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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

Determining the Topic
The first step in developing any educational film is identifying the topic. The content must lend itself to a narrative structure and be presented in a clear and engaging manner. Audiovisual media have a linear narrative structure that allows for temporal, spatial, and thematic shifts.
Define the Learning Objective and Develop a Research Question
The learning objective should be formulated as a clear research question that guides all subsequent learning phases until a complete and coherent answer is reached. The conception, design, and production of educational videos serve to achieve the learning objective and ensure lasting learning success.
Didactic Simplification of the Learning Unit
Each educational video is a self-contained learning unit designed to help students achieve a predefined learning objective. By didactically simplifying the complexity of the question and content, it must be ensured that the intended learning outcome is achievable. Content necessary to answer the question must be identified, linguistically structured, and presented clearly. The content must be organized in such a way that lasting learning success can be guaranteed. Forms and content that are unnecessary for answering the question should be omitted entirely or, alternatively, covered in a separate educational video. The amount of necessary content—and thus the length of the educational video—can be controlled by narrowing or broadening the question. Through problem-solving, additional aspects, variations, and paths to the goal can be conveyed. Technical terms, as well as subject-specific images and graphics, must be explained where specialized knowledge and prior experience cannot be assumed. Unresolved questions should only be left open if a subsequent discussion takes place, a continuation in the form of a series of educational videos is planned, or additional resources are cited.
Choosing a Teaching Method
The subject matter determines the teaching method. The analytical potential of educational films can be harnessed particularly effectively to teach scientific topics. Analytically structured educational films promote the transfer of knowledge and the development of experience, and enable the explanation and illustration of events, process relationships, and insights. The analytical potential of educational films can be harnessed particularly effectively to stimulate comprehension processes. Artistically structured educational films promote the aesthetic, social, and cultural development of the individual.
Title, cover image and synopsis
The title, cover image, and abstract of an educational video must be designed to successfully appeal to the target audience’s interests and clearly define the learning objective. Including and specifying keywords attracts attention and facilitates searches for both humans and algorithms.
Target Audience Analysis
Educational films are made for target audiences of learners, although, of course, entirely different audiences can also benefit from them. The curious and inquisitive mindset of the target audience—which is essential for educational success—must not be taken for granted but must be fostered through the content and narrative structure 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 ensure lasting learning success among the target audience. Educational films must be designed to be understandable, interesting, and entertaining for the target audience of learners.
Aesthetic Design and Rhetoric
The aesthetics of an educational film determine the form of perception, which in turn influences the content. The way in which something is expressed and presented shapes the viewers’ value judgments. Neglecting the formal aspects of educational film design can distort important messages or cause them to be lost entirely. Rhetoric, or the “art of speech,” is a proven means of aesthetically shaping linguistically structured content, and in the form described here, it is also well-suited for the design of educational films. No one can be forced to learn—a fact that has long been known and is further supported by the current 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, a playful spirit, a thirst for knowledge, and a sense of enjoyment are helpful in ensuring that the target audience remains engaged with the film’s narrative until the end, internalizes the content, and can present it clearly when needed.
Research and review the current state of research and practice
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 and contrasting theses, explanatory models, and expert opinions.
Education towards openness, critical thinking and the ability to engage in discourse
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 experiential learning. Educational films should promote critical thinking and an open mind, as knowledge and understanding can always be expanded or falsified. Where this is not possible, the content represents beliefs or personal opinions, which must be clearly identified as such. What is correct as an answer or solution to a particular question or problem may lead to misleading or incorrect statements in similar cases. Therefore, it is important that every educational film allows for inferences about the context, sources, and thought processes involved. Educational films should stimulate discussion, feedback, reflection, and critical evaluation of content, form, and methods.
Evaluation Criteria and Validation of Results
The design of educational videos involves defining the learning objective, which ensures that learning success can be verified. The criteria for evaluating and assessing learning success are determined by whether and to what extent learners in the target audience have achieved the specified learning objective. The evaluation criteria should be established at the beginning of the educational video design process, as they serve as key benchmarks throughout the entire design and production process. These criteria can be documented in the synopsis, thereby providing both educators and learners with clear objectives for discussion and the evaluation of learning outcomes. To ensure reliable results, it is important to consider the different objectives of academic and artistic educational films. If a scientific research question is chosen, specific factual knowledge and methodological competence can be evaluated. If an artistic question is chosen, topic-related comprehension processes and aspects of personal 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?