The Best of Both Worlds: Using Instruqt as a Video Production Platform

Video is a powerful medium for presenting educational content. I use it all the time.

These days, my first stop when learning a new technology is to watch video tutorials on the subject. After I watch a few videos, I’ll download the code and do the usual quickstarts. Then, to really get the hang of things, I’ll apply the code to a real-world use case of my own design. At that point, I am usually deep into the documentation.

The pattern has served me well over the years. But, it is a bit inefficient in that after watching a video I have to take time to set up the relevant tutorial code on a local machine. Most times the code works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Fortunately, using Instruqt as a quickstart platform does away with the risk. There’s no set up labor involved for the learner because setting up and configuring the machine required to run the code is built into an Instruqt track. And, depending on the objective of the track, I can pre-install the source code. For the learner, it’s just a matter of clicking the Start button for a comprehensive learning experience. Everything needed to work with the code is there from the start.

Instruqt also has an added benefit. It can be used as a powerful platform for video production. Allow me to elaborate.

A key principle in learning theory is repetition. There’s a rule in advertising called the Rule of Seven which basically says that in order for a message to stick, a subject needs to be exposed to it seven times. The same is true in general education. Students rarely learn something at first glance. They need to be exposed to a concept or technique repeatedly. This principle is particularly applicable to learning software. Repeated exposure increases retention.

The more exact the repetition, the faster retention occurs.

So, what does this have to do with video production?

As I mentioned earlier, video tutorials are my first step in learning how to use a particular software technology. But, there’s a problem in that many times the video viewing experience is disjointed from the hands-on experience of working with the code. Learners view the video tutorial and then have to go through the effort of doing the setup housekeeping in order to do the tutorial hands on. This gap between viewing the video and going hands-on slows down the repetition cycle needed for timely retention.

This is where Instruqt comes into play!

The technique I’ve started to use in my Instruqt development activities is to create an Instruqt track and then do a screen recording of the track. When it comes time to publish, I’ll release the video along with the Instruqt track. Typically, I’ll put a link to the track on the web page hosting the video. Then in the video I’ll say something like, “Now that you’ve viewed the video, do this tutorial in Instruqt at the link posted below.”

Here is an example:

-> Go to this link to take the actual Instruqt tutorial shown in this video <-

The overall benefit is that the learner has a continuous, repetitive learning experience. The content shown in the video is available immediately in the Instruqt track in an interactive manner and the content is the same in both the video and the Instruqt track. Hence, repetition is implicit.

As you can tell, I am a big fan of Instruqt. It’s a teaching tool that’s versatile and comprehensive. I’ve found that using the Instruqt platform to create video content has extended its effectiveness. Repeating content in a variety of formats increases learner retention which is essential for adopting a technology. Using Instruqt as a video production platform requires nothing more than the ability to do a narrated screen recording. It’s easy and you’ll find it’s fun too.

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