Learn at a Distance

In an online course, videos are more than just a medium for delivering content—they are powerful tools for creating meaningful connections, building skills, and guiding students through the learning process. As educators, we have the opportunity to leverage video in diverse and impactful ways to support our students’ success.

Videos are not just for lectures or narrated PowerPoint slides. While these formats have their place, the potential of video extends far beyond content delivery. Videos can foster student engagement, provide personalized feedback, showcase progress, and even prepare learners for specific challenges or assignments. By thinking creatively about how and why we use video, we can make our courses more interactive, supportive, and effective.

This list explores various types of instructional videos you can incorporate into your online teaching. Each video type serves a unique purpose, whether it’s delivering content, fostering engagement, providing feedback, or preparing students for complex assignments. Along with detailed explanations, you’ll find examples and practical tips to help you create videos that truly resonate with your learners.

Whether you’re designing a course for the first time or refining your approach to video integration, this list is a comprehensive resource to inspire your teaching practice. 

Instructional Delivery

Concept Explanations

Concept explanation videos provide concise or detailed breakdowns of fundamental ideas, theories, or principles. They aim to clarify complex material and make it accessible to learners.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Focused on a single concept or closely related ideas.
  • Incorporate examples or analogies to aid understanding.
  • Designed to be short (5–10 minutes) to maintain engagement.
• Examples:
  • Explaining a mathematical formula or scientific principle.
  • Breaking down a historical event or philosophical concept.
  • Providing context for new terminology or frameworks.
• Tips:
  • Use visuals like slides, diagrams, or animations to enhance clarity.
  • Speak clearly and pace explanations to avoid overwhelming learners.
  • End with a summary or key takeaway to reinforce understanding.

Demonstrations

Demonstration videos show step-by-step processes or tasks to help students learn by observing. They are ideal for procedural knowledge or skills that require precise execution.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Emphasis on step-by-step instruction.
  • Focused on practical, actionable tasks.
  • Visual and verbal explanations to accommodate different learning styles.
• Examples:
  • Showing how to conduct a science experiment or use lab equipment.
  • Demonstrating software workflows, like creating a chart in Excel.
  • Explaining how to perform a physical skill, such as a dance move or sports technique.
• Tips:
  • Use close-ups or zoom to focus on critical details.
  • Provide narration to explain each step clearly.
  • Pause at key moments to allow learners to follow along.

Practical Applications

Practical application videos connect theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios, demonstrating their relevance and utility. These videos enhance comprehension by showing how ideas work in context.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Focus on bridging theory and practice.
  • Use authentic examples or case studies.
  • Encourage learners to think critically about real-world implications.
• Examples:
  • Demonstrating how statistical methods are used in market research.
  • Exploring ethical dilemmas in professional settings.
  • Applying psychological principles to workplace scenarios.
• Tips:
  • Use real-world data, scenarios, or problems to make the content relatable.
  • Highlight the importance of the application to the learners’ field or goals.
  • Pose reflective questions to encourage deeper thinking about the application.

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Student Engagement

Connection

Connection videos focus on creating rapport between the instructor and the learners while fostering motivation and interest in the course material.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Personal tone to build rapport.
  • Motivational messages to encourage persistence.
  • Energy and enthusiasm to maintain interest.
• Examples:
  • Welcome messages to introduce the instructor and course.
  • Weekly check-ins to preview content and deadlines.
  • Encouragement during challenges to sustain motivation.
  • Celebrating milestones to recognize achievements.
• Tips:
  • Keep videos concise (1–3 minutes).
  • Use visual aids to make content dynamic.
  • End with a call to action to maintain momentum.

Reflection

Reflection videos model the practice of thinking deeply about learning or teaching experiences, helping students develop critical self-awareness.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Personal insights to encourage reflective practice.
  • Thought-provoking questions to inspire analysis.
  • Focus on growth to highlight learning as a journey.
• Examples:
  • Instructor reflections connecting course content to personal experiences.
  • Discussing themes or challenges observed during a module.
  • Prompting students to reflect on their progress or struggles.
  • End-of-course reflections reviewing key takeaways.
• Tips:
  • Use open-ended prompts to encourage critical thinking.
  • Share how reflection has led to personal improvement.
  • Conclude by inviting students to share their insights.

