Didactics of the educational film – contemporary forms of knowledge transfer

What is an educational film

Educational films are audiovisual media that promote, enable and sustainably secure the targeted and method-guided achievement of learning objectives.
The design process for educational films focuses on knowledge transfer and experience building.
Educational films should illustrate and explain events and processes, establish and convey connections and enable empathy and identification.
Experiences are illustrated using pictures, film sequences and graphics as well as explanatory text. The transfer of content knowledge is geared towards learning success and takes place through the targeted use of language, images, graphics, music and sounds.
The learning objective is defined in the form of a scientific question and reflects the state of theory, research and practice in the selected subject area. Subjective opinions must remain recognizable as such. Technical statements must be substantiated by expertise. The technical accuracy must not be impaired by a reduction in content and artistic means.
The research question determines the didactic structure of the educational film, as well as the choice of topic and dramaturgy, the storyboard, production and post-production. The filmic narrative is didactically reduced to such an extent that the answer to the research question is clearly expressed at the end.
The learning process is at the heart of every design, production and post-production phase. The work is created through the subjective process of perception, imagination and understanding in the mind of each viewer and listener. The prior analysis of the target group is therefore crucial for learning success. In order to approach the goal of general comprehensibility of questions and answers, influencing factors such as age, culture and education must be taken into account.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2VIAKZpx00[/youtube]

Color & Fashion Design (5:00min), an educational film by Denis Herzog for the eDidactics platform color.education

What characterizes a good educational film

A good educational film ensures that the learning objectives defined in advance are achieved for the intended target group. The quality criterion for a good educational film is the degree of learning success, which can be determined in advance and evaluated afterwards. At the heart of every educational film is the creation of experience and the transfer of knowledge. The teaching potential of the educational film differs from that of other forms of learning due to its media-specific nature, as moving images, still images, graphics, language, music and sounds can be used in separate and linked narrative tracks. A good educational film is characterized by its media specificity. The learning successes achieved in this way cannot be achieved by other learning media in less time, to a greater extent or with greater sustainability.

Criteria for the evaluation of educational films

To what extent are the intended learning objectives achieved?
How sustainable is the learning success?
Are the necessary experiences clearly conveyed?
Is the necessary knowledge conveyed in an understandable and contextualized way?
How effectively are images used for learning success?
How effectively are graphics used for learning success?
How effectively is language used for learning success?
How effectively are music and sounds used for learning success?
How high is the entertainment value and does it succeed in creating empathy?
How efficient is the ratio of learning time to learning yield?

What significance do cognitive and emotional factors have in educational films?

Entertainment Value Ensures Learning Success
Good entertainment is a means to an end, yet it is of central importance to the success of an educational film. The promise of good entertainment captures the target audience’s attention and lays the groundwork for learning success.
The question sparks curiosity and piques interest in the topic
. Based on their cognitive interest in the topic, the target audience can search for, find, notice, and select the film.
Dramaturgy generates and sustains attention and empathy
Curiosity and empathy ensure that the target audience watches the educational film through to the end and achieves the learning objective. Emotional engagement with the story is crucial if the target audience is to be open to absorbing information, if inner engagement is to be achieved, and if interest is to be sparked, sustained, and guided.
The main plot thread guides the learning process.
Through emotional or cognitive factors, we can determine the main thread of the plot and decide what comes to the forefront of the learning process and what remains in the background as contextual information.
Selection of Content Aligned with Learning Objectives
Although much of it may seem to be overlooked, every piece of information plays a role in learning success. It is superfluous when it hinders the learning objective and meaningful when it contributes to learning success.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chzmXTqtE5o[/youtube]

Color & Fashion Design (4:40min), an educational film by Sebastian Hümbert / Anja Kubitzki / Mariola Klosowski for the eDidactics platform color.education

Exciting stories instead of dry learning material

According to neurodidactics, if we have to learn something, it will be very difficult. Learning is strenuous and consumes a lot of energy, as new connections have to be formed in the brain. Learning is most effective when we are not even aware of it, which makes the playful, experimental and entertaining aspects of the educational film significant. The target group must be intrinsically interested in the subject matter, which can be achieved directly or indirectly. This is where the context of the learning situation comes into play, which is crucial for learning success. As soon as we are faced with a problem that we can no longer avoid, we are intrinsically interested in finding a solution. As explicit learners, we are when we are confronted with specific questions in lessons and training situations and have to search for answers. We want to find the solution and are interested in educational films about the problem. The entertainment factor takes a back seat here, but is crucial for securing results. Knowledge is anchored in our memory when we need it frequently, when it moves us emotionally or when it is told in the form of stories.

