Why Video-Based Learning is a Must for Corporate eLearning
Have you considered online video-based learning for your company’s instruction and training?
What Are the Benefits of Video-Based Learning?
You are not alone: e-learning is now the number one area of spending for learning and development. But what makes video-based training so appealing?
In addition to being easier to distribute, e-learning provides many advantages for both employers and employees–including impressive levels of short-term and long-term retention for students. Take a deeper dive into the world of video-based learning to understand industry trends and the many advantages of this method of instruction.
Statistics on Current Video-Based Learning
We all know that the global pandemic turned business on its head and forced many employers to initiate work-from-home policies. But well before the pandemic, e-learning was quickly becoming the go-to method of instruction.
According to Training Magazine, 88% of large companies, 77% of mid-sized companies, and 64% of small companies were already using video training prior to the pandemic––and roughly 63% of corporations already relied on self-paced virtual elearning to train individuals and teams.
In another 2019 study of more than 2,000 companies, 75% of trainers were actively using video-based training compared to the previous year when just 46% had utilized this form of e-learning instruction.
Do these increased levels of video-based training come as a surprise? When we consider today’s technological trends, not really. . . we’ve seen this coming in social media and internet trends. It’s difficult to remember life before YouTube, which quickly became both a source of entertainment and instruction. And yearly, YouTube viewership continues to increase: Statista projects that in 2021, global online video platform viewers will total 1.86 billion–an increase from 1.47 billion in 2017 (2018)
In general, social media continues to move away from text and images and replace this medium with video content. In younger working demographics, platforms such as Instagram (which now heavily promotes its IG stories and Reels) and TikTok dominate the market. It’s no wonder that in 2019, 98% of organizations claimed they planned to incorporate video into their digital learning strategy in the next year.
With such a staggering increase in the use (and investment) of video content, it is evident that e-learning and instructional videos are here to stay. But what are the advantages of corporate training videos as opposed to traditional instructor-led training?
Efficacy of Video-Based Learning
Most obviously, video-based learning appeals to the preferences of modern-day employees. Forrester Research reports that employees are 75% more likely to watch a video than to read a document, email, or article. Yet video-based training is not just a tool that meets the needs of most employees: it is also an effective training strategy that produces much higher retention results than the traditional classroom training setting.
How so? According to Psychology Today, the human brain can process videos 60,000 quicker than it can text. Yet the brain does not just process video content faster: it also retains this content at a much higher rate of success as well.
The Visual Teaching Alliance reports that learners tend to recall just 10% of textual content, yet remember 65% of visual content and 95% of audio-visual content. Video-based learning therefore allows employers to blend visual and audio media in a way that provides the most effective (and engaging) training for producing immediate retention results.
E-learning with video also produces staggering long-term retention results. SAVO Group (now Seismic) reports that only one week after a traditional training session, most employees forget 65% of the instructional content. (Yikes.) After six months, employees forget 90% of all content covered. (Yikes again.) Yet the incorporation of video actually improves learning retention: presentations with video result in an immediate 9% retention rate increase; over time, the retention rate is an astonishing 83% higher than traditional learning (Panopto, 2019)
Advantages of Video-Based Learning
In addition to increased information retention, video-based learning also provides many advantages to both the employer and the employee. Consider some of these many advantages for this style of instruction.
1. Flexibility and ease
Forget the need to schedule a training session or seminar based on everyone’s schedules. With video-based learning, employers can assign training to employees at a time that works around the employee’s schedule and responsibilities.
Considering that corporations spend 46.7 hours of training annually (61 hours for smaller companies), this new dynamic makes it much easier for corporations to deliver the required training to each employee (Training Mag, 2019).
2. Cost-effectiveness
Video-based training can either eliminate or sharply decrease the need for training-related travel. In an average (non-pandemic) year, corporations spend $111.7 billion and $31.6 billion on domestic and international training travel, respectively: a typical trip costs companies $949 for domestic travel and $2,600 for international travel per person (Certify, 2020).
Video-style instruction may eliminate the need for this travel. In addition to cutting costs spent on training-related travel and accommodation, video training keeps employees in the office (or home office) and helps companies avoid lost time that may normally be spent on employee travel days.
Video training also cuts costs by reducing expenditures related to tangible educational materials like printed handbooks, binders, and pamphlets. These materials often require updating, which can additionally be costly (and wasteful).
3. Consistency of training material content, voice, and branding
Instructor-led training not only offers challenges in regard to scheduling and costs but also puts the quality and content of the training entirely in the hands of the trainer. In a traditional training setting, companies cannot fully guarantee consistency in their training materials, the quality of the training sessions, or the content covered.
For example, trainers could go off-script, forget to cover some content, or not properly express the company’s voice. But with video-based training, corporations have complete control over their training materials. The training content always reflects the company’s voice, branding, and message and places control over training back in the hands of the business.
4. A clear record of training compliance
Many companies are required to meet state or federal regulations related to employee training. This can be industry-specific (such as OSHA safety training) or span multiple industries (such as anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training).
By digitizing training, employers have proof of compliance with government regulations regarding employee training and development. If an agency ever asks to see proof of instruction on the required topics, employers can easily produce clear proof of corporate training video content. This saves time (and a lot of stress!)
5. A scalable business model for growth
All companies hope to grow. Will your training materials grow alongside your organization? With video-based learning, managers and administrators have a detailed record of their organization’s training materials (and an in-depth understanding of the information provided to all employees).
Should an administrator who is in charge of training leave the company, other employees can easily step into this new role and continue training. Video-training therefore reduces any gaps in education and training and lessens the learning curve for new managers. This helps keep your operations on track for steady growth.
6. Improved communication with third-party vendors or partners
Many organizations work alongside partner companies or vendors who require knowledge of specific industry practices. Video-based learning makes it easy to share training materials with these entities: in turn, this helps improve communication and workflow among all parties involved.
Selecting a reliable and competent creator for your employee training videos is the first step in developing your company’s employee video training program. Are you ready to create or strengthen your e-learning content? Contact Ninja Tropic today for a free consult.
