Guiding Principles for Using Video in Online Courses

Dr. Anthony A. Piña, Chief Online Learning Officer and Director of Online Education, Illinois State University

Technological advances have made the production and use of video quicker, easier and less expensive. YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok have made video ubiquitous in people’s lives. As we seek to increase instructor presence, interactivity and community within online courses, video can play an essential role.

Learning management systems (LMS), such as Canvas and Brightspace, now have built-in webcam recording for video announcements, instruction, discussions, tests, and feedback. Add-on applications, including Panopto, Canvas Studio, Yuja, and Kaltura can be integrated into the LMS and provide additional capabilities like editing tools, automatic captioning, embedding test questions and simultaneously capturing video from both webcam and computer screen.

Research studies have increased our knowledge in how best to incorporate video into online courses. The largest of these studies examine results from more than 100,000 students and over 6 million watching sessions, though many other studies with large student samples also provide additional insights. The following are some guiding principles to consider as institutions seek to increase the use of video by instructors for students learning online:

Video Is Effective

Videos that include the instructor, such as video class announcements, have been found to increase students’ perceptions of instructor presence and engagement, and lead to increased student satisfaction. Instructors who use audio or video feedback for assignment have been found to provide twice as much feedback content, compared to text-based feedback. Adding an instructor ‘talking head’ to a PowerPoint presentation has been found to increase student attention and effectiveness. Although students may spend up to 40 percent of their time watching the instructor, there is no decrease in retention of the material.

Less Is More

Studies have found that, for video lectures, students begin to drop off sharply after 6 minutes of viewing and few watch after 9 minutes. Video ‘step-by-step’ tutorials fare slightly better, because students will often view them more than once. Lecture capture, where an instructor records an entire class session—often from a camera place in the back of the room—is least effective. Instructors teaching over video should plan and deliver their instruction via shorter, discreet videos on specific topics. It is better to have multiple short videos than one long video.

The Effective Use Of Video By Instructors Can Help To Establish A Greater Sense Of Instructor Presence And Involvement With Their Students

Eliminate Distractions

While a picture (or video) may be worth a thousand words, busy backgrounds, movement or actions unrelated to the topic, or background music, can increase ‘cognitive load’ (i.e., the student having to concentrate on more than one thing at a time). The idea that students can multi-task is largely a myth—we actually attend to one thing at a time and rapidly switch between different things. ‘Busy’ videos that introduce multiple items that compete for students’ attention can distract them from focusing on what is most important.

Informality

While it may be tempting to think that instructor videos in online courses require broadcast-quality professional production, the truth is that most students prefer the instructor to interact with them via video on a less formal and more personable and approachable basis. Students are used to consuming videos on social media platforms, largely recorded on phones, with little— if any--editing and post-production. Videos recorded in faculty offices, at home, or in settings related to the video’s topics, can be equally (or more) effective that those recorded in a classroom or studio.

It is best to plan an outline of the recording content, make sure that the audio is clear and sufficiently loud and avoid backlighting, which can cast a shadow on the instructor’s face. Instructors should speak quickly and with enthusiasm, and not worry about perfection, as imperfections occur while lecturing in class too and makes the instructor ‘more human.’ Instructors who can quickly record and deploy videos without complex recording or production environments are more likely to use video in their courses.

Why Use Video?

Students, who are used to learning in classroom environments and from direct instruction from teachers and professors, can easily feel isolated when learning online. Text-heavy online courses can exacerbate this problem by contributing to feelings of disconnect between students and their instructor. A common complaint among online students is that ‘I feel like I am teaching myself.’ The effective use of video by instructors can help to establish a greater sense of instructor presence and involvement with their students.