Last Thursday, we officially launched the IDEAS Seminar Series with our inaugural event: “Beyond the Classroom: Creating Engaging Educational Videos” — and what a great start it was!

This first seminar was more than just the start of a new initiative. It was a chance to bring together educators, instructional designers, and media professionals from around the world to explore how we can elevate video as a learning tool. And elevate it we did — with 740 registered participants representing over 200 institutions and organizations globally.

If you’d like to watch the first seminar, an event planned and conceived by yours truly, you can do so here: View the seminar landing page

What We Covered

Our brilliant lineup of speakers explored a key question: How can we move beyond dry, monotonous recordings and create educational videos that actually engage, inspire, and support learning?

From practical advice to evidence-based strategies, the insights shared were rich and actionable:

• Matthew Pierce (TechSmith) emphasized the importance of audio quality, intentional structure, and connecting with your audience in a personal, conversational way.
• Dr. Richard Mayer (UC Santa Barbara) grounded us in the science of learning, with strategies for reducing cognitive overload and promoting deeper engagement.
• Koby Leff (UMass Amherst) showed how storytelling can serve as a powerful pedagogical tool — helping students retain and transfer key ideas.
• Forrest Bowlick (UMass Amherst) shared a unique perspective on creating authentic, unscripted video moments that mirror the natural rhythm of student-professor interaction.

My Favorite Takeaways

• Short and focused wins. Keep each video centered on one concept to avoid overload and give learners more control.

• Structure matters. Hook your audience early, deliver content in digestible pieces, and wrap with a clear takeaway.

• Authenticity is powerful. Don’t fear a live, unscripted feel — it can bring connection and realism that pre-scripted videos often miss.

• Emotion and design go hand-in-hand. From tone and gesture to color and animation, how something feels is just as important as what it says.

Designed with Intention

This seminar wasn’t just content-rich — it was strategically designed. We livestreamed on YouTube via Streamyard in partnership with our vendor, Legacy, leveraged Slido for interaction, and wrapped everything up with a follow-up package that included recordings, speaker slides, and curated resources.

What’s Next?

With the first seminar in the books, we’re already building on what we’ve learned. Our next session is in planning now, and I can’t wait to keep the momentum going.

This series was born out of a desire to connect people, share meaningful practices, and raise the bar for what faculty development can look like — and based on the response to our first event, we’re off to a very promising start.

Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen — and to everyone who tuned in or will catch the replay.

Stay tuned — more to come soon.