What types of videos are good to add to Socratic?

1 Answer
Feb 12, 2015

When trying to decide whether a video you've made or found online would be good to add to Socratic, there are a few criteria you should check.

Most important, a video should focus on teaching. It should teach someone the basics they need to know about a topic as they would learn it in class. The content should prepare them to explore the subject further, do homework on it, or help them prepare for an exam.

Videos should also be:

  • Specific to the topic (videos that cover 3 topics, for example, will be less helpful)
  • Good production quality (clear audio & visuals are crucial; a teacher’s face is great but a teacher standing in front of a whiteboard is not ideal)
  • Short (try to keep lessons under 10 minutes)
  • Up-to-date
  • Appropriate level of difficulty, i.e. high school/early college

If you'd like to see some example of great teaching videos, check out the videos made by Tyler Dewitt and Paul Andersen. We love them — and students agree!