Is it live or is it Memorex?

Abstract

This paper describes our experiences in transferring training materials from classroom-lecture format to videotape. While three distinct perspectives are represented - the instructional designer's, the classroom instructor/video presenter's, and the television developer's - we weave together the interrelationships of these roles. The paper covers the conceptual process of course design for the video medium and includes content development techniques. We include tips on television techniques, hints for visual thinking, and do's and don't's to worry about. Observations are drawn from our two-year project to develop eight instructional tapes on introductory computer concepts. The relatively informal style of this paper is intentional This is to reflect the fact that the process described was informal. We call your attention to this since there is a danger of the television development process being overformalized and the resulting products becoming static and stilted. Creating instructional videotapes can be FUN; it doesn't need to be painful. Our paper relates what we did and what we experienced. It's not intended to be a prescription; your experiences will probably be different.