Dialogue

Dialogue videos facilitate the exchange of ideas, presenting multiple perspectives or deepening understanding through conversation.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Collaborative discussions with two or more participants.
  • Focused topics that align with course goals.
  • Diverse perspectives to enrich the discussion.
• Examples:
  • Panel discussions exploring complex themes.
  • Interviews with experts or professionals.
  • Student interviews to share experiences or insights.
  • Debates showcasing contrasting viewpoints.
• Tips:
  • Plan key questions to keep the discussion focused.
  • Use clear transitions to maintain flow.
  • Pose follow-up questions to engage students further.

On-Location

On-location videos take learners outside the classroom to explore real-world settings or provide dynamic perspectives.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Authentic settings to contextualize learning.
  • Dynamic presentation to enhance engagement.
  • Clear connection to course objectives.
• Examples:
  • Field demonstrations showing real-world processes.
  • Virtual field trips to inaccessible locations.
  • Workplace insights linking course content to industry.
  • Cultural exploration of traditions or historical sites.
• Tips:
  • Use high-quality audio and visuals for clarity.
  • Prepare a script to stay focused.
  • Engage with the environment to bring the content to life.

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Feedback and Support

Student Work Review

Student work review videos provide personalized or general feedback on assignments, projects, or discussions. These videos celebrate strengths, offer constructive critiques, and guide learners on how to improve.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Constructive feedback with actionable suggestions.
  • Balance between highlighting strengths and areas for improvement.
  • Focus on trends or patterns across submissions to address the whole class or individual feedback.
• Examples:
  • Providing video feedback on a specific student’s paper or project, annotating key areas for improvement.
  • Generalized feedback addressing common mistakes or strengths across a class submission.
  • Proceeding through a model assignment to show what meets or exceeds expectations.
• Tips:
  • Use a positive tone to encourage engagement and improvement.
  • Be specific and reference particular elements of the work for clarity.
  • Incorporate visuals, such as annotations or highlights, to make feedback more actionable.

Test Reviews

Test review videos explain assessment questions, answers, and the reasoning behind them. They help students understand their mistakes, reinforce learning, and prepare for future assessments.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Focused on explaining reasoning for correct answers.
  • Highlight common patterns in errors or misconceptions.
  • Provide strategies for approaching similar questions in the future.
• Examples:
  • A question-by-question review explaining correct answers and common misconceptions.
  • Discussing frequently missed questions and clarifying underlying concepts.
  • Offering study tips based on observed struggles, like time management or analysis techniques.
• Tips:
  • Use visuals like slides, test screenshots, or annotations to enhance clarity.
  • Address broader themes or patterns rather than reviewing every question.
  • Encourage reflection by asking students to identify areas for personal improvement.

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Spotlight

Showcasing Student Work

Showcasing student work highlights exemplary projects, assignments, or creative outputs. These videos inspire peers, celebrate achievements, and set benchmarks for quality.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Recognize and celebrate student accomplishments.
  • Showcase diverse examples to illustrate multiple approaches to excellence.
  • Align showcased work with course objectives to emphasize relevance.
• Examples:
  • Highlighting a student’s exceptional final project, discussing what makes it stand out.
  • Sharing a variety of well-done assignments to show different approaches to a task.
  • Featuring student portfolios that demonstrate professional readiness.
• Tips:
  • Obtain student permission before showcasing their work.
  • Use clear explanations or annotations to highlight why the work is exemplary.
  • Select a range of examples to represent diverse strengths and styles.

Highlighting Student Growth

Highlighting student growth emphasizes the learning journey, showing how skills and understanding develop over time. These videos illustrate the value of persistence and effort.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Focus on the process of learning rather than just the outcome.
  • Emphasize the role of feedback and practice in achieving growth.
  • Showcase progress in specific, measurable areas.
• Examples:
  • Comparing a student’s early and final submissions to illustrate improvement.
  • Highlighting key milestones, such as mastering a challenging concept or skill.
  • Featuring student reflections on their growth during the course.
• Tips:
  • Use visuals like timelines or side-by-side comparisons to demonstrate progress.
  • Focus on tangible improvements connected to course objectives.
  • Highlight the strategies and effort that contributed to the growth.

