These outcomes are routine for Ethan Anderson, Director of Product Management for NOLA Education’s Star Academy. In this short interview, he explains how Star Academy leverages research, video, and multimodal learning to increase engagement and drive academic and social success. 

His insights are invaluable for developing video-based learning, professional training videos, and thought leadership content. By watching this interview, you’ll learn how to: 

• Use AI for creating training videos 
• Optimize video length for retention
• Incorporate video into multimodal learning
• Leverage research to achieve a 95% video success rate
• Save hours by using video for rapid prototyping & feedback 

How Star Academy Leverages Video-Based Learning For Student Success

Star Academy’s top priority is engaging at-risk students. Anderson’s role is to design solutions that drive real academic gains. Star Academy’s winning formula rests on research‑backed, highly engaging videos that help learners advance quickly and confidently.

What Makes The Star Academy Education Program Unique?

Star Academy students participate in a project-based curriculum supported by dedicated lab space for collaborative projects. In practice, classes are delivered in multiple formats, combining instructor-led sessions, desk-based applied experiments, and blended learning videos that connect screen-based interaction with real-world applications. 

At their desks, students engage with STEM toys, tools, and experiments—like rocket ships and volcanoes—while high-quality, cinematic videos enhance the digital learning experience. This structured alternation between screen time and kinesthetic activity deepens engagement and comprehension.

“Our program transforms learning from a passive, screen-only experience into a hands-on, immersive one. This powerful combo boosts engagement so much that students are excited to return to school.” 

Ethan Anderson, Star Academy

Six Principles for Engaging Video-Based Learning

Know Your Learner First 

Gaining market insights doesn’t need to be complicated, says Anderson. He encourages video creators and product managers to observe how end users interact with the product. 

“Go out and talk to the users and observe their how they use your product. You’d be surprised at how many people do not do that. If a 1,000-user research session brings you to 100%, you can get to 70% by talking to just five people.” 

Ethan Anderson, Star Academy

In the interview, Anderson shares examples of questions to ask and what to observe when learning how an audience engages with your video or product. For example, here are some prompts: 

Ask: 

• What type of videos do you generally watch? 
• What did you think of this video or product? 
• What did you like about the video or product? 
• What did you not like?

Observe: 

• Who are they? 
• How long do they watch the videos? 
• What do they do when not watching the video or using this product?
• What do they generally expect to see from similar videos or products? 
• What patterns are they comfortable with on the screen (e.g., colors, contrast, speed, and edit cadence)?  

This type of qualitative market research looks through the lens of the person who will watch that video.

We’ve seen this push for customer understanding from our interview with Autumn Manning at Faana. She stressed the importance of knowing customers—their needs, challenges, desires, and what it means to succeed. Without that knowledge, she argues, a go-to-market initiative will fail. See her video here.

“Before you start producing videos that somebody will consume, you must understand your user.” 

Ethan Anderson, Star Academy

Leverage Story & Motion

Good storytelling leads to more engaging learning experiences—it’s also a key element in Anderson’s four-part formula for creating great training videos:

• Ensure every frame of the video is intentional. 
• Open with a clear hook, using scenarios or characters to illustrate concepts. 
• Follow a miniature narrative arc (e.g., problem → exploration → solution) and wrap up before engagement wanes. 
• Embed quizzes, polls, and other interactive elements to further engage learners and check understanding.

“When you pair video engagement data with real learner outcomes—like quizzes, performance, and follow-ups—you don’t just guess what works. You know what drives lasting impact.” 

Ethan Anderson, Star Academy

Other important considerations for highly engaging video content include establishing a clear visual hierarchy and clarity with high contrast, clear on-screen titles, and consistent branding. Moreover, the editing cadence must provide balance without too many rapid cuts or long static shots.

Keep Videos Short, Cinematic, & Consistent

Research suggests excessive social media use is associated with shorter attention spans, which helps explain why learners often struggle to maintain focus when engaging with instructional content.

Moreover, in Anderson’s experience, many of today’s students aren’t interested in traditional 10-minute or even 3-minute “micro-learning” videos. They respond best to ultra-short content, about 15-30 seconds long. 

“Aligning educational video with student needs has evolved due to how people consume media today. While ten‑minute micro‑lessons once felt revolutionary, today’s learners—especially the TikTok generation—respond best to concise “knowledge snacks.” 

