools can actually deter staff from using them or even wanting to create videos in the first place. Instructors are already busy, and they don’t have the time or energy to learn all the bells and whistles of a complicated video tool. 

Solution: Search for a product that’s easy to use and that faculty can quickly adapt to. Find a company that can integrate with the tools you already use, such as Zoom or your organization’s LMS. 

That way, faculty can continue the workflow they are already familiar with and increase the efficacy of their tools and teaching methods.

A new or inexperienced company

While newer companies might be the cool new players in online learning, they likely don’t have the experience to truly understand the varying needs and requirements to best serve faculty and students in the online learning space. 

Plus, newer companies or smaller startups likely don’t  have the capability to support you or their platform on a long-term basis. 

As these companies grow and develop, they’re more likely to undergo server downtime and maintenance. This will interfere with your ability to record videos, and may prevent students from accessing material when they need it. 

Additionally, these companies are more likely to have plans for selling the tool or platform, and that transition can spark unnecessary stress for faculty and students. 

Luckily, innovation and creative solutions aren’t exclusive to new companies or platforms. The best companies continue to innovate long after they can be considered “new.”

Solution: Select an established, experienced company with a solid reputation from other institutions that have worked with the tool for multiple years and have a track record of providing new and creative solutions to the ever-evolving online learning environment.

Learn more about how TechSmith supports education

A company with limited or poor support

Beware of companies who offer little customer support and onboarding assistance. You’ll save yourself the headache of trying to learn a new tool and help onboard others all by yourself if you select a company with personalized, easily accessible support.

In addition to being high-quality, customer support should come at no extra cost. A company with fewer support services might have a smaller price tag, but it won’t be worth the enormous costs of your time, energy, and frustration when trying to roll out a platform with little or no help.

Solution: Only consider companies who don’t charge extra for support and who ensure that your account will have a dedicated customer success representative to help walk you through any questions or concerns you may have. They should be able to help get you up and running with your new platform without a ton of hassle.

Learn more about TechSmith’s support and user community.

A company with hidden fees

Stay away from video tools and platforms that charge extra for ongoing costs. Unpredictable or additional fees — such as incremental bandwidth and storage — are difficult to budget for, make pricing a challenge to understand, and create unneeded hassle. 

Imagine how your costs would have skyrocketed when everyone had to make the switch to online learning last spring. It would have been nearly impossible to budget for that unexpected and sudden increase in usage of the platform, bandwidth, and storage. 

Solution: Select a company that clearly states their prices up front and includes all the services and features you need, without hidden costs or unexpected hits to your budget. 

A company that doesn’t have the tools to measure success

How will you know if rolling out a video tool for education was successful if the company you use doesn’t offer any tools to measure student progress? It’s going to be very difficult to convince stakeholders of a platform’s value without concrete data. 

Solution: Choose a company or tool that can measure student success and engagement, including grades, video watch times, and more.

Learn more about how to measure your video success.

Make an informed choice

There you have it! With the right tools and training, you’ll easily be able to help faculty or staff incorporate videos into their online learning.

What’s most important is that you focus on your staff’s needs and choose a tool that will set them up for success.

Now that you’re armed with what NOT to do when rolling out videos, you’ll be a pro in no time. TechSmith Academy has some great tips for educational video creation here.

Go out there and help your staff educate!

Looking to roll out video for your online lessons? Learn more about TechSmith education solutions.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced most K12 and higher education institutions to switch to fully online learning, the virtual education space was growing and thriving.

But for some instructors, there are still questions about how to best record lectures and other instructions to ensure student access and success.

For example, is it better to pre-record lectures or will students better learn in a Zoom or other online meeting environment?

What tools are available for recording lectures? Will they be difficult to learn?

How can I be sure I’m providing the best solution for my students?

Don’t worry! Whether you’re new to the online learning space or a verified virtual veteran, this guide to recording lectures will answer those questions and a lot more.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

Why Zoom and other live meeting apps may not be the best way to engage and instruct.

Why on-demand learning can help students learn more effectively.

Three methods for recording class lectures (no matter how much time you have to do it).

Tips for ensuring your recorded lectures are engaging and effective.

