Science studies natural phenomena with precision, patience, and perpetual intensive research. That’s why it may not appeal to everyone. However, by incorporating animation, educators and trainers can help students approach science in a fun yet effective way. 

Animated science videos are the up-and-coming trend in the eLearning world. It has the potential power to transform dry scientific lessons into a refreshing and exciting experience for learners. That’s your key to delivering science to a wider audience. To prove that, we have here the 6 best examples of science animation videos. Buckle up as we take you into the future of eLearning. We hope that the list will give you some suggestions when working with an animated training video production company.

What is Science Animation?

Science animation refers to the adoption of animation in teaching materials used to explain scientific concepts. These materials include animated videos, presentation slideshows, pictures, etc. But what makes animation the perfect medium to deliver complex science concepts?  It’s the ability to clarify things that would otherwise take hours with plain words. Animation can help students visualize knowledge through the means of seamless motions and captivating designs.

The core value of science animation lies in its high accuracy. Science is a field of study that doesn’t have room for mistakes. One little wrong-doing at the beginning can lead to detrimental damage. For one to start a sound scientific journey, the knowledge foundation they receive has to be solid. With the help of animation, educators and trainers can reinforce students’ scientific backgrounds in an effective and fun fashion. 

Animation is an amazingly versatile material for education and training. It is a great visual aid for classroom lessons in science, medical, physics, or other subjects.  Companies in specialized industries like pharmaceutical, chemistry, or manufacturing can also incorporate science animation into their corporate training. 

Which types of animation work best for scientific subjects?

Animation comes in various shapes and forms. Each type of animation has its strengths and weaknesses that fit certain descriptions. Regarding scientific eLearning videos, we prioritize the ones that emphasize precision and efficiency. Here are the top 3 animation types to use in your science videos.

3D Animation

This type of animation best suits scientific subjects that value high accuracies, such as medical training or MOA animation. 3D animation illustrates concepts with realistic textures to provide elements of experiential learning. It helps students visualize real-life scenarios in greater detail than they ever could otherwise. However, 3D animation is costly and time-consuming to produce. 

2D Motion Graphics

2D animated science videos do a fantastic job of illustrating scientific subjects with simple movements. Though it doesn’t have the depth or full angle customization as 3D animation, many businesses still resort to 2D motion graphics as a prime solution for their eLearning projects. They find this type of animation perfect for telling a story. Combined with a captivating voice-over, educators and trainers can effectively explain abstract scientific processes and make them more appealing to everyone. 

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Whiteboard Animation

If you’re a fan of the minimalistic style, then whiteboard animation is a match for you. It comes with a solid white background and a simple drawing style. That simplicity in nature also cuts whiteboard animation’s production cost by a lot. Though it lacks some details and colors, this type of animation is actually super effective. Your audience won’t find themselves losing track of the core information. Whiteboard animation is made to creatively simplify complicated knowledge or give instructions.

6 examples of educational animated science videos in eLearning

Check out the following prime examples of incorporating animation into education and training!

#1 Animation For Biology Education: iCareBetter

iCareBetter is a technology company with a mission to help doctors better educate their patients on common health problems. To raise awareness of heart failure, they opted for whiteboard animation produced by F.Learning Studio. It’s the best medium to effectively explain concepts without overshadowing them with colors or motions. And it’s cost-effective, too! 

iCareBetter’s video contains early signs and symptoms that may help you detect heart failure as soon as possible. In this case, choosing whiteboard animation over 3D is a smart move. It efficiently describes the heart’s structure and how it works, without showing the blood and gore. Whiteboard animation takes the scary element out of the picture to make the video appeal to a wider audience. Sometimes, having fewer details is better. 

#2 Animation For Physics And Chemistry: The University of New South Wales

The University of New South Wales is one of Australia’s leading universities. They were slowly transitioning their training courses online, even before Covid happens. The university contacted us, saying they want to use 2D animation to illustrate their electrical engineering and communications courses. Above is one of the animated instructional video examples we made for UNSW

F.Learning Studio created an animated explainer video to clarify how PN junction diodes work. If you’re not familiar with physics, this mechanism happens at the molecular level, invisible to the naked eyes. For most students, the best form of illustration they see of these particles at work are motionless textbook images. Now, with 2D animation, they come alive with accurate motions and eye-catching color schemes. Students can witness first-hand the natural movement patterns or behaviors of the particles. 

Read More: How to make scientific subjects fun?

#3 Animation for Geological Training: Sedimentary Design Training

UNSW Sydney (The University of New South Wales) is moving towards a blended and fully integrated online training delivery for all their courses. The example below is one of the animation series videos for their civil engineering program. Sedimentary consists of more storytelling less of narrating the academic knowledge.

