Creating screencasts

Online videos should not be longer than 3-6 minutes and they should cover a clearly delineated chunk of the content (e.g. one learning outcome, one concept/related group of concepts, one procedure etc.).

As a rule of thumb, one minute of video is around 120 words of script.

If you are using a pre-existing PPT you used for your lectures, consider splitting it into a few screencasts, each covering a specific chunk of content. Also consider if everything needs to be screencast or if some parts can be converted into reading or other types of activities.

Use a template if one is provided for your module. Use widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio (Design > Slide Size).

Make sure the slides are clear, with not a lot of text, clearly organised into bullet points. Also, use visuals to illustrate your points. If using diagrams, consider removing some of the labels you will mention in your script anyway, to make them less busy (when presenting, use the pointer/cursor to draw learners’ attention to what you’re talking about).

A good rule to follow is the fewer words on a slide, the better. With fewer words per slide, you can make the text larger (we recommend no smaller than 20pt font), which is better for learners watching the screencast on their phones.

This is often a matter of personal preference: some people feel more comfortable reading from a script, some are confident with a more improvised delivery. A general recommendation is to have a script, or at least a list of talking points, per slide, to avoid obvious pauses and hesitations, and keep the message clear and concise.

Start with introducing yourself.

State clearly what the learners are going to learn in the video. Say something like: “In this video, you are going to learn…” or “In this video, I am going to cover…” or “After watching this video, you should be able to…”.

If appropriate, you may include a ‘hook’ at the start to grab learners’ attention –relate the content to students’ prior knowledge, general knowledge, life experiences etc.

Continue targeting students’ motivation throughout: keep emphasising the relevance of concepts covered, explain why they need to learn them, show links with previous and future material, assessment, students’ future professional life etc.

Also, include questions to learners (sometimes called ‘stop and think’ moments). Pause briefly after the question to give learners time to reflect, then continue.

The content you use, including images, must comply with the relevant copyright standards. Check out this copyright guidance.

When scripting, use conversational language, as opposed to more formal ‘written’ language. Never read out from a slide directly –having the same aural and visual input is not helpful for learning.

Use language that is learner-centric, supportive and inclusive. Use plain English and explain specialised terms. Use 1st and 2nd person pronouns and imperatives (‘we will look at’, ‘you have studied’, ‘now consider the diagram’…).

When setting up your recording, the main thing to get right is good quality audio.

Find the right place: a quiet room, ideally with lots of soft furnishings (curtains, cushions, books, rugs, blankets etc.) to avoid echo and ambient noise. Recording a screencast in a closet is not as bad as it sounds! You could even put a blanket over yourself and the laptop as this does improve the sound.

Remove jewellery, especially big necklaces and jangly bracelets. Also, avoid touching the computer and the surface it sits on(other than for moving between the slides).

Disable all notifications on the technology around you (computer, phone –set on silent, not vibrate).

Make a practice recording to check the quality of the audio and get used to operating the computer whilst recording. If the audio quality is not satisfactory in your opinion, contact the Digital Learning Team for advice.

But don’t stress too much: radio quality is always great, but be realistic – a little bit of ambient noise is fine, as long as it is not too distracting.