Ethan Anderson, Star Academy

Use Video Analytics for Better Engagement & Learning Outcomes

Quantitative video analytics cannot fully uncover how viewers engage with training videos. Anderson shares helpful tips for evaluating engagement with multiple types of data. He also discusses leading and lagging signals in content design and the difference between quantitative and qualitative data in measuring effectiveness. 

“You may not know what resonates with those watchers. The default place to look is my [analytics] dashboard. We make many potentially impactful decisions about our business based on that dashboard. But you can also do qualitative independent research after it’s been published, like follow-up surveys. If we properly structure our user testing, I can almost guarantee a successful product with 95% certainty.” 

Ethan Anderson, Star Academy

When combined with thoughtful user testing and qualitative follow-up, video analytics become a powerful tool—not just for tracking engagement, but for predicting the success of your content.

Think Like a Product Manager

Anderson’s experience in software development, multimedia production, user experience, and product management gives him a unique perspective on gaining stakeholder buy-in.

He treats video as a rapid prototyping tool. For example, before spending hours creating training videos, he builds low-fidelity “animatics” (i.e., stick figures with voice-over) to validate a storyline or video flow. He does the same to gain support for new educational applications using tools like After Effects and Figma, allowing him to create a clickable demonstration in hours, not months. 

This lean, feedback-driven approach accelerates alignment and saves time. 

“I like to view video development and performance like a product manager—using early prototype feedback to shape content before launch, and analytics and conversations to refine it after.” 

Ethan Anderson, Star Academy

Thoughtful Use of AI for Boosting Video Engagement

AI isn’t a magic wand. Instead, Anderson views AI as a thought partner, rather than an automated content creator. 

He suggests that AI’s real power lies in two areas:

Creative Collaboration (Beginning Phase) 

Use AI to help shape your ideas. Let it:

• Evaluate whether your story is worth telling.
• Help structure your story using proven frameworks like the hero’s journey.
• Offer feedback on character development and emotional impact.
• Serve as a second set of eyes to improve clarity and engagement.

Automation of Repetitive Tasks (End Phase)

Once your creative vision is clear, AI can massively increase efficiency by:

• Automating repetitive tasks like formatting, tagging, or captioning.
• Scaling production tasks that would otherwise take hours.

Anderson’s key takeaway: Use AI as a brainstorming partner up front and an automation engine at the end—this strategy can tenfold your workflow.

The Real Impact of Video-Based Learning

The transformative power of video is clear in Star Academy student outcomes. Anderson shares compelling stories of increased attendance and students making remarkable gains—some advancing from remedial classes to college acceptance.  

While it may sound ambitious, providing students with engaging video content opens doors to growth, critical thinking, social connection, and lasting success. 

Boost Video-Based Learning Outcomes

Watch the full interview to discover more concrete strategies that boost video-based learning outcomes, cut production time in half, and generate positive outcomes for learners. Don’t miss it—watch now.

The post Video-Based Learning Solutions: A Playbook for Student Success appeared first on SproutVideo.

In this post, we’ll go over some important details you need to consider before you begin producing your instructional video. Then, we’ll cover the different aspects and options of the video itself. 

What is the Purpose and Who is the Target Audience for the Video?

The first questions you should askyourself are: What do you intend to accomplish with this video, and who is going to watch it?

Is this a how-to video meant to provide step-by-step instructions on how to use your company’s product or service? Does it need to be a longer in-depth series of tutorials on using software? Or is it meant for internal use? Are you training employees with a specific skill, or informing them about company policies and practices?

Once you know who you’re making your video for and why, then you can begin to plan how you’re going to achieve it.

How Long Should an Instructional Video Be?

One of the biggest considerations is the length of your video. As a general rule of thumb, shorter is better. People typically prefer instructional videos to be under 20 minutes in length. And the 3- 6-minute range is ideal, according to TechSmith.

Once a video exceeds 20 minutes, viewer retention drops off steeply. That being said, sometimes the learning objective calls for a longer video. If that’s the case, it’s better to break up a longer video into smaller segments.

Work Off of a Script

You need a script. This applies to voiceovers, on-camera lines, and visual text. A script will help you stay organized and figure out how long your video should be and what elements it needs. Even if you’re just planning to do a screencast, it helps to have your talking points mapped out. Ad libbing will only lead to mistakes that require retakes and consume more of your time.

