Educational facilities are tasked with teaching people new skills and imparting knowledge to them in a set amount of time with a structured curriculum. They also have to do it in a welcoming environment that ensures everyone absorbs the information being presented to them in a way that they can take it and use it in their own lives.And this is why animated explainer videos lend themselves well to the education industry. They’re all about explaining things in a compelling manner in a short amount of time. They’re flexible and they can help students understand difficult concepts or they can be used for staff training purposes or as a welcoming orientation for newly arrived students. Some examples:
In-Class video to help explain a complex theory or idea.
Welcoming video that orients new students to school, particularly university.
Online video to introduce new organizations connected to the school, such as an alumni group.
Recruiting video for prospective students.
Staff training video for teachers or other staff about new policies and procedures.
Fundraising video asking for money for new facilities.
Benefits of Using Animated Explainer Videos in Education
vazovsky/FlickrRegardless of the education level of the students, any educational institution can see benefits from using animated videos. Here are some of the biggest benefits educational institutions can see.
More Engaged Students
Of course videos should be used somewhat sparingly in classes, but they can break up long lectures and grab students’ attention and get them more engaged in classes. For younger students, animation automatically holds special appeal, but even for adults, it’s compelling to watch and can make even difficult concepts easy to follow.
Increased Participation in Groups
Groups like alumni associations or various clubs or fraternities can bump up their numbers with animated videos while also explaining their policies, values, etc. to prospective new members. Videos can easily be shared on social media, expanding their reach.
Expanded Online Presence
Online learning is growing as more schools offer courses over the internet. An animated video can be a key part of an online class’ curriculum or it can be used to recruit new students to the school. Educational institutions can use them on their websites, social media or in their marketing to help solidify their branding efforts.
Improved Fundraising
Schools are in constant need of funding, but asking for money is never an easy task. Using an animated explainer video helps with money requests by easing into it and giving people a sneak peek at what you plan to do with the capital once it’s raised. To be educational, these videos don’t necessarily have to be used by educational institutions. Companies can use them to teach employees or the general public, as well. They make learning easier, regardless of the subject or where they are being used. At a time when so many things are vying for the attention of students, staff and people in general, animated explainer videos can help educators and employers cut through the wall of noise and connect with the people they need to.
Examples:
We regularly work with educational institutions. Here are some examples we’ve done for various schools.
Reaching out to alumni to promote events and recruit volunteers …
Maple Ridge Christian SchoolAnimated explainer videos have so many great uses in the educational field. If you are in the education industry or you just need a video for educational purposes, Click here to schedule an appointment with WizMotionsto see how we can help you make the perfect video for your educational institution.
One of the great things here at WizMotions is that we get to work with a large variety of clients. From small businesses just getting started to long established brands and from non-profits to educational institutions, we serve all kinds of organizations.
We wanted to shine a well-deserved spotlight on some of these clients who are doing amazing things and talk to them about how they are using their animated videos.
This month, we talk to the Oregon State University Alumni Association (OSUAA). Founded in 1873, the association has been in continuous service since that time, serving as the oldest organization on the OSU campus not directly related to academics. A non-profit organization, the group promotes the university and offers a bevy of services to OSU alumni.
Better than Email
Matt Fenstermaker
The OSUAA needed their videos to serve the dual purpose of promoting their Summer Send-Off events to incoming students and enticing OSU alumni to volunteer at the events. Early Engagement Director for OSUAA Matt Fenstermaker said he chose to go with an animated video because he liked how animation stands out and doesn’t get forgotten about like an email does.
“I was looking for some different ways to advertise/explain this event to students,” Fenstermaker said. “Emails/post with just text get lost so I thought a video would be something different/more appealing to use.”
Part of the reason OSUAA went with animation also had to do with it being a much easier form of video than live action.
“We didn’t have any footage of our events in the past to use,” the early engagement director revealed. “Animation also seemed to be the easier route … not having to find actors, film crew, etc.”
The Process
Fenstermaker took a hands-off approach to the video production, simply telling Wizmotion what message the organization wanted and who it was aimed at and letting them take it from there.