2D motion graphics greatly help to explain various processes that occur in the formation of metamorphic rock. Instead of detailed illustrations on the elements of the rock, the video focuses more on delivering the information by storytelling.

The primary purpose of this animation series is to convert the information from books to engaging animations. Therefore, storytelling is chosen as the easiest way to deliver knowledge and also to give the most natural understanding.

Maybe you are interested in: » Science animation: How to make scientific subjects fun?

#4 Animation for Agriculture, Biology and Soil: Permaculture Design Online Course

This program introduces practical solutions for developing abundant and sustainable ecosystems under the MOOCs guidelines. Geoff Lawton, the instructor, has produced over 700 talking-head videos for this online course. However, they were unproductive and failed to capture much attention. 

In 2017, F.Learning Studio consulted Geoff on combining live-action and 2D animated videos in the courses. We worked together to integrate 330 animated learning videos with 2D motion graphics. In 2018, we decided to switch to 3D animated science videos to tackle the more complex and abstract permaculture concepts.

3D illustrators allow us to take full advantage of the angle to describe the system in greater detail. From the worker accommodations and storeroom location to the thickness of the straws for the chicken house, 3D effects painted everything with depth and thickness that couldn’t be achieved in 2D or whiteboard animation.

In permaculture, a high level of accuracy is essential. The full angle customization of 3D illustrator does a great job describing the system in detail, (from where to locate the worker accommodations to the storeroom). 3D effects also clearly show the depth and thickness of the straws placed in the chicken house.

#5 Animation for Medical Educaion: Simple Nursing

Simple Nursing is one of the US leading companies in nursing educational technology. They provide eLearning courses on specialized apps and websites, covering a wide range of expertise. Mike Linares, the founder of Simple Nursing, found the need to transform the company’s core product – the nursing course – into a more engaging, understandable, yet accurate one.

F.Learning Studio provided a complete makeover for Simple Nursing’s outdated talking-head lectures, turning them into engaging animated videos instead. We added just enough animation elements to the course without overshadowing the key ideas. Animation turns the dull lectures into captivating eLearning lessons that got Simple Nursing tons of 5-star reviews and satisfied global customers. 

#6 Animation For Mathematics Training: Bar Model Company

Who is attracted to animation the most? The answer, children. That’s why it makes so much sense to incorporate animation into kids’ education. The Bar Model company shares the same vision with us. They use bars to solve children’s math problems, hence the name. The company found their method; what they need now is a means of delivery that can capture kids’ attention. That’s where F.Learning Studio came in. 

Mathematics includes numerous symbols that could easily confuse most children. But using animation, something that kids love, to illustrate those symbols, we can stimulate children’s love for math. F.learning Studio created multiple funny and familiar characters to turn the most boring subject – Maths into the most entertaining one. To help young learners pick up the bar model method faster, we also designed a pack of playing cards with 40 characters, which became a great teaching aid for primary classes.

How to Create The Best Scientific Animation Videos?

Here’s a guide to producing cost-effective animated scientific animation videos!

Understand Your Audience

Getting hold of your audience’s insight is the first step to success. You need to know what their preferences are, what they need, what they expect to get out of the eLearning videos. This makes sure your audience will find the information they can use in the course. It should be a clear drive throughout the project. 

Write A Killer Script

A good script is the foundation of any great eLearning video. It acts as the framework for both the content and its delivery. Depending on the target audience, scriptwriters have to select a corresponding glossary. For example, if the course aims at the general public, the script should only include relevant information, avoiding big words and terminologies. Also, add highlights or bold the text that contains important information.

Pick A Suitable Type Of Animation

As we have mentioned earlier, the three compatible types of animation for scientific videos are 3D animation, 2D motion graphics, and whiteboard animation. From the insight you have acquired, pick a type of animation that makes the most sense for your project and audience.

Choose An Engaging Art Style

Go for a style that will wow your target audience. You know their preferences from your research, so use them to your advantage! A beautifully designed course captures student’s attention and helps them pick up information more effectively. 

Add Captivating Voice-over

Voice-over introduces depth to the visuals of your animated science videos. A narration describes what happens and adds emotion as well as tone to the video. With an expressive voice actor, you can even trigger different feelings and emotions in your audience. 

Permaculture Design Case Study: Combine Science Animation To Clarify Abstract Knowledge

Let’s see science animation in action in the case of the Permaculture Design Online Course.

About Permaculture 

Geoff Lawton is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher. He created over 700 talking-head videos to educate 15,000 students worldwide about constructing a dynamic and interconnecting “food jungle.” His course teaches students how to develop abundant, sustainable ecosystems in a variety of climates using modern-day practical solutions.

