Course description

Need to show people how to do something, again and again? This course shows you, step by step, how to make short training and how-to videos that people can actually follow, using the phone and computer you already have. No video experience is needed.

It's a full course, not a quick tour. There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons. You follow a library assistant through seven months of making "Digital Help" videos for residents and training videos for staff, including the mistakes along the way: a video that was far too long, a recording that nearly showed a member's details, captions that got the words wrong and a video that went out of date overnight. Every section has a worksheet, answers, a cheat sheet and ready-made templates and workbooks.

What you'll learn

• Planning: one task per video, the right style for the job, learning goals, task steps and a script that sounds like you.
• Privacy: practice accounts, a tidy screen and a check of every frame before you publish.
• Recording: screen recordings on a computer, phone or tablet, demos, talking heads, light and clear sound.
• Editing: a rough cut, pacing for learners, on-screen text, zooms and a simple house style.
• Sound: voiceovers, cleaning up speech, and music and images within copyright rules.
• Accessibility: checked captions, transcripts and step guides, contrast and videos for less confident learners.
• Publishing and results: exporting, titles and chapters, who can see what, a version log, feedback from real learners and what the numbers can and can't tell you.

The final projects

You'll plan and script a short how-to video for your own learners, then record, edit, caption and publish it and try it out with one learner. A project brief, a review workbook and a handover checklist are included.

Who this course is for

• Trainers, managers and team leaders who explain the same tasks to new starters.
• Teachers, tutors, library and council staff who help people use websites, apps and equipment.
• Small business owners, charity staff and volunteers who want clear how-to videos for customers or members.

How the course works

Read each lesson, then do the practical task using the templates in the practice pack. The lessons are tool-neutral, so the steps work with any screen recorder or video editor, including free ones. Where the rules matter, such as data protection, consent, copyright and accessibility, it gives general information, not legal advice, and points you to the Information Commission (still known as the ICO), the Intellectual Property Office and GOV.UK. Go at your own pace and keep lifetime access.

What will I learn?

• Plan short how-to videos around one task and a clear learning goal
• Break a task into steps and write a script that sounds like you
• Record clean, private screen recordings on a computer, phone or tablet
• Film demos and talking-head videos with good light and clear sound
• Edit at a pace learners can follow, with clear on-screen text
• Record a voiceover and use music and images within copyright rules
• Make videos accessible with checked captions, transcripts and good contrast
• Publish, organise, measure and keep a library of training videos up to date

Frequently asked questions