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What is an educational film?

The term “educational film” has not yet been clearly defined in the sciences, which is why I would like to define it from the perspective of didactics.

Table of Contents Chapter:

Theory of the educational film

What is an educational film?
What is the relationship between teaching personality and authorship?
Why do educational films have to be interesting, entertaining and convincing?
How can the educational potential of educational films be activated for learning success?
What significance does the target group have for the successful conception of educational films?
What is the difference between scientific and artistic educational films?
How can the potential of educational films be used for knowledge communication?
What contribution does educational film reception make to general and specialist education?
What contribution does educational film production make to professional and media skills?

Rhetorical design of educational films

What is film rhetoric and what are its benefits for educational films?
Three methods of educational film rhetoric
Five design phases of educational film rhetoric
The aesthetics of the educational film – Rhetorical stylistic figures
Selection of important rhetorical devices

Conclusion:

10 didactic criteria for the definition of educational films:

Educational films are audiovisual media whose production and reception primarily serve to promote teaching and learning processes.
Educational films are audiovisual media that enable the targeted and method-guided achievement of learning objectives.
The analytical potential of educational films promotes the transfer of knowledge and experience and enables the explanation and illustration of events, process contexts and findings.
The artistic potential of educational films promotes processes of understanding and enables the aesthetic, social and cultural formation of the personality.
The characteristics of educational films include the “clear recognizability of the learning objective”, the “resonance-generating addressing of the target group”, the “didactic effectiveness of the teaching method”, the “comprehensible communication of content”, the “relevant generation of attention”, the “lasting sustainability of the learning processes” and the “criteria-based verifiability of learning success”.
Addressing the target group is the starting and fixed point in the conception and production of educational films, whose interests and reception skills are determined by individual factors such as age, gender, socialization, education, culture, religion, family and origin.
The use of creative and technical means, such as image, sound, language, movement, perspective, color, light, place and time, acting, dramaturgy, camera and editing, primarily serves the learning success in the educational film.
A basic distinction can be made between scientific and artistic forms of educational films, which can be characterized in terms of educational objective, methodology and aesthetics. Mixed forms are useful if they promote learning success.
In scientific educational films, the learning objective is defined in the form of a clearly understandable question. The content reflects the current state of theory, research and practice in the selected subject area. Subjective opinions must remain recognizable as such. Statements must be substantiated by sources. The technical accuracy must not be impaired by a reduction in content and artistic means. The content is didactically reduced to such an extent that it is possible to answer the question clearly and unambiguously at the end.
In the case of artistic educational films, the learning objective is defined by the effects achieved by teachers and learners through reception and production. The intended effects (learning objective) are determined by the intentionality of the author. The learning success is shown by the reactions of the recipients. Since the learning process for artistic educational films is largely implicit, it must be made explicit in order to initiate understanding processes and ensure learning success through didactic means such as joint film discussions, independent film analyses, interpretations or creative interventions.