Problems

As promising as Geoff’s ideas were, he couldn’t attract that many people to take the course. He needed to find a way to make Permaculture Design visually appealing to students yet not sacrificing effectiveness. Talking-head and live-action videos are good,  but they cannot cover every permaculture concept. Invisible natural elements such as winds, climates, or environment-related phenomena are impossible to truthfully describe with words. Most of them cannot be taped either. For example, a process such as trees’ energy transactions requires clarification with visuals in order for students to understand.

Solutions

Geoff’s primary goal was to create a course that is both visually appealing and informative. Staying true to that drive, F.Learning studio suggested animating talking videos that include hard-to-visualize concepts. Videos explaining elements of nature or how a tornado forms got a makeover. This would increase comprehension and create spotlights for the Permaculture Design online course.

We used animated science videos to compliment talking-head videos and vice versa. Such a combination opens up the ability to explain phenomena that are invisible to the naked eyes. F.Learning Studio ended up integrating animation into 330 out of 1000 videos in the Permaculture Design online course. Initially, we used 2D motion graphics but later switched to 3D animation for more details. Realistic texture and full-angle depth allowed us to take on more complicated concepts.  

Results

With F.Learning Studio’s animation, Geoff Lawton and his team have now catapulted Permaculture Design to a global scale. More than 15,000 people took the course already, building towards a sustainable future. It’s safe to say that we help Geoff achieve his goal in a timely and cost-saving fashion.

Permaculture currently has a strong social presence with over  117,000 subscribers on YouTube and 55,000  Instagram followers. Students who have taken the course leave overwhelmingly positive feedback. Permaculture Design helps them understand otherwise impossible-to-explain processes and concepts while providing a new and exciting experience. 

And iCareBetter Case Study: Affordable Solution To Educate The Community

About iCareBetter 

iCareBetter is a technology company that provides services for hospitals and doctors almost exclusively. They are on a mission to help doctors better educate their patients on common health problems. 

Problems

In the current day and age, patients don’t really rely on physicians or doctors for information about diseases. They rather research the Internet first, then visit the clinics if self-diagnosed with the listed symptoms. However, the information they find is often too complicated to understand. Therefore, iCareBetter aims to tackle this problem with an all-in-one innovative solution that can help both patients and doctors.

Solutions

F.Learning Studio got to work immediately after listening to iCareBetter’s concerns. We chose whiteboard animation for the project because it’s affordable, simple, and suitable for a broad audience. Regarding the script, we left it to the professionals and only chimed in with a few heads-ups. 

For iCareBetter video, our illustrators avoided the graphic images of the real human heart because it scares away most of the general audience. We put the human body into isometrics in a friendlier fashion but kept the basic functions and characteristics of it. As a final touch, we added voice-over and motions to express feelings and reactions to the pain. It gave the video a realistic and relatable vibe.

Results

F.Learning Studio has helped iCareBetter explain complicated medical concepts to the general public. We really hope the video can spread the information and raise awareness about heart diseases in society. 

Scientific Animation Video Production Tips

We have a few tips that may help increase the quality of your science animation videos!

Always Keep A Joyful Atmosphere

Teaching is all about motivating your target audience to pick up more knowledge. A less inviting learning environment can eliminate that motivation and halt students’ will to learn. Using animation and positive thoughts to lift the learning spirit will improve results.

A Little Humor Will Go A Long Way 

Jokes are such a rich addition to learning. They keep the lesson fun, thus increasing its efficiency by a whole lot. Laughter also helps learners deal with stress. When they relax, they can learn faster and remember the information longer!

Leave The Animation To The Professionals

If you don’t have the tools or the expertise to create animated science videos, we suggest bringing in the professionals. They have all the means ready and lots of experience in the business. Let them save you the trouble, for a reasonable price, of course! Just make sure you pick the right one.

Conclusion

Incorporating animation into educational animated science videos isn’t the latest invention in the world. However, it can be the missing piece to elevate your eLearning course to a new level. Use science animation to illustrate and explain ideas and phenomena that are invisible to the naked eyes. Spread your message and values to the community in seamless motions and vibrant colors. 

If you really want to see a real change in the quality of your science animation videos, F.Learning Studio is here to help. Let our teams of leading experts and creative illustrators launch you to your goals! Contact us now for a free consultation call. 

Read Further:

• How much does an educational animation cost per minute: $30, $300, or $3,000?
• Animation in eLearning: How to take your course from good to great
• Scientific Subjects Made Simple: 07 Pivotal Teaching Aids for Science