Didactics: audio and video in teaching
Audio and video are not just about technology, but primarily about didactic choices: when do you use them, for what purpose, and in what form? On this page, you will find tools to use audio and video in a way that truly adds value to your students’ learning.
Audio and video add value when they do more than simply convey information. For example, they help students prepare independently, as they can process complex explanations at their own pace, or get acquainted with people, situations and locations that you would not easily bring into a teaching setting.
Research into learning with multimedia shows that students often understand better when spoken explanation is combined with relevant visuals, such as a diagram, demonstration, animation or real-life example. Image and sound should then complement each other: the visual makes visible what is hard to explain in words, while the spoken commentary helps to focus attention and create meaning.
The choice for audio or video therefore does not start with the technology or format, but with the question: what do students need to learn, and why will sound or image help them do that?
- Use video, for instance, when students need to see something – an action, conversation, real-life context or visual analysis.
- Audio may be suitable when listening is central, for example for an interview, language skills, a reflection, or an explanation that students can listen to on the go.
On this page, you will find practical guidelines and examples for the educational use of audio and video. The examples below show how video can contribute to four common goals:
- creating more time for interaction during sessions,
- allowing students to process explanations at their own pace,
- encouraging active processing through assignments, and
- connecting theory with experts and real-life situations.
Supporting a flipped classroom
A helpful way to use video didactically is to have students work with the material before the session. The video then replaces (part of) the in‑class explanation and frees up time for more interaction, application and feedback when you do meet. This principle is central to the so‑called flipped classroom model.
In the flipped classroom model, your teaching centres on:
- Beforehand (self‑study): students prepare at home with materials such as videos, short texts and assignments. The basic explanation – which you would normally give in a lecture – is provided in a knowledge clip or screencast.
- During the session: you use precious on‑campus time for active learning methods: discuss questions, analyse cases, practise, solve problems together, give feedback.
- Afterwards: students can rewatch the videos for revision or to support further assignments.
On‑campus interaction time between you and your students is, in most cases, scarce. The aim of the flipped classroom model is to make the very best use of that time.
See the video alongside for an introduction to the flipped classroom model.
Revision
Students value being able to pause, rewind and rewatch explanations when they find the material challenging. The popularity of web lectures shows that they meet a need.
At the same time, there is sometimes concern that video lectures may reduce on‑campus attendance. In the flipped classroom model, the role of contact time shifts: instruction gives way to more interactive and activating learning activities. Video enables students to repeat the instruction as often as needed.
This is particularly valuable in courses with large differences in prior knowledge (for example, pre‑Master’s programmes or electives).
Integrated in an assignment
Video can stimulate active learning during self-study time. Instead of simply saying “watch this video” without a follow-up, you can link the video to concrete actions:
- Introducing the assignment
In the video, the teacher explains the assignment. Immediately after watching the video, the student can complete the assignment. - Being part of the assignment
For example, the video might contain moving images of a patient. The student could then be instructed to write a diagnosis for that patient. - Incorporating interactivity
With some educational tools, you can incorporate various forms of interactivity. An example is asking questions within the videos.
In this way, video does not become passive “viewing material,” but a starting point for processing and application.
Bringing experts and real‑world locations into your teaching
Seeing and hearing people or places outside the university can greatly enrich the learning experience. Video offers a great solution for incorporating these people and places into your course, especially when it comes to:
- people who are difficult to reach (e.g., international experts, alumni, professionals)
- locations that are difficult to visit (e.g., a hospital, courtroom, company, laboratory, field location)
With video, you can “take” students remotely to these contexts and thus bridge the gap between theory and practice.
Choose the right video format
For the didactic uses of video described above, there are four widely used video formats that any teacher can apply in their teaching. In the table below, you can see which didactic use fits which video format. At the bottom of the page you will find links to more information about these formats and how to start using them yourself.
- Classical knowledge transfer: you explain, often with slides or a screencast – the “mini‑lecture” or knowledge clip.
- Interview / dialogue: a conversation between you and a colleague, an expert, a student, or between two students.
- Demonstration: you show a procedure, experiment, analysis or method step by step (for example, in a lab, with a simulation, or via a software screencast).
- Field report: you follow a person, case or situation in practice, preferably on location.
Which common video formats fit which didactic uses of video?
| Classical knowledge transfer | Interview/dialogue | Demonstration | Field report | |
| Flipped Classroom | x | x | x | x |
| Revision | x | x | ||
| Integrated into an assignment | x | x | x | x |
| External places and people | x | x | x |