A Crash Course on Crash Course

(And Educational Video)

Everyone can help people see the world more complexly.

IMU Needs Analysis

Students need media literacy and hard skill training. Teachers need creative, engaging lesson plans they can easily implement in their classrooms. The instructional module “A Crash Course on Crash Course (and Educational Video)” will help solve both of these problems as evidenced by the following analysis.

Need

More specifically, high school and early college students are drowning in media and information (as we all are). They need the media literacy skills to conduct rigorous research, assess (mis)information, and communicate effectively. They also need hard skills such as video editing and fluency with video technology to engage with the world and build career potential. Communicating through video and screens is rather ubiquitous.

Instructors across disciplines are tasked with helping students achieve these objectives. However, their training varies widely in terms of fluency in both topic and technology. Many don’t have the time or resources to create entirely new lesson plans while still keeping their usual classrooms on track.

Crash Course is the beloved educational YouTube channel known for creating free courses on topics from Art History to Zoology. They are experts in research, educational communication, and video production. Over the channel’s 13+ year history, they’ve taught millions of learners (Complexly, 2025).

But, what if students could learn even better by engaging in the creative process themselves? There is a need for an experiential learning module that can be accessed by self-guided learners and quickly implemented by already overloaded teachers.

KASH

In analyzing the need/problem my instructional module will address, I conducted two interviews with different members of the target audience to assess their knowledge, attitudes, skills, and habits (KASH) around educational media creation. I spoke with Anna J., a high school senior, and Ashlyn S., a digital humanities strategist in a college library who often leads projects as both a drop-in college and high school instructor.

Current Knowledge: Both students and instructors are familiar with Crash Course-style educational media but have never created their own examples. Anna J. described being familiar with filming unscripted content “for fun” using a phone or ipad but has not written a lesson plan or educational script. She did mention she thought it would be similar to writing a research report. Ashlyn S. has written many lesson plans on a multitude of subjects and described being very comfortable leading students through material. She is also unfamiliar with video production except for what is basically available on laptops.
Desired Knowledge: In essence, by the end of the module students will be able to research, write, shoot, edit, and share their own piece of educational media.
Unit 1: Storytelling
- Define script writing terminology such as hook, intro, conclusion, story, etc.
- Evaluate an idea for is narrative potential
- Apply learned techniques to outline and draft a 300-500 word script
Unit 2: Media Literacy
- Evaluate sources for their trustworthiness
- Properly cite sources and avoid plagiarizing
- Understand and identify common misinformation tactics
Unit 3: Revision and Editing
- Recognize weak points in a script
- Edit a script for clarity
- Fact-check a script to ensure accurate information
Unit Four: Video Production
- Capture video, audio, and/or other media and edit it into an educational video
- Research and integrate supporting material
- Review and refine the video, adding graphics and finishing touches
- Share the video with others
Current Attitudes: Anna J. described being unsure she would be able to make something as polished as a Crash Course video, not able to do animation, and that she was worried about appearing on-camera. Ashlyn S. was willing to try a new format, especially regarding media literacy, which she considers essential. She noted it would probably take quite a bit of time to get through all of the proposed skills. In general I expect both students and instructors to feel intimidated by some but not all of the skills involved. Some will be quite familiar with teaching writing but technology is foreign, and vice versa.
Desired Attitudes: After completing the module, students will feel capable and able to apply each skill in different settings. Each student will have been able to produce a final video (without abandoning partway due to the project being too difficult).
Current Skills: As digital natives, both Anna J. and Ashlyn S. described themselves as fluent in how to shoot and edit video on their phones. Neither has used a separate device to film. Ashlyn S. described basic fluency with the Adobe suite. Both have academic writing backgrounds but are unfamiliar with writing for a popular audience.
Desired Skills: Students will be able to produce an entire educational video, including the research, writing, shooting, editing, adding graphics, and sharing. Teachers will be able to guide this process.
Current Habits: Anna J. spends “a lot” of time on her phone and has a habit of searching things first with ChatGPT. Ashlyn S. is a highly trained researcher and gravitates towards academic resources and books for information. She too spends “a lot” of time on the internet.
Desired Habits: Students will engage in lateral research to corroborate sources. They will question and call out misinformation.

Action Plan

Analysis

This initial analysis included assessing the content of the instructional module and capabilities (KASH) of two individuals within the target audience. Both interviews were conducted via phone call, while assessing the content required familiarity with the Crash Course product on YouTube. Previously I also spoke with Meghan Modafferi, interim Executive Producer of Crash Course, about the goals Crash Course has for a project such as this, their process, and their lack of resources/skills to complete the project. Finally, to build this needs analysis I used Squarespace as it already hosts my personal website.

Design

In the design phase I plan to storyboard using Google Slides. The client has a distinctive and robust style guide that has already selected fonts and a color scheme that I will only update in order to increase design accessibility. At this stage I will assess the design of any example I foresee including and develop a consistent set, script, and topic for my example content.

Development

As I build out my instructional module, I will continue to use Squarespace and its associated plug-ins (such as unsplash for imagery). It is possible I will pivot platforms to something like BlackBoard Ultra for its learning management capabilities. In this case, for long-term access it would need to become part of the Crash Course website. In the short term, the demo version will likely live here. For example content, I intend to use my iphone for filming and built-in video editing software on my laptop to emulate the toolkits of potential students.

Implementation

Once the content for each sub-unit has been created and any additional media has been developed, the entire module will be packaged for consumption. This will include instructions for teachers on how to adapt it for their classrooms. I will engage volunteers to beta test the module as students, working out any potential kinks. I will also leave space for a feedback form at the end of the module so students and teachers down the line can let us know what works/doesn’t work.

Evaluation

Evaluation will likely be slow, but will be centered on qualitative analysis of the final products students create and share with Crash Course as well as feedback from teachers on how the lessons are received. We will set up a submission form using Google forms where classes can share links to their final products with us. These could be links to google folders or unlisted YouTube videos.