Backward Design for Educational Video Production

First impressions count and are worthy of preparatory efforts. In educational video production, especially for online courses, the introduction videos that make first impressions are among the more difficult to do well since the purpose is often ill-defined. With a lecture video, you have instructional design frameworks to inform the process and set objective success criteria.

One such framework is Backward Design, in which you question backwards from what a successful student at the end of the course has learned, through what proof you would need to accumulate to assess the student was successful, and ultimately to how to provide each student with experiences (including lecture videos) that provide them with the pre-requisites for successful, assessable demonstrations of competence. Backward Design is particularly useful for online or new course development since it does not assume access to a feedback loop with actual students as most pedagogical frameworks do.

Lecture videos, then, are fairly easy to compose since it’s clear what you want to accomplish: present a concept or technique scoped finely enough to explain coherently within 8 minutes. These non-curricular videos do have value, since first impressions count. Students consistently watch the course and instructor videos when provided, and many continue to watch the weekly or module introductions if they’re compelling and assist in tying together the core curriculum.

To generalize Backward Design beyond curricular development: What should a teacher and production crew set out to accomplish when designing and executing a course introduction video? What is the value of this type of video and how is it maximized?

The broadest goal would be to communicate who the course is designed for, to encourage students who should invest their time in the course to stick with it. If it’s a survey course—a general-audience introduction to the subject matter—this means a welcoming sweep of the general topics of the course. If it’s a weed-out type course for a program, then it’s critical to communicate that this course is the gateway to success in the major, and a necessary prerequisite for developing both the baseline subject knowledge and the study habits necessary to succeed in the major. That’s advertising 101: identify your target audience and appeal to their specific interests. The course introduction should serve as an advertisement for the course and ought to be publicly available for students considering what courses to enroll in.

While it’s the first video that students see, the course introduction should be the last video produced for the course. It takes time for a teacher developing a video-intensive course to find their voice and to get a feel for how the course is coming together: there are only advantages to strategically procrastinate on the course introduction until the end of the development process. (The first videos produced should be whatever topics you’d most be willing to reshoot after finding your voice). Your enthusiasm at having completed the course will carry over into the course introduction.

The course introduction is also an opportunity to establish your humanity and passion for your field to the students. Describing your early experience in a similar course and how it set you on the path to your professional career can be a great way to connect with the students and make it clear that you enthusiastically welcome them into your area of expertise.

Since the course introduction video is intended as an advertisement for the course overall rather than an orientation to any particular iteration of the course, it should avoid detailed specifics or any other dull minutiae. Don’t read through the syllabus or promise activities on specific dates subject to change from semester to semester.