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Readiness

Guided Practices

Guided practice videos lead students through structured exercises or activities designed to build skills or reinforce concepts. These videos assume that students may have limited knowledge of the tasks we are asking them to perform. Demonstration videos focus on showing learners how to perform a task or process, with the instructor modeling each step to provide a clear and precise example for students to observe. In contrast, guided practice videos actively engage learners by having them follow along and perform the task themselves, with the instructor offering real-time guidance, pauses, and feedback to support hands-on application.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Interactive, encouraging students to actively follow along.
  • Provide clear, step-by-step guidance for completing a task.
  • Focus on building or refining specific skills.
• Examples:
  • Leading students through solving a math problem or coding exercise.
  • Demonstrating physical techniques, such as yoga poses or lab experiments.
  • Guiding mindfulness practices or skill drills.
• Tips:
  • Use a steady pace and clear instructions to make the practice accessible.
  • Include pauses or prompts to encourage learners to try the activity themselves.
  • End with suggestions for further independent practice.

Course Overviews

Course overviews introduce the structure, objectives, and expectations of a course, helping students understand how to navigate it effectively.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Provide a clear roadmap of the course structure and goals.
  • Highlight major assignments, deadlines, and grading criteria.
  • Offer a welcoming tone to set a positive atmosphere.
• Examples:
  • Syllabus guides highlighting important course policies.
  • Module previews introducing topics and activities for the upcoming week.
  • Instructor introduction videos sharing teaching philosophy and enthusiasm for the subject.
• Tips:
  • Keep videos concise while covering key points.
  • Use visuals, such as slides or screenshots, to illustrate the structure.
  • End with a call to action, such as reviewing the syllabus or exploring the course site.

Technology Demonstrations

Technology demonstration videos guide students through tools or platforms essential for course success.

• Key Characteristics:
  • Provide step-by-step instructions for using specific tools.
  • Emphasize relevance to course tasks or goals.
  • Use accessible language to ensure clarity.
• Examples:
  • Demonstrating how to navigate the course Learning Management System (LMS).
  • Teaching students to use software or platforms like data analysis tools or design applications.
  • Guiding students through media creation tools, such as video or presentation software.
• Tips:
  • Record your screen and provide clear voiceover instructions.
  • Use annotations or highlights to draw attention to key features.
  • Focus on one task or tool per video to avoid overwhelming learners.

Preparation

Preparation videos help students approach specific content, assignments, or projects with the right mindset, tools, and strategies. These videos ensure that learners understand the expectations and have a roadmap for success.

Key Characteristics:

• Provide clear guidance on how to engage with a particular task or material.
• Address challenges students may face and offer strategies to overcome them.
• Connect preparation to learning objectives and outcomes.

Examples:

1. Assignment Instructions: Walk students through the steps to complete a paper, presentation, or creative project.
2. Content Roadmap: Explain how to approach complex readings, case studies, or multimedia content.
3. Study Strategies: Offer guidance on how to prepare for an upcoming test or quiz.
4. Project Planning: Outline key milestones and resources for larger, multi-step projects.

Tips:

• Use visuals like timelines, annotated examples, or checklists to break tasks into manageable steps.
• Include advice on common pitfalls and how to avoid them.
• Provide examples of successful approaches to inspire confidence.
• End with a motivational message encouraging students to reach out with questions or concerns.

Videos have become an indispensable tool in online teaching, offering far more than just a medium for lectures. From building connections with students to showcasing their achievements and preparing them for challenges, videos provide diverse opportunities to enhance learning. By thoughtfully integrating different types of videos into your courses, you can create a dynamic, engaging, and supportive environment that helps students thrive.

As you explore these video types, consider your students’ needs and your course goals. Whether you’re guiding them through a new concept, providing constructive feedback, or celebrating their progress, every video is a chance to make a meaningful impact. Start small, experiment with different formats, and discover what works best for your teaching style and your learners.

By expanding how we think about video in education, we can transform our online classrooms into spaces that inspire, connect, and empower students to reach their full potential.