Press Play for Success: Meta-Study Shows Video Enhances Learning

A 2021 meta-study showed that using “pre-recorded” videos can result in “small improvements” in learning and replacing existing content with videos can lead to “strong” learning benefits. 

Published by the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the study was conducted by a researchers’ team from Australian Catholic University (ACU) and the University of Queensland.

Method

As part of the meta-analysis, the team examined 105 previous studies, covering a collective sample of 7,776 students. The studies included in the analysis had deployed randomized controlled trials for comparing the effectiveness of video. The videos that included recorded lectures as well as edited clips with visual and audio elements were compared with other types of instruction, such as face-to-face tutorials, lectures, and assigned readings. The analysis didn’t include studies in which the use of video couldn’t be isolated from other variables.

Study Results

The research found that videos were more effective for teaching a skill than transmitting knowledge. According to the study, this might be due to the fact that video provides a distinct, more genuine perspective. For example, the study revealed that for learning about Indian feminism history, there was no significant difference between sitting in a physical classroom and watching a video. However, videos had significant advantages over conventional methods for learning other things, such as a new skill or a medical procedure.  

The study highlighted that videos help learners when they see genuine demonstrations of skills with actual people. Videos also offers a fresh perspective where learners watched a skill via the eyes of the performer. 

The study results are considered “robust” across different subjects (languages or science), settings (tutorials or lectures), types of videos (recorded lectures or demonstrations), follow-up assessment periods, and lengths of video.

Video Resulted in Min. an Increase from a B to a B+

Compared to being exposed to the “usual” methods of teaching, when learners were made to watch videos, the average grade rose from a B to a B+. The result also showed that when the students saw videos in addition to their traditional physical classes, the learning-specific effect was even stronger, raising the average grade from a B to an A.  

As explained by the researchers, there are several reasons why videos might be more effective than physical classes with comparable interactivity:  

• Students can manage “their own cognitive load” by being able to pause and rewind 
• Teachers can better optimize cognitive load through editing.  

One of the research team members commented that even after the pandemic, college instructors would find value in incorporating video into their teaching. He further added that videos might provide long-term benefits if they are of high quality, and all students have equal access to them.

Conclusion

The study results highlighted the need for higher learning institutions and L&D departments for creating and sharing high-quality video courses and training to improve comprehension and retention, ultimately leading to better learning outcomes.

Want to Try Using Video for Learning?

If you want to incorporate videos in training, uQualio can be an excellent choice! It is an ISO-compliant, cloud-based video eLearning platform, designed to make learning effective, fun, and rewarding with features like microlearning, gamification, course access via QR code, API integration, white-label customization, and more. 

The video training platform allows you to train any audience: students, employees, partners, and customers, through interactive video training that can be created in multiple ways; from screen-casting, recording, and uploading, to using links from YouTube or Vimeo, and even making AI-rendered videos.  

Moreover, you can take advantage of uQualio’s advanced course management & distribution to manage and share courses with your preferred audiences easily, while keeping track of everything with detailed reports and analytics.