Web Video Design Techniques for Engaging and Effective e-Learning

Modeling, also called observational learning, involves the use of a live or virtual model to demonstrate a particular skill or social behavior. It's the way most of us have learned since we were infants. Much "on-the-job training" comes not from classroom learning or Googling but from observing our colleagues and mentors as they model - intentionally or not - workplace behaviors. Tips to make modeling as effective as possible: • Break complex tasks into simpler subtasks. If you're teaching someone to hit a tennis ball, you don't just ask them to watch you hit. You show them the steps or parts of the activity: the proper stance, where and how to place their hands on the grip, what to do with their shoulders and feet as they swing, how to address the ball, etc. Ensure each subtask is mastered before putting them together. • Teach general rules and strategies, and their many different applications, not a single approach . Rather than a single extended example, provide many brief examples so your learners can try out strategies for applying their new skills. Like a tennis player who needs to deal with spins, lobs, and serves, your learners will need to be flexible in addressing different challenges. Have them apply these strategies early. • Use models similar to your learners. TV commercials and exercise videos may feature star athletes and great-looking models, but behavior change happens far more frequently when learners see someone similar to themselves achieve an activity successfully. In several studies, people with a phobia about snakes began to conquer their fears only when they saw a video of someone with the same phobia talk about their distress (this is called "cognitive modeling") and then they successfully approached and finally held a snake in their hands. Models who resemble learners demographically (age, gender, race, etc.) but who are slightly more socially or organizationally prestigious are more effective at convincing learners that they can eventually enact the behavior.