Introduction to the Video Tutorial TECM 4180 Dr. Lam

Why Video Tutorials? “Despite the need for instruction, users still steadfastly refuse to engage with traditional printed manuals. Novick and Ward found that…an underwhelming 20% of problems were solved using a manual. Most participants gravitated toward other people (90%) and online help (75%)” (Swarts, 2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bUtZzi6hag

Project 3 Create a tutorial on a technical subject Must be delivered on a screen (traditional video tutorial/ screencast, animated illustration, or web-based module)

Let’s Define Some Terms

FAQs Q: How long should the video be? A: Probably between 4 minutes and 20 minutes. Q: What do we do if we don’t have a camera? A: Use your smart phone! Most smart phones actually shoot HD (720p or better) video. Q: What if we want to do a screencast? A: Use Camtasia! It’s free for 30 days and has FANTASTIC post-production options that are fairly easy to figure out. You could also use CamStudio (Not to be confused with Camtasia Studio); QuickTime on a Mac (No editing capabilities), Screen-cast-o-matic. Q: Speaking of video editing, what/how do I do that?!? A: Windows Movie Maker (Windows) and iMovie (Mac) are probably already on your computer. Camtasia (stated previously) also will have plenty of power. Watch some video tutorials on YouTube to learn how to edit video (oh, the irony). Q: Can I do a video on how to cook something? A: Probably not. Unless it’s something that point to a “craft” (e.g., how to cook scrambled eggs will NOT work, but how to make eggs benedict MIGHT work)

Let’s watch a few https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfxpwbWBNuU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXmv8quf_xM&feature=share https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joBmbh0AGSQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx_LWm6_6tA

Major components of Instructions From Anderson, p. 574

Written instructions vs. Video tutorials Advice for written instructions How it relates to Video Examples “Write for rapid comprehension” Assume viewers will be working alongside your video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZbeR0mJBkk#t=0m55s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrklWUAVJt4#t=1m55s ”Help Readers locate steps quickly” Use oral and visual cues to signal where one task or step ends and another begins. “Group steps” Create section breaks (whether oral or visual). Recap steps and discuss how it relates to previous steps

10 rules from Swarts reading Clear section breaks HD or Near HD quality Well scripted https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH4NrUxcsYs Introduction is well structured Audio is clean Narrator is enthusiastic Narrator is credible Video doesn’t distract from audio and vice versa Clear conclusion Pacing was not too fast or too slow

In-class activity Complete the video tutorial analysis

Types of video tutorials Instructional (physical procedure or screen capture) These should be task driven and user driven (e.g., How to use BlackBoard is NOT a good topic but How to calculate your weighted grade on blackboard is) Explanatory/Conceptual These should explain a difficult concept or principle to a lay or generalized audience E.g., What is a CDO? How does it work?

So, what topic should you do your video on? “Generate lots of highly specific content and let the users sort it out. This is a lesson that some forum managers are learning as well. I am not suggesting that videos be made on a 1-to-1 ratio of questions asked to videos made. That’s what a forum is for. What a video might be for is addressing issues that multiple people ask about. A robust tagging vocabulary would then help users find what they are seeking.” (Swarts, 2012) Good Places to Start What technical knowledge do you already possess? What are you interested in? What will people care about??

What’s the process? Pick a topic Narrow to a very specific video tutorial topic Research the topic Write a script Create a storyboard Record Post-production