Oregon State University/Flickr
The main purpose of the videos was to introduce incoming students to OSU Summer Send-Off events in Seattle, northern and southern California and throughout Oregon and let them know how to register for these events and what they could expect to learn while attending them. It also had other goals like informing OSU alumni of the events and getting them interested in volunteering and acting as the Summer Send-Off events home on the OSUAA website.
Fenstermaker told WizMotions that he preferred a story-based approach to the video based on the students’ experiences. Wizmotions took this information and created a friendly, welcoming and inviting video explaining what students can expect from their Summer Send-Off experience and prompting them to register for an event on the OSUAA website.
By opting for a compelling animated video instead of plain text, the OSUAA ensured it was able to deliver a message to its target audience that would not get lost amid a sea of emails. If you want your message to stand out and not get lost in the shuffle, click here to schedule an appointment for a free consultation with WizMotionsto see how we can help you make the perfect business video.
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One of the great things here at WizMotions is that we get to work with a large variety of clients. From small businesses just getting started to long established brands and from non-profits to educational institutions, we serve all kinds of organizations.
We wanted to shine a well-deserved spotlight on some of these clients who are doing amazing things and talk to them about how they are using their animated videos.
Phil Roeder/Flickr
First up is Augustana College. Based in Rock Island, IL, Augustana is a private liberal arts college that offers more than 90 majors and other academic programs in the traditional liberal arts and sciences. It also offers pre-professional programs and certificates.
Augustana provides students with unique learning benefits from its location in the Quad Cities, its high ranking for Academic All-Americans, and its Augie Choice funding program for high-impact learning experiences. In addition, as a residential liberal arts college, Augustana is able to integrate activities on campus with students’ academic lives.
Animation Appeal
Augustana had wanted to try using animation for a while, says Editorial Director Beth Roberts, who works in the Office of Communication and Marketing at the college. The school chose animation so it could appeal to both prospective college students just coming out of high school and their families.
Beth Roberts
However, Roberts adds, Augustana didn’t want their videos to be too cartoony because the message is also aimed at prospective employers and concerns professional skills and qualities.
“We thought the stick-figure animation could deliver a serious message in a light-hearted way,” Roberts said.
The college had some hefty goals to accomplish with their animated videos. They wanted to show prospective employers that Augustana students are highly employable while also showing prospective students that Augustana is a place where they can gain skills that will land them lucrative careers.
“We wanted to demonstrate to employers that our grads are highly employable, and to show potential students how they can gain such qualities here at Augustana,” Roberts said. “We also wanted those students and their parents see that we are connecting employers with our students. Our immediate goal was to include these videos as part of our ‘yield’ for the current admission cycle, aiming for 700+ students to commit to Augustana by May 1, 2017.”
The Process
Roberts, along with Augustana Creative Director Quan Vi; Director of Recruitment Communications Meghan Cooley; and Assistant VP of Communication and Marketing Keri Rursch, looked at data collected by the college. They identified three main skills that employers are interested in that students also develop at Augustana. Those skills were:
Communication
Leadership
Problem-Solving
Working on the process one video at a time, Roberts wrote the scripts and envisioned the initial concepts for the artwork. Then, she and her colleagues fleshed out the concepts in the final videos, working with Federico Perez at WizMotions. Each video addressed one of the three skills, showing how Augustana helps students develop that particular skill.
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While it’s not yet possible to tell how much their animated videos have helped the school with admissions for the current admissions cycle, the numbers for new admissions are well ahead of the last few years at this point in the year. The increased admissions are due to a number of factors, including an increased presence on social media.
“The higher-ed market is in constant flux,” Roberts said, “and it’s not always easy to see exactly why our market share increases or decreases”
Although Augustana is happy with the videos, Roberts says, if she had to repeat the process, she would want to determine in advance exactly what deadlines the school needed to meet, stage by stage, in order to meet its final deadline to make the process smoother.
From prospective students and their families to prospective employers, Augustana College identified their target audience and used research and data to form their video concepts to appeal to those target audiences. A comprehensive approach like this is the best way to create a video that will provide maximum return on investment.
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