10 didactic criteria for the successful design of educational films

Determine the topic
Every educational film concept starts with finding a topic. The content must be narratively structured and easy to convey. Audiovisual media have a linear narrative structure that allows for temporal, spatial and thematic leaps.
Determine the learning objective and develop a question
The learning objective should be formulated in the form of a comprehensible question that will guide all further learning phases until a complete and conclusive answer is found. The conception, design and production of educational films serve to achieve the learning objective and ensure sustainable learning success.
Didactic reduction of the learning unit
Each learning film is a self-contained learning unit that enables the achievement of a previously defined learning objective. By didactically reducing the complexity of the questions and content, it must be ensured that the desired learning success can be achieved. Content that is necessary to answer the question must be defined, linguistically structured and clearly presented. The content must be arranged in such a way that sustainable learning success can be guaranteed. Forms and content that are unnecessary to answer the question should be completely omitted or alternatively taught in another educational film. The quantity of necessary content and thus the length of the educational film can be controlled by narrowing down and expanding the question. 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 remain in the room if a subsequent discussion takes place, a continuation is planned in the form of an educational film series or further sources are mentioned.
Choice of teaching method
The topic determines the teaching method. The analytical potential of educational films can be used particularly effectively to convey scientific topics. Analytically structured educational films promote the transfer of knowledge and experience and enable the explanation and illustration of events, process contexts and findings. The analytical potential of educational films can be used particularly effectively to stimulate comprehension processes. Artistically structured educational films promote the aesthetic, social and cultural development of the personality.
Title, cover picture and table of contents
The title, cover picture and abstract of an educational film must be designed in such a way that the interests of the target group are successfully addressed and the learning objective is recognizable. The inclusion and specification of keywords attracts attention and makes searching easier for both humans and algorithms.
Target group analysis
Educational films are made for target groups of learners, although of course completely different recipients can also benefit from them. The target group’s basic attitude of curiosity and eagerness to learn, which is necessary for educational success, must not be taken for granted, but must be generated by the content and dramaturgy of the educational film. The form and content of an educational film must be determined and designed in such a way that they optimally promote the achievement of the learning objective and the sustainable assurance of learning success for the intended target group. Educational films must be designed to be understandable, interesting and entertaining for the target group of learners.
Aesthetic design and rhetoric
The aesthetics of the educational film determine the form of perception, which in turn affects the content. The way in which something is expressed and visualized determines the value judgement of the recipient. By neglecting the formal level in the educational film design, important messages can be distorted or lost completely. Rhetoric or “oratory” is a proven means of aesthetically designing linguistically structured content, which is also suitable for the design of educational films in the form described here. Nobody can be forced to learn, which has been known for a long time and has also been proven by the state of neuroscience. Educational films are based on the art of convincing their target audience to learn through effective arguments. Cognitive and emotional factors such as curiosity, playfulness, curiosity and pleasure are useful if the target group remains involved in the film until the end, internalizes the result and can present it in a comprehensible way if necessary.
Research and review the state of research and practice
When searching for topics, attention must be paid to the possibility of subject-specific examination of the learning content, since according to scientific standards only the state of theory, research and practice may be shown. Artistic approaches must remain recognizable as such. Works of art or artistic personalities speak for themselves or are analyzed, contextualized and classified by the expertise of various disciplines. Unresolved problems, divergent approaches to solutions, contradictory explanations and different backgrounds of experience must be identified as such. This can be achieved by comparing theories, explanatory models and expert opinions.
Education for openness, critical thinking and discourse skills
Educational films should not be instructive in parts or as a whole, but should educate viewers and listeners to adopt an inquisitive and critical attitude towards all forms of knowledge transfer and experiential education. Educational films should promote scientific criticism and an open mindset, as knowledge and insight can always be expanded or falsified. Where this is not possible, these are principles of faith or personal opinions that must be identified as such. What is correct as an answer or solution for one question or problem may already lead to misleading or incorrect statements for similar cases. It is therefore important that every educational film allows conclusions to be drawn about the framework conditions, sources and thought structures. Educational films should stimulate discussion, feedback and reflection as well as critical evaluation of content, form and methods.
Evaluation criteria and securing results
The conception of educational films includes the determination of the learning objective, which ensures the verifiability of the learning success. The criteria for evaluating and assessing learning success are based on the question of whether and to what extent the learners in the target group have achieved the specified learning objective. The evaluation criteria should be established at the beginning of the educational film conception, as they form important objectives in the entire conception and production process. The criteria can be written down in the table of contents, giving teachers and learners alike objectives for the discourse and the evaluation of learning success. When securing results, it is important to consider the different objectives of scientific and artistic educational films. If the form of a scientific question has been chosen, concrete factual knowledge and methodological competence can be evaluated. If the form of an artistic question has been chosen, subject-related understanding processes and characteristics of personality development can be evaluated.

10 didactic criteria for the analysis, assessment and evaluation of educational films

The focus of the assessment and evaluation of educational films is on learning success. The analysis of learning success must be carried out objectively and lead to the creation of comprehensible assessment criteria. 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.

Definition of the learning objective: Has the learning objective been clearly defined? What relevance does the topic of the educational film have for general or specialist education?
Film rhetorical concept: Does the question and the appearance of the educational film generate attention and interest among the target group? Were the learning ability and learning behavior of the target group correctly analyzed? Is the learning objective achievable by the target group? Which rhetorical method and which rhetorical means are used to address, convince and sustainably ensure the learning success of the target group?
Content-related communication concept: What knowledge and experiences should be conveyed to the recipients through the educational film? Are the contents described necessary and sufficient for achieving and securing the learning objective? Is the content described well researched and backed up by sources? To what extent does storytelling help to achieve the learning objective and ensure sustainable learning success?
Methodological teaching concept: Is a teaching method recognizable and to what extent does it serve to achieve the learning objective and ensure sustainable learning success?
Media didactic concept: Is the storyboard emotionally convincing, clear in terms of content and methodically structured in a meaningful way? Are filmic means used effectively to achieve the learning objective and to ensure sustainable learning success? Is the necessary media didactic reduction demonstrated in the storyboard? In what context is the use of the educational film particularly effective?
Media design concept: What function does the media design have in achieving the learning objective and ensuring sustainable learning success? Are the design ideas and presentation techniques listed in the storyboard used methodically and sensibly? To what extent does the form of the educational film support the communication and discourse of the content?
Media technology concept: Is there a realistic plan for the temporal, organizational and technical process of the film production (concept phase, planning phase, production phase, post-production phase) and how well was it prepared?
Quality of implementation: What is the aesthetic, content-related and didactic quality of the educational film? How high is the entertainment value of the educational film and what contribution does it make to achieving the learning objective and ensuring sustainable learning success? How effective is the relationship between the effort and benefit of the educational film for the learning success of the target group?
Educational value: What educational value does the educational film have for the target group? What value does the knowledge have for the general and professional education of the target group? What emotions and feelings are aroused in the target group and does this succeed in creating empathy? To what extent does the educational film enable individual support for the recipients? Are there opportunities for internal differentiation, taking into account the cognitive, social, cultural and emotional diversity of the target group?
Evaluation: To what extent was the learning objective achieved through the film reception? Does the educational film reach its target group? How is the educational film rated by the target group? Was there a discourse on the educational film and what role does it play in learning success? How sustainable is the learning success?