Effects of Signaling on Learner Engagement in Informal Learning on YouTube

Millions of educational videos available on YouTube offer unprecedented learning opportunities. A considerable number of studies have been directed toward YouTube educational videos. Yet, research on learner engagement with YouTube educational videos is scarce, despite its central role in learning. This paper addresses this research gap. We adopt the conceptualization that learner engagement has three dimensions - behavioral, emotional, and cognitive- and investigate how signaling in YouTube educational video presentation affects learner engagement in informal learning. Our analysis shows that signaling positively affects behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. These findings substantiate the empirical knowledge on learner engagement with YouTube educational videos. Our study corroborates traditional video engagement research and extends its relevance to the social media learning environment. It also informs video designers and developers on adding features in the video presentation to optimize learner engagement with YouTube educational videos

Technology-enabled Learning (TEL): YouTube as a Ubiquitous Learning Aid.

The use of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube in the society has become ubiquitous. The advent of communication technologies alongside other unification trends and notions such as media convergence and digital content allow the users of the social network to integrate these networks in their everyday life. There have been several attempts in the literature to investigate and explain the use of social networks such as Facebook and WhatsApp by university students in the Arab region. However, little research has been done on how university students utilise online audiovisual materials in their academic activities in the UAE. This research aims to elucidate the use of YouTube as a learning aid for university students in the UAE. We adopt the technology acceptance model (TAM) as the theoretical framework for this investigation. A quantitative methodology is employed to answer the research question. Primary data consisting of 221 correspondents were analysed, covering patterns of using YouTube as an academic audiovisual learning aid. Statistical techniques including descriptive, correlations, regression tests were used to analyse the data. The study concluded that students use YouTube as a learning tool for their academic studies and enriching their general knowledge; and there is a positive relationship between the use of YouTube videos in academic settings and the students’ overall performance. This study can shed light for teachers, curriculum designers, government entities, and other stakeholders on how to best utilise and integrate the online technology — YouTube — as a learning aid

A Closer Look into Recent Video-based Learning Research: A Comprehensive Review of Video Characteristics, Tools, Technologies, and Learning Effectiveness

People increasingly use videos on the Web as a source for learning. To support this way of learning, researchers and developers are continuously developing tools, proposing guidelines, analyzing data, and conducting experiments. However, it is still not clear what characteristics a video should have to be an effective learning medium. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of 257 articles on video-based learning for the period from 2016 to 2021. One of the aims of the review is to identify the video characteristics that have been explored by previous work. Based on our analysis, we suggest a taxonomy which organizes the video characteristics and contextual aspects into eight categories: (1) audio features, (2) visual features, (3) textual features, (4) instructor behavior, (5) learners activities, (6) interactive features (quizzes, etc.), (7) production style, and (8) instructional design. Also, we identify four representative research directions: (1) proposals of tools to support video-based learning, (2) studies with controlled experiments, (3) data analysis studies, and (4) proposals of design guidelines for learning videos. We find that the most explored characteristics are textual features followed by visual features, learner activities, and interactive features. Text of transcripts, video frames, and images (