Active learning with online video: The impact of learning context on engagement

Learning with online video is pervasive in higher education. Recent research has explored the importance of student engagement when learning with video in online and blended courses. However, little is known about students' goals and intents when engaging with video. Furthermore, there is limited empirical evidence on the impact of learning context on engagement with video, which limits our understanding of how students learn from video. To address this gap, we identify a set of engagement goals for learning with video, and study associated student activity in relation to learning context (course week, exam, and rewatch). In Study 1, we conducted a survey (n = 116) that maps students' video viewing activities to their engagement goals and intents. We identified a variety of engagement goals, specifically Reflect, Flag, Remember, Clarify, Skim, Search, Orient, and Take a break. In Study 2, we analyzed clickstream data generated by 387 students enrolled in three semester-long courses. We examined the impact of learning context on students' engagement with video. A multilevel model showed different patterns for online and blended courses. Students in the online course showed much more strategic and adaptive use of video. As the semester progressed, students in the online courses performed fewer Reflect and Search. During exam weeks and when rewatching videos, online students performed more Search within the video. The only trend that was found for blended learning students was an increase in Skim with course week. These findings have implications for video players that adapt to context, such as helping students easily locate important in-video information during the exam week or when rewatching previously watched videos.

Automated summary

Research has found that students have various goals and intentions when engaging with online videos for learning, such as reflecting, flagging, remembering, clarifying, skimming, searching, orienting, and taking breaks. The study also shows that students in different learning contexts exhibit different patterns of engagement with videos, with online students demonstrating more strategic and adaptive use than blended learning students.