Evaluating Instructional Videos

Engagement in e-Learning is important for learning transfer, or proper processing and storing of information by the learner. However, you must also keep in mind that too much engagement is possible and can lead to the learner feeling overwhelmed. This is also referred to as extraneous cognitive load, one of three types of cognitive load that you must balance as an instructional designer.

Extraneous cognitive load can be any effort that is unnecessary for aiding the learner in reaching the learning goal. Examples of this may be extra information, overly detailed animations, and complicated instructions. The goal should always be to minimize extraneous cognitive load.

That being said, multimedia e-learning can still take advantage of the way we [humans] process information in our working memory to create effective learning material. The two channels that exist in our working memory for processing information are the visual/pictorial channel and the auditory/verbal channel, otherwise known as the dual channel.

These two channels can work together, such as when text and graphics are presented together in an e-Learning, enhancing the quality of learning and learning transfer (Clark & Mayer, 2016). There are many techniques for reducing extraneous cognitive load while managing the other two types of cognitive load, and I will be comparing how various content creators align with those recommendations as I review 3 different instructional videos. I will start by sharing notes that I took as I watched the videos, and follow up with final thoughts. 

Thoughts

Altogether I watched three different instructional videos, with the third being a non-tutorial style so that I could compare techniques used in it to the other educational videos. As a recap:

1. Blurring Backgrounds & Objects in Adobe XD: this was a screencast type of instructional video. Out of the three videos, I think it likely took the least amount of planning since the content was based off of what was happening on his screen.

2. Binging with Babish: Macarons from The Mandalorian (ft. John Favreau): this cooking tutorial was very concise and showed every step of the process. I think this video comes close to the third video in terms of the amount of planning that went into producing it, so it is a close second. This video was well edited to only show the necessary steps in the lengthy baking process, every step was narrated, and he mentions being out of his comfort zone with the content. This suggests he may have spent a while researching and putting together recipes to make it work for him.

3. The Absolute Worst Thing About Butterflies: this informative video was full of little-known information about a unique thing that butterflies can do. It is very concise yet packed full of digestible information that anyone could understand or enjoy. I think this video may have taken the most time to plan, as I imagine a lot of research was sifted through to understand this topic. They then had to write a script that was both effective and engaging without overly complex language, and Hank had to deliver it all in front of a camera. They also supplemented the information with demonstrative videos to show the viewer exactly what they were trying to convey.

Overall, considering all the points I have touched on thus far, I think Binging with Babish: Macarons from The Mandalorian (ft. John Favreau) and The Absolute Worst Thing About Butterflies were equally the most successful at being effective educational videos. They both aligned well with recommendations from Brame, as well as in terms of learner engagement.

Between these two videos, although I felt that they were both very conversational, I would say that Binging with Babish: Macarons from The Mandalorian (ft. John Favreau) used more conversational language than the SciShow. There was a lot of use of the words “we,” “us,” and “our.” I also think it is possible that the nature of the video lends itself better to conversational language, as a baking video, or skill that a lot of people are familiar with already. I would tie the cooking video with Blurring Backgrounds & Objects in Adobe XD in terms of conversational language, however, since Scott does a great job at making the video feel casual with his choice of language.

On the other hand, I would place the tone of the videos from most enthusiastic [and least monotone] to least as 1. The Absolute Worst Thing About Butterflies, 2. Binging with Babish: Macarons from The Mandalorian (ft. John Favreau) and 3. Blurring Backgrounds & Objects in Adobe XD. I was very bored with the tone used in the Adobe XD video, as it stayed relatively the same and Scott did not seem very excited about his content to me. The Binging with Babish video was a bit of the same, despite having engaging language. Andrew did not change his tone hardly at all throughout the video. Lastly, in the SciShow about butterflies, Hank was enthusiastic the whole time and changed his tone frequently to match what he was saying.

Finally, the only video that made me feel as though I was being spoken to was Video 3, The Absolute Worst Thing About Butterflies. This was also the only video that had the narrator on the screen most of the time talking and gesturing directly to the camera, which I am sure are contributing factors to that feeling. Hank’s enthusiasm and excitement made it feel like he was sharing the information directly with me.