How do I plan an engaging screencast?

It might be tempting to translate an entire lecture into one single recording, but that approach is not representative of the typical lecture/seminar experience in which discussion, questions and activities take place.

• Extensive one way transmission of content results in a very passive learning experience and may result in only surface level learning. Consider screencasts as a component of delivery, part of a mix of activities and content you might offer.
• Shorter videos avoid information overload. Sitting in front of long videos can be fatiguing for staff and students alike.   
• Students want to be as time-efficient as possible and are likely to flick between videos and sections of videos. Shorter can promote better engagement.
• Shorter, topic-based videos reduce time spent recording and editing 

The TEL webinar clip below discusses 'How long should my screencast be?' 

The TEL webinar clip below discusses 'How do I plan an engaging screencast?' 

Summary:

1.Start by thinking about the topic; how could information be grouped and sequenced?

• Where are the natural breaks in the topic? Can these inform the grouping of information? 
• How can you "chunk" your existing lectures into smaller parts? Can you provide other learning materials via Blackboard to reinforce and add to the topics in your screencasts?

2. Once you have established the topic grouping/sequencing, can you go further to shorten the video?

• Can the video be shorter if the topic is supplemented by other existing sources?
  Rather than producing an hour-long screencast, provide key information and signpost to further reading (via.Talis Reading List) or other resources such as .LinkedIn Learning or BoB.
• Can the topic be segmented into a table of contents?
  As well as helping you group information and decide on how many screencasts to record, a table of contents is particularly useful when recording an instructional video (where students are likely to skip between sections to repeat information). The following LinkedIn Learning video gives tips on creating a table of contents for an instructional screencast.
• What activities could supplement teacher-led discussion of the topic?
  Consider designing activities to engage students with the content. For example,  formative (automatically marked) tests or a worksheet for upload to an informal ungraded submission point. These activities might make for a shorter video presentation, more can be found on the Designing Learning Activities webpages.

3. Ask yourself, do you really need a script to talk about the topic?

• Script writing may be useful when communicating procedural information, where some precise wording is essential. The following LinkedIn Learning video gives tips about scripting an instructional screencast.
• A screencast will likely be more engaging when the speaker is using a conversational tone, which is difficult to achieve with a script,
  

As an alternative to developing a script, consider:

• using bulleted lists, post-it notes or a flowchart to prompt your speaking and keep the recording concise
• modelling reflection and enquiry as you speak, as you explore the topic through your speaking
• noting the types of questions and reflections that arise in the topic, then include them in the recording to give a sense of dialogue about the topic (this also helps students make links between concepts and encourages deeper thinking beyond surface level absorption).

If you require slides in your screencast, see the university Design and Print Studio web pages for access to university MS Office templates

If you are looking for help planning a narrative structure for your screencast, the table below may provide useful suggestions to get started.