There’s no question that video for eLearning is becoming mainstream. Just how mainstream is it? Who is making eLearning video? And how are they making it?
In September and October of this year, The eLearning Guild conducted a survey of members to answer these questions, and to find out how they are using video for eLearning. The resulting report, Using Video for Learning, was just published, using a new format for Guild research surveys—short, to the point, with clear visuals to represent the data in an easy-to-digest format. Check out what our colleagues who are making eLearning video are doing!
I was privileged to be included in the creation of this survey, as eLearning video has been my passion for over 30 years. Even before that, I made what may have been one of the very first training videos (ever!), created with video cameras and recorded to tape. It was in black and white and could barely be edited on a recorder that used tape that was 2 inches wide. To be sure, I made some training films (with real film!) first. Today, the tools are all different. The equipment is different. The methods are different. And the results are often different. However, film and video for training are two different media types.
I guess I’ve been a “pioneer” of video for eLearning. Being a pioneer is never easy. I’ve been creating and promoting eLearning video for over 20 years, since way before many people thought much about making eLearning video … or eLearning, for that matter. Being a pioneer can be a lonely place, but I’ve had a unique opportunity to watch the phenomenon of eLearning and eLearning video grow and move into the mainstream. To be sure, there are still many people who haven’t had the opportunity to incorporate video into their lessons, but by now most eLearning designers and developers have done this in one form or another.
Using Video for Learning is succinct and easy to read, and it gives you a lot of data you can easily scan. It’s a quick read and there’s plenty of food for thought in it. If you’re creating video, you’ll see how other people are making it. If you’re not creating video and have barriers to getting started, this may help you get past them. Check out what the 92-or-so percent of us who are making eLearning video are all doing.
While some of the survey results were predictable, other things we discovered were unexpected. What did we discover? In the demographic section at the back of the report, you will see that the group that took the survey (over 1,000 in the eLearning space) has lots of experience. A majority have been in the training industry for 12 years or more. That statistic alone tells me this group is aging, which raises an important question: As a group, are the people currently doing this work able to relate to the Millennial generation that’s quickly becoming a majority of the workforce?
Over 90 percent of the respondents now use video in some form to support learning. (It makes me feel good to see so many people joining me in this!) Video use is now common; the report provides insights into this use, and also gives readers a basis for comparing their use to the ways others are using video for learning.
The research report itself is available to Guild members who have purchased a content package. The report also offers something new, a separate Executive Summary, which is available for free to all Guild members who want to explore what today’s video for eLearning is all about.