To Zoom or not to Zoom

After schools and universities suddenly went to remote-only instruction, many instructors who had never taught online classes were forced to reimagine how to deliver quality education to their students.

Naturally, many tried to recreate the live classroom environment using online meeting tools, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or other similar applications. 

You might hear this type of learning referred to as “synchronous” learning. Really, that’s just a fancy word for live, real-time teaching.

In this scenario, students and teachers have to be in the same (virtual) space at the same time. Everyone sits on the same video call and listens as the instructor lectures. The instructor can share their screen and share additional files or links in the chat, but that’s typically the extent of the interaction.

This type of learning tries to mimic or recreate the face-to-face learning experience in online spaces. 

But here’s the problem: trying to recreate the traditional learning experience online doesn’t always work. In fact, it can actually do more harm than good.

Live online courses limit important aspects of learning, forcing all students to learn at the same pace, without the flexibility to consume course content when and how they can. Students and faculty can experience mental fatigue from the pressure of trying to process highly compressed live video. 

And, because everyone is expected to be available at the same time, students in different time zones, those who may not always have access to high-speed internet, or those who must share technology resources with others in their households are at an immediate disadvantage.

Luckily, there’s a better way. 

How to record your lectures

When you record your lectures and upload them for your students to view, students can watch the videos in their own time, consuming as much of the content at a time as they can. And, they can go back and rewatch or review content as needed.

You might hear of this referred to as “asynchronous” learning, but that’s really just a fancy way to say “on-demand.”

Lecture recordings also allow students to better interact with course content through conversations with their peers, quizzes embedded directly in the course videos, and more. Instead of just listening, they can participate.

Meanwhile, instructors can measure student engagement with the content through quiz results and video analytics (such as who watched and for how long, etc.) Plus, by assigning points to watching videos, instructors can give more incentive to watch and pay attention.

And, because the course is more interactive, personable, and connected, students are better motivated. The flexibility to review content on their own schedule and at their own pace reduces stress and better accommodates different learning needs.

Plus, no matter the size of your audience, the content scales to meet your and your students’ needs. And, because learners consume the content when and how it’s right for them, there are no restrictions on time zones or geographic locations.

That doesn’t mean that live sessions aren’t appropriate at times, but leveraging the advantages of on-demand learning complements live interactions to extend the value of course content.

Three methods to record lectures

If you’ve never recorded and shared a lecture, or if you’re still new to online learning, it can be intimidating. You want to deliver quality instruction, and you want your students to succeed. But, how do you know you’re giving them what they need?

First, know that there’s no one right way to record your lecture. But, there are a number of best practices and tips we can share to make your (and your students’) experience great.

For the purposes of this article, recording and sharing your lectures will center around TechSmith Knowmia Pro.

Knowmia Pro allows educators to engage students no matter where they are by allowing them to:

1. Easily create and share media.
2. Discuss lessons and content.
3. Make learning videos accessible.
4. Humanize online learning.

Method 1: The quick and dirty

Many people think a recorded lecture has to be super-professional, polished, and rehearsed to be effective.

Honestly, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, research shows that students actually engage better with lecture recordings that are less formal.

The quick and dirty method is as easy as it sounds. Open your slide deck if you have one, turn on your webcam, grab your mic, and record on the fly. 

It helps to have a script (or at least an outline of what you want to say), but your slides can help guide you if necessary.

Just open Knowmia Pro and choose Launch Capture. 

Click “Capture” in the dialogue box that opens.

Use the crosshairs to select whether you want to record your entire screen or just a region.

Choose your webcam and microphone.

Start recording!

It’s that simple!

When you’re done, you can trim out sections of the video you want to remove (such as time at the beginning and end where you may be making preparations to start your lecture or finishing up recording tasks).

Pros: 

1. Leverages content you’ve already created.
2. Fastest and easiest way to record and share your lectures.
3. Doesn’t require any video or audio editing.
4. Best way to start if you’re new to online learning.

Cons:

1. Doesn’t necessarily showcase the inherent benefits of on-demand learning.
2. What you record is what you get, warts and all.
3. No extras, such as quizzes or other ways to increase engagement.
4. Not the best method for longer videos.