The script is where the structure of your video really takes shape. Start with a clear outline of the main points you want to cover, and organize them in an order that fits with your topic. After you have the main idea, you can flesh out specific wording. Remember: you are telling a story.

Looking at Examples

1. Explainer Videos

A common type of instructional video is an explainer video. It provides information about a specific topic. In other cases, it may explain a company’s service or product.

The following example is an animated explainer video for a digital marketing consultancy company. Its main objective is to explain how it assists clients with their small businesses through digital marketing strategies.

The structure of this video is built around a story about one business owner, Rob. Introducing a character and telling a story is an effective approach to getting information across. It is a simple structure that introduces the character’s problem (lagging sales for his business), then the solution (going to the digital marketing consultants for advice), and, lastly, the results (increased online visibility and sales).

A video like this does not try to explain every aspect of the company’s service. Instead, it provides a general overview of the service it provides, highlighting a few examples, while moving the story along.

This video was created with animation software developed by Toonly. There are several animation programs available with similar features, including Vyond and Powtoon. These types of programs are meant for beginners and provide stock characters, settings, and props to quickly make engaging animated videos that look professional.

The majority of the information in the video is delivered via voiceover, while the animation grabs the viewer’s attention and delivers a few details using text supers.

In this case, the video serves as an advertisement for a company’s service, but the style and approach could just as easily be applied to other use cases.

For more information about creating animated videos, check out our previous blog post on the topic.

2. Screencasting

Screencasting is a low-cost production method for creating instructional videos that aim to demonstrate computer software or website functionality. Essentially, a screencast mimics the experience a viewer would have on their computer using a specific program or visiting a given website.

A screencast lends itself to showing a linear process such as step-by-step or how-to instructional videos, as well as more in-depth tutorials. The easiest way to screencast is simply by hitting the “record screen” button with free programs like QuickTime. Accompanied by recorded audio, screencasts are a relatively quick, easy way to demonstrate a process. They also don’t require much editing.

Screencasting is so easy to produce, you may be tempted to jump right in and start creating a video on the fly. However, writing it all out beforehand and scripting the audio will make for a much better video. For more tips on how to screencast, see our blog post on how to make a professional screencast video.

You will find it useful to have reference points, such as an outline that accompanies the video so viewers can skip ahead or go back, and so they’ll be able to easily navigate to specific steps or sections. This is especially useful for longer videos.

Screencasts can also be used for advertising purposes by educating your viewer about your product.

The following example utilizes screencasting combined with still images to demonstrate usage of a workflow management program.

The video uses still images and a voiceover to introduce three main areas in which the product is able to help the viewer. This is a good way to provide a polished looking intro before going into the screencast.

The screencast begins with a demonstration of one of the program’s features, spending less than a minute before moving back to still images. For demo video purposes, it’s useful to break up a screencast with fresh looking images and keep the pace of the video moving along. This process is repeated until all three features of the workflow program are shown. 

3. Recording a Live Speaker

Recording someone on camera showing how to complete a process or explain a specific topic is a more traditional approach to making an instructional video, but it is also potentially the most labor intensive (and expensive) if you want to do it right.

It can also be as simple as hitting “record” with a smartphone camera, but the results will typically look amateur.

The following example is a video recorded with a person on camera providing management advice for onboarding best practices. 

The structure of this video is fairly straightforward and simple. The person on camera states the intent of the video is to introduce the company’s service, which is providing consultation on workflow management for the onboarding process. She then goes on to explain different aspects of the process, breaking up her talking points into groups of three.

Most of the video uses footage of the speaker, with some b-roll of office workers. To cut back on production costs and reduce the need for animation, the company’s workflow strategies are displayed on a white board placed in the shot behind the speaker. Apart from being informative, the whiteboards make for useful footage that gives interest to the visuals. Aside from that, there are some very simple animated transitions between shots.

Choosing a Style and Format That Works

Hopefully seeing these different examples of these instructional videos gives you a better idea of the options available to you. Ultimately, choosing a style and format that works with your budget and objective is integral when providing the information you want in the most effective and engaging way possible.

The post For Instructional Videos, Success Starts With Structure appeared first on SproutVideo.