How To Make A Video Tutorial

Most librarians will come to a point where they need to create an online tutorial. Many will find it is simply the easiest method of transmitting information to large groups of people. For example, maybe you are a high school librarian who serves 2000 students. Meeting with individual classes to teach students how to access your database, for example, is not feasible. Creating online tutorials allows you to duplicate yourself. You can create a tutorial, share it with the teachers who then could share it with their students. This allows you to be in many places at once. Creating online tutorials also allows you to fulfill special requests for teachers. For example, a teacher might request you create a tutorial on database research for students working on a climate change project. You can easily personalize your tutorial and make it more relevant to those specific learners.

There are a few decisions the tutorial creator needs to keep in mind before creating a tutorial.

1. Decide on the length of the tutorial. Most learners do not want to passively listen to a 15-minute tutorial, especially if they are to put into practice what they have learned. Focus on 3-5-minute tutorials.

2. Chunk the material. If you want to teach 15 minutes of material to students or staff, create 3-5 different videos. Each video would teach a specific skill and would be titled or labeled appropriately. This makes it much easier for a learner to retain the information as well as go back to review the information.

3. Create an objective before creating the tutorial. I use the following phrase: By the end of the tutorial, students we be able to _______________. This will keep your presentation focused.

4. Write a script. I learned this the hard way. It is much easier to have, at a minimum, an outline of topics you want to cover. Even better, create a complete script you can read. This is easier than having to re-record your video multiple times. I was very nervous the first few times I created a tutorial. A script lowers this anxiety.

5. Decide on a platform. Different platforms offer different tools. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to use a free platform and then you realizing it is too restrictive after you have spent a significant amount of time learning how to use it. I decided on Screencast-O-Matic for my first few videos. It is free to create videos up to 15 minutes in length. The program is simple to download and records everything you are doing on the screen. You can also choose to show a small thumbnail video of yourself in the screencast or just the computer screen. Another nice feature is it is simple to upload your video to your YouTube channel or download it onto your computer. The free version does not, however, allow for editing or interactive options.

6. Decide if you want your tutorial to have interactive elements. This might include a survey after they have completed the tutorial or questions the learner must complete during the tutorial. If this is your goal, Screencast-O-Matic is not the best option. Every tutorial creator program I found that offered interactive options was not free. There are some ways around this problem such as combining Screencast-O-Matic with a Google Form, or even having a discussion with the learners after they watch the tutorial. This is not ideal for my situation, so I decided to have my work site purchase Camtasia which empowers the instructor to create more interactive and engaging tutorials.

7. Consider offering your tutorials in languages besides just English. Many of my patrons speak English, but there are also many students whose primary language is Spanish or Hmong. Brainstorm your resources. My high school offers classes in Hmong, German, Spanish, and ELD. These students are fully capable of creating short tutorials and it makes their learning relevant as they are producing real content for a real audience. Even if you work in a public library, contact your local high school and you might be surprised with the positive response you receive.

8. Make it easy for people to share their tutorials with you. One easy solution is embedding Google Forms into your instruction. For example, here is a link where you can share exemplary online tutorials you have discovered. Here is another link where you can download a tutorial you have created.

9. To conclude, consider the following tips: Speak slowly, enlarge your cursor, and pause before clicking links during your tutorial. Learners are viewing new information; everything is new. They are taking in a lot of information. You don’t want to click on a link during the tutorial if the learner doesn’t see where you clicked. Slow down and have fun. Good luck and remember that after you create a few tutorials your stress level will decrease.