Method 2: The middle ground

In this method, your ultimate destination is still Knowmia Pro, but you’ll actually first assemble your video in TechSmith Camtasia and record and edit your narration using TechSmith Audiate. 

I won’t go into depth on both of those parts, but here you can find a great article about adding audio to your PowerPoint presentation.

You can also pull in other content, such as screenshots taken with TechSmith Snagit, or other images and video.

Once you’ve created and edited your video in Camtasia, you can share it directly to Knowmia Pro. Here, you can add quizzes if you want and share it with your students. 

Pros:

1. Again, uses content you’ve already created.
2. You can enhance your existing content with new images and video.
3. Easier to edit pieces of the video later, rather than having to redo the whole thing.
4. Still a fast and easy way to create online learning content.

Cons:

1. Takes longer.
2. Requires using other software apps to get the job done.
3. Minor learning curve for video editing. (Trust me, Camtasia makes it SUPER easy.)

Method 3: The Full Monty

The third method goes all the way. Rather than importing your slides and walking through your PowerPoint presentation as if you were giving it to your audience, you’ll create new video content with custom images and/or video clips. Your slides become a guide for creating that content rather than the content itself.

Use live camera video, clips from other videos, screenshots and other images, and much more. Really, you can be as creative as you want to be.

Enhance the video with audio, images, or video from TechSmith Assets for Camtasia, or from other sources. Add callouts, behaviors, transitions, and more to improve the professional feel of your video.

Again, you’ll assemble and edit your video with Camtasia and share the final product to Knowmia Pro when it’s finished.

Any clips where you’ll be speaking on camera will require you to record your voiceover in Camtasia, but any voiceover that doesn’t show your face can be recorded and edited in Audiate. 

Though Camtasia is the creation tool, it’s Knowmia Pro that really lets your recorded lecture reach its full potential. Once again, you can add quizzes to the video after it’s uploaded to gauge students’ engagement and understanding of the content. 

Use Knowmia’s discussion features to let students ask questions of you or their peers, and facilitate useful discussions around the course content. 

Pros:

1. Fully leverages the unique advantages of the online learning space.
2. Easy to replace or edit pieces of the video as needed.
3. Most polished and professional-looking option.
4. May help students stay more engaged.

Cons:

1. Takes the most time to get started.
2. Requires familiarity with Camtasia features.

Tips for ensuring great recorded lectures

Regardless of which method you settle on, there are a number of things you can do to help ensure your videos are useful and interesting for your students.

Show your face

Students want to see their instructors’ faces. An image works in a pinch, but showing video of you speaking will go much further in helping your students connect with you and the course content. And, it may make them feel more comfortable approaching you with questions or concerns. 

Use a script

Creating a script for your video is one of the single most effective ways to ensure video success. Whether you’re recording your webcam on the fly or going all-in with a totally custom video, a script ensures you cover everything you intend to and keeps you on-topic. If you don’t create a full script, I highly recommend at least putting together a list of detailed bullet points.

Be human

Don’t worry about being a perfect presenter or processional voice over artist. Your students will engage better with you if they know there’s a real human — flaws and all — on the other side of the screen.

Speak naturally

Don’t worry about being overly formal with your speech. Talk to your students like you’d talk to them in the classroom. Again, it helps show your humanity, which helps with engagement and trust.

Good audio

A TechSmith study shows that good voice over audio is even more important than image quality when it comes to engagement and enjoyment of your video. Use a decent microphone (not your laptop mic).

Speak slowly and clearly.

Edit your verbal mistakes as appropriate. 

Accessibility

This is Knowmia’s not-so-secret power. Knowmia offers best-in-class automatic captioning for your videos so that students who are deaf or hard of hearing will still be able to consume your video’s content. And, it helps those who may need to consume your video with the sound off. 

If you used TechSmith Audiate to record your audio, you can export it as a text file to use as a video transcript as well. If you started with a script, your script can be the basis for your transcript.

Record your lectures. Your students will thank you!

No matter how you decide to do it, recording your lectures provides a more engaging, effective, and efficient way to deliver course content. And, you don’t have to be a video expert to do it.

With tools like Camtasia, Snagit, Audiate, and Knowmia Pro, TechSmith allows anyone to create professional-quality images and video — no pro skills required.