Addressing the target group of learners correctly

Educational films are produced for the target group of learners, who gain experience and knowledge through them. Educational films are primarily design products, as they have to be measured against the achievement of objectives. These can be achieved through scientific or artistic methods. As a rule, educational films must primarily meet academic standards, i.e. correctly convey the current state of theory, research and practice on a topic. Educational films can develop an artistic claim if there are reasons for this in terms of content, the target group is addressed more effectively than by pure knowledge films and the desired learning success is achieved. The target group can be addressed directly or indirectly. People watch educational films for different reasons. They may be directly interested in education, looking for a solution to a problem, wanting to understand a process or interested in facts. Addressing the target group directly by addressing the central issue in the film title or title image is most effective here. If, on the other hand, the target group is to be made curious and enticed to learn, emotionally colored titles as well as word and image metaphors are far more convincing. The goal of implicit knowledge transfer is promoted by an experimental approach, as this activates natural learning factors such as the play instinct and curiosity, which ensure learning motivation and success from an early age.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W_uj3pUlHg[/youtube]

Color & Fashion Design (4:24 min), an educational film by Anja Kubitzki / Daniel Mann / Sonja Wolff for the eDidactics platform color.education

8 didactic principles for the design of educational films

Planning for Learning Success, Setting Learning Goals, and Fostering a Willingness to Learn
Learning success is at the heart of educational video design. Educational videos must be designed to be understandable, interesting, and entertaining for the target audience, as this fosters a willingness to learn. Form and content must be chosen in such a way that they optimally promote learning success and learning objectives.
Didactic reduction to a core topic
The subject area must be didactically reduced to a core topic whose learning potential can be demonstrated in terms of time and media. Previous knowledge and experience can be assumed, but should be mentioned when specifying the target group where they exceed general knowledge. Further aspects, variants and paths to the goal can be conveyed with the problem solution. Technical terms such as subject-specific images and graphics must be explained where specialist knowledge and prior experience cannot be assumed. Unanswered questions should only be left unanswered if a continuation as a series of educational films is planned.
Formulate the question or problem
The learning objectives are defined in the form of a question, which can be drawn from the theory, research, and practice of the subject area. The accuracy and validity of content-related statements can generally only be assessed in relation to the underlying question or problem statement, as the medium can only present and explain a small segment of the available knowledge and possible experiences. The question or problem statement creates the focus of the topic, helps in selecting the contextual information necessary for understanding, is central to the learning process, and encourages a substantive and formal engagement with the answer.
Research and verify the current state of research
When searching for topics, care must be taken to ensure that the learning content can be subject to academic scrutiny, as scientific standards require that only the current state of theory, research, and practice be presented. Artistic approaches must remain recognizable as such. Works of art or artists speak for themselves or are analyzed, contextualized, and classified through the expertise of various academic disciplines. Unresolved problems, divergent approaches to solutions, contradictory explanations, and differing experiential backgrounds must be identified as such. This can be achieved by comparing theses, explanatory models, and expert opinions.
Education for independent discursive thinking
Educational films should be neither didactic in part nor in their entirety, but rather cultivate in viewers and listeners a curious and critical attitude towards all forms of knowledge transfer and experience building. Every scientifically sound statement can be falsified in the future by new findings. If this is not possible, it is not science, but rather a matter of belief or personal opinion, which must be identified as such. What is correct as an answer or solution to one question or problem may lead to misleading or incorrect statements in similar cases. Therefore, it is important that every educational film allows for the identification of errors in reasoning that can easily arise when transferring or generalizing secondary knowledge. Criticism and reflection should be possible through discussions or feedback in any form.
Spark curiosity, stimulate desire, and foster empathy
The introduction serves to prepare the audience for the learning process, which is achieved by piquing the target audience’s interest in continuing to watch the educational film. At this stage, it does not matter whether the target audience has become curious for emotional or cognitive reasons. Curiosity, a sense of play, a thirst for knowledge, and a sense of enjoyment stimulate the target audience’s interest. All phases in the process of knowledge transfer and experience-building should therefore be designed so that the target audience remains emotionally and cognitively engaged with the film’s narrative until the very end.
Generate attention, use interest and curiosity, design aesthetically
The film title and cover image must attract the attention of the target group. They should not be off-putting, boring or demotivating, but serious and sophisticated. Educational films must generate interest in the subject from the first to the last second. The aesthetic standard of educational films must be high, as the form and content of educational products belong together. A low formal standard for the aesthetics of educational films has a negative effect on learning success, as it always depends on what and how something is said and shown. Unprofessional design can distort important statements or cause them to be lost altogether.
Answers, Problem-Solving, Consolidation of Learning Outcomes, and Feedback
Solving the problem posed at the beginning—or answering the question—guides the learning process and thereby influences the plot and dramatic structure of the educational film. The quality of the storyboard, production, and post-production is measured by the learning process, the achievement of learning objectives, and the sustainability of learning success. All contributors and cinematic elements must be aligned with these criteria, which makes the success of an educational film objectively measurable and evaluable. The knowledge conveyed is reinforced by increasing its conciseness, which can be achieved through summaries, repetitions, mnemonic phrases, key terms and diagrams, changes in media, or somatic markers. Somatic markers are particularly vivid emotional experiences that result in the lasting anchoring of experiences and knowledge in the brain. As a general rule, feedback should be encouraged and facilitated after each educational film, which allows for the assessment and reinforcement of learning outcomes and helps identify errors in content, narrative structure, and pedagogy.