Students Report Engagement with Online Videos

A recent webinar from the Quality Matters organization presented some interesting information about how students interact with videos in their online courses. The following summary is based on recent research about how students perceive and engage with instructional video materials.

Does including videos make a difference for students?

• Yes, a positive influence has been demonstrated with increasing student satisfaction in their online courses
• Helps students build constructive connections to the content
• Viewing the instructor present course content enhances their teaching presence and increases esteem about their expertise
• However, as the semester progresses, the amount and length of time students view videos decreases

How long is too long for a video?

• Six minutes or less works best
• A steady decline in student engagement begins to occur after two-minutes
• Longer videos should be chunked into one to three minute-segments to maintain attention
• At LCCC you can use the Yuja video editor to make smaller video portions. Contact the CET for help with using YuJa for recording at your desk or in the classroom.
  

Do students want to see the instructor talk?

• Students like to see enough on-screen instructor presence to establish a positive connection, but not necessarily too long
• Video lectures that include periodic views of the instructor along with text or slides are more engaging than just slides alone, but constant instructor face-time is not needed
• Much of the time students do not actively view the video-lecture, but they often listen to the audio while they are multi-tasking

Do the videos need to be of high studio-based quality?

• No significant difference for student engagement
• Many students prefer low-production videos (e.g. from an office) as providing more of a human connection
• Too much production with music, backgrounds, and effects can be distracting and diminishes attention from the content
• Audio flubs are acceptable because that is perceived as more authentic and promotes rapport with the instructor

Examining these reported student perceptions provides some valuable insights and guidelines that can help improve instructional strategies for delivering video content.