{"id":22563,"date":"2015-08-17t10:45:43","date_gmt":"2015-08-17t15:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.imrbdigital.com\/?page_id=22563"},"modified":"2021-02-18t17:18:12","modified_gmt":"2021-02-18t22:18:12","slug":"effective-educational-videos","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"\/\/www.imrbdigital.com\/guides-sub-pages\/effective-educational-videos\/","title":{"rendered":"effective educational videos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
by cynthia j. brame<\/em><\/td>\nprint version<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
cite this guide:<\/strong> brame, c.j. (2015). effective educational videos. retrieved [todaysdate] from \/\/www.imrbdigital.com\/guides-sub-pages\/effective-educational-videos\/.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

video has become an important part of higher education. it is integrated as part of traditional courses, serves as a cornerstone of many blended courses, and is often the main information delivery mechanism in moocs. several meta-analyses have shown that technology can enhance learning (e.g., schmid et al., 2014), and multiple studies have shown that video, specifically, can be a highly effective educational tool (e.g., kay, 2012; allen and smith, 2012; lloyd and robertson, 2012; rackaway, 2012; hsin and cigas, 2013). in order for video to serve as a productive part of a learning experience, however, it is important for the instructor to consider three elements for video design and implementation:<\/p>\n

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  1. cognitive load<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. non-cognitive elements that impact engagement<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. features that promote active learning<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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together, these considerations provide a solid base for the development and use of video as an effective educational tool.<\/p>\n

<\/a>cognitive load<\/h2>\n

one of the primary considerations when constructing educational materials, including video, is cognitive load. cognitive load theory, initially articulated by sweller and colleagues (1988, 1989, 1994), suggests that memory has several components (see the figure). sensory memory is transient, collecting information from the environment. information from sensory memory may be selected for temporary storage and processing in working memory, \"\"<\/a>which has very limited capacity. this processing is a prerequisite for encoding into long-term memory, which has virtually unlimited capacity. because working memory is very limited, the learner must be selective about what information from sensory memory to pay attention to during the learning process, an observation that has important implications for creating educational materials.<\/p>\n

based on this model of memory, cognitive load theory suggests that any learning experience has three components (see the figure). the first of these is intrinsic load<\/strong>, which is inherent to the subject under study and is determined in part by the degrees of connectivity within the subject. the common example given to illustrate a subject with low intrinsic load is a word pair (e.g., blue = azul), whereas grammar is a subject with a high intrinsic load due to its many levels of connectivity and conditional relationships. the second component of any learning\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/a>experience is\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>germane load, <\/strong>which is the level of cognitive activity necessary to reach the desired learning outcome- e.g., to make the comparisons, do the analysis, elucidate the steps necessary to master the lesson. the ultimate goal of these activities is for the learner to incorporate the subject under study into a schema of richly connected ideas. the third component of a learning experience is extraneous load<\/strong>, which is cognitive effort that does not help the learner toward the desired learning outcome. it is often characterized as load that arises from a poorly designed lesson (e.g., confusing instructions, extra information), but may also be load that arises due to stereotype threat or imposter syndrome. these concepts are more fully articulated and to some extent critiqued in an excellent review by de jong (2010).<\/p>\n

these definitions have implications for design of educational materials and experiences. specifically, instructors should seek to minimize extraneous cognitive load and should consider the intrinsic cognitive load of the subject when constructing learning experiences, carefully structuring them when the material has high intrinsic load. because working memory has a limited capacity, and information must be processed by working memory to be encoded in long term memory, it\u2019s important to prompt working memory to accept, process, and send to long-term memory only the most crucial information (ibrahim et al., 2012).<\/p>\n

cognitive theory of multimedia learning<\/h4>\n

the cognitive theory of multimedia learning builds on the cognitive load theory, noting that working memory has two channels for information acquisition and processing: a visual\/pictorial channel and an auditory\/verbal processing channel (mayer and moreno, 2003). although each channel has limited capacity, the use of the two channels can facilitate the integration of new information into existing cognitive structures. by using both channels, working memory\u2019s capacity is maximized\u2014but either channel can be overwhelmed by high cognitive load. thus design strategies that manage the cognitive load for both channels in multimedia learning materials promise to enhance learning. in addition to the two key assumptions of dual-channel processing and limited working memory capacity, the cognitive theory of multimedia learning also articulates the goal of any learning as \u201cmeaningful learning,\u201d which requires cognitive processing that includes paying attention to the presented material, mentally organizing the presented material into a coherent structure, and integrating the presented material with existing knowledge (mayer and moreno 2003)1<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

recommendations<\/h4>\n

these theories give rise to several recommendations about educational videos. based on the premise that effective learning experiences minimize extraneous cognitive load, optimize germane cognitive load, and manage intrinsic cognitive lead, four effective practices emerge:<\/p>\n

signaling<\/a>
\nsegmenting<\/a>
\nweeding<\/a>
\nmatching modality<\/a><\/p>\n