Video content is not as important as well-prepared assignments. It is better to invest more time in designing interesting assignments than in recording high-quality video.
But videos are important to make a course personal and inspiring, so let's not exclude them at all. Please watch this YouTube video on the video production process for MOOCs.
Based on this research, videos produced with a more personal feel could be more engaging than high-fidelity studio recordings. So try filming in an informal setting; it might not be necessary to invest in big-budget studio productions.
If you have a recording studio nearby, you can try it out, but it's not necessary for a good MOOC.
Other recommendations for video recording:
- shorter videos are much more engaging. We recommend to make 5-7 minutes long videos;
- videos that intersperse an instructor’s talking head with slides are more engaging than slides alone;
- try to interchange video steps with texts and assignments;
- videos where instructors speak fairly fast and with high enthusiasm are more engaging. Coach instructors to bring out their enthusiasm and remind them that they do not need to purposely slow down;
- a good sound quality is very important for an educational video;
- The size of the video should be FullHD: 1920x1080 or at least 1280х720;
- Current size limits for each video on Cogniterra is 500 MB.
We usually recommend the following microphones:
- Rode Podcaster (http://www.rodemic.com/microphones/podcaster);
- Audio-Technica AT2020USB+;
- Audio-Technica ATR3350;
- Philips SBCME570/00;
- but any other professional mic is OK too.
We can do all the video editing yourself, but if you're not familiar with the process just send us raw files and editing notes (e.g. cut this, join that etc.). You can always contact us (support@cogniterra.org) to discuss further how to make this process efficient on later stages of the project.
See more recommendation on video production for MOOCs: Table 1 in http://www.pgbovine.net/publications/edX-MOOC-video-production-and-engagement_LAS-2014.pdf.