Get an estimate for your project in 60 seconds. No email required.
Get an estimate for your project in 60 seconds. No email required.
By
Larry Mutenda | What is a good elearning video example? A good elearning video teaches one idea to a defined learner and fits inside a larger course. Strong examples include Harvard’s CS50 lectures, the Open University’s 60-Second Adventures in Thought and scenario-based animated modules like our series for UBC Canada District. The best ones keep a clear structure, show the idea instead of listing it and give the learner something to do next. |
An elearning video is any video built to teach inside an online course. It might be a filmed university lecture, a two-minute animated module in a company LMS or a short clip inside a MOOC. The job is the same in each case. The learner should finish the video able to do or explain something new.
This list covers 10 e-learning videos from universities, MOOC providers, public agencies and our own studio. It alternates between animation and live action. That way you can compare how each format handles abstract ideas, procedures and long-form teaching.
We picked elearning videos that are official uploads from the organization that made them, that you can watch on this page and that were built to teach, not to sell. For third-party examples we list a published result where one exists. Where we could not verify a figure, we say so.
Four of the examples are animated modules we produced. We have made training and education videos for more than 15 years. For our own work we describe the client, the communication challenge and the creative approach behind the script.
A quick side-by-side before the full breakdown.
| # | Video | Organization | Format | Learning use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UBC Canada District: Stereotypes | UBC Canada District | 2D animation | Apprentice and instructor training |
| 2 | CS50: Lecture 0 | Harvard University | Filmed lecture | Intro computer science |
| 3 | 60-Second Adventures in Thought | The Open University | Animated shorts | Philosophy and science ideas |
| 4 | Learning How to Learn | Barbara Oakley and Terrence Sejnowski | Presenter-led lecture | Study skills |
| 5 | Prototyping in Career Planning | Career education program | 2D animation | Career planning |
| 6 | The Geometry of Linear Equations | MIT OpenCourseWare | Filmed lecture | University math |
| 7 | Small Business BC: Workplace Accessibility | Small Business BC | Motion graphics | Accessibility training |
| 8 | Crash Course Study Skills: Taking Notes | CrashCourse | Host-led series | Study skills |
| 9 | Oregon Department of Education: What Is Assessment | Oregon Department of Education | 2D animation | Educator learning |
| 10 | Justice: Episode 1 | Harvard University and WGBH | Filmed lecture | Political philosophy |
Client: UBC Canada District.
Project type: 2D animation, 1:29.
Communication challenge: Help apprentices and journeypersons in construction spot stereotypes before they block teamwork.
Creative approach: The script defines a stereotype in plain words. Then it shows the assumptions people hear on real crews about young workers, older workers, women, apprentices and journeypersons.
This elearning video is one of six modules we produced for UBC Canada District’s instructor development program. The audience is tradespeople, not academics. So every example comes from the job site, and the script points out that even a positive stereotype limits people.
The module ends with three actions a learner can use the same day. See each person as an individual. Ask questions instead of assuming. Value skills and contributions. You can see how the full series was planned in our UBC Canada District case study.
Lecture 0 is the opening class of CS50, Harvard University’s introduction to computer science, taught by David J. Malan and published on the official CS50 channel. It is a recording of the on-campus lecture.
The lecture starts with Scratch, a visual programming language, before any written code. Learners build the logic of programming first and the syntax later. The CS50x course site then pairs each lecture with problem sets and a final project.
This is why a long filmed lecture can work as an elearning video. The instructor already holds a room. The camera lets a remote learner sit in that room. The practice work turns watching into learning.
By the numbers: Fortune reported in June 2023 that more than 4.8 million people had enrolled in CS50x, citing edX data.
60-Second Adventures in Thought is an animated series from the Open University, published on its OpenLearn channel and narrated by comedian David Mitchell. Each short explains one famous thought experiment in about a minute.
The six films cover Achilles and the Tortoise, the Grandfather Paradox, the Chinese Room, Hilbert’s Infinite Hotel, the Twin Paradox and Schrödinger’s Cat. This upload joins all six in one video.
Animation does work here that a camera cannot. A hotel with infinite rooms has no physical form. It can only be drawn. The one-minute limit forces the script down to the core idea, and the humour in the narration keeps a hard concept light. The Open University released the series under a Creative Commons licence, so teachers can reuse it in their own courses.
By the numbers: No result has been published that we could verify.
Learning How to Learn is an online course from Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski, offered on Coursera by Deep Teaching Solutions. This clip introduces the focused and diffuse modes of thinking.
The presenter speaks to one learner at a time, not to a lecture hall. The course teaches how the brain learns. Then it asks the learner to apply those methods to whatever subject they are studying, which makes the content useful far beyond one topic.
The lesson for course designers is simple. A short, direct explanation from a credible instructor can carry an entire MOOC when the idea is useful enough.
By the numbers: The Coursera course page lists more than 4.1 million learners enrolled and a 4.8 rating from more than 93,000 reviews. UC San Diego’s Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center reported 197,000 learners from more than 200 countries in the first session.
Client: Career education program.
Project type: 2D animation, 1:07.
Communication challenge: Show learners a low-risk way to test a career decision before they commit to it.
Creative approach: The script borrows the idea of a prototype from product design and applies it to life design.
The video opens with a problem many people know. They reach a career goal and find it is not what they expected. It then gives three prototypes a learner can try: a one-day job shadow, a volunteer role or a summer internship. The message is to fail early so you can succeed sooner.
At just over a minute, this elearning video carries one concept and one closing question. That makes it easy to drop into a longer career planning course. Short single-idea modules like this are the core of microlearning videos.
The Geometry of Linear Equations is the first lecture of Gilbert Strang’s 18.06 Linear Algebra course, published by MIT OpenCourseWare. It is a straight recording of a classroom lecture at a chalkboard.
There are no added motion graphics. The chalkboard does the visual work. A teacher works through problems by hand, and the learner watches the reasoning build one line at a time. OCW pairs the video with the rest of the course materials on the 18.06 course page.
It shows that production polish is not what makes e-learning videos useful. Clear thinking, a patient pace and a teacher who knows where students get stuck matter more.
By the numbers: MIT News reported in 2010 that 18.06 had drawn more than 2.25 million visits across three versions on OCW, plus 1.3 million views of its lecture videos on the OCW YouTube channel.
Client: Small Business BC.
Project type: Motion graphics, 3:18.
Communication challenge: Explain what a barrier is and define workplace accessibility for small business owners and their teams.
Creative approach: The module opens with a reflection question. Then it shows everyday barriers, like a cafe you cannot get into or a document with type too small to read, before it gives the formal definitions.
This elearning video is the first in a series of five accessibility modules we produced for Small Business BC. It names five kinds of barriers: communication, technology, attitudinal, systemic and environmental. It uses the Accessible Canada Act definition of disability and notes that over 20% of British Columbians identify as having a disability.
The approach starts with the learner’s own experience of a barrier, then moves to policy. That order makes a compliance topic personal. Read more about the series in our Small Business BC case study.
Taking Notes is the first episode of Crash Course Study Skills, a series from CrashCourse hosted by Thomas Frank. It covers how to come to class prepared and find a note-taking system that helps you retain and review.
A host talks straight to the camera at a quick pace, and graphics fill in the details. The series format lets a learner pick up one skill per episode. The host becomes a familiar guide across the whole course.
This is a useful model for a company learning library. One recurring presenter and one visual style can tie a set of short lessons into a program that feels like a single course.
By the numbers: No result has been published that we could verify.
Client: Oregon Department of Education.
Project type: 2D animation, 3:55.
This module answers the question in its title for an audience of educators. It is one of two educational animation modules we produced for the department on assessment. The companion video covers why assessment is done.
Splitting the topic into what and why keeps each elearning video focused. A learner can take them in order, or a course designer can place each one where it fits in the program.
Justice is Michael Sandel’s political philosophy course at Harvard University. Harvard and WGBH Boston filmed it at Sanders Theatre and released it as a 12-episode series. This is the first episode, on the official Harvard University channel.
Sandel opens with a moral dilemma and calls on students in the hall to defend their answers. The online viewer watches a real argument unfold and starts to pick a side too.
That is the idea worth borrowing. Questions pull a learner into the material in a way a recited lecture cannot. Even in a recorded course, the viewer should have to think before the answer arrives.
By the numbers: The Harvard Gazette reported in 2009 that more than 14,000 students had taken the Justice course on campus over the years.
The strongest examples on this list share five habits, whether they are animated or filmed.
Each video has a single job. The UBC module covers stereotypes and nothing else. Each 60-Second Adventure takes one thought experiment. When a course needs more, it adds another video instead of a longer one. A full lecture like the MIT one is the exception. It links several ideas in one session.
Animation suits ideas you cannot film, like infinity or a mental habit. Live action suits a teacher whose presence is the draw, like Strang at the chalkboard or Sandel in a full hall.
The accessibility module starts with a cafe you cannot enter. The career video starts with a goal that disappoints. A familiar moment earns attention before the theory arrives.
CS50 adds problem sets. OCW adds course materials. The video explains the idea, and the practice work around it checks that the learner got it.
Crash Course, CS50 and our UBC Canada District modules all work as sets. A consistent host, cast or visual style tells the learner they are moving through one program.
An elearning video is a video made to teach inside an online course, a learning management system or a self-paced training program. It can be animated or filmed. It is usually paired with practice activities, quizzes or readings.
It depends on the job. A single concept often fits in one to four minutes, like the animated modules on this list. Full university lectures run much longer and work because learners chose that course. For workplace training, shorter modules are easier to finish and update.
Neither is better in general. Animation is strong for abstract ideas, sensitive topics and processes you cannot film. Live action is strong when a real instructor, a real place or a physical skill is the point. We cover both approaches on our training video production page.
Effective elearning videos teach one idea, open with a situation the learner recognizes and connect to practice. They are also part of a clear sequence, so the learner knows what comes next.
Start with the learning objective and the audience. Then write the script, plan the visuals, produce and test the video with real learners. Our guide on how to make a training video walks through each step.
The elearning video examples above range from one-minute animations to full university lectures. What they share is focus. Each one knows who the learner is, what that learner should understand by the end and where the video sits in the wider course.
If you are planning an elearning video, start with the one thing the learner must be able to do. Then choose animation or live action based on what shows that idea most clearly.
Larry is the Founder and Producer at Mammothic Films, with more than 15 years of production experience. He leads a team that creates story-driven videos for businesses and brands. A marketer, designer, and animator, Larry has overseen the production of more than 1,500 videos for Fujitsu, Logitech, Warner Brothers, NFL, Blockdaemon, Astronomer, Canonical, and 370+ other companies in Canada, the United States, and around the world.
Larry is a devout Christian who believes in placing God first, and that everything else is a blessing that comes from serving Him. When he’s not working, he’s hanging out with his wife and three kids, playing the piano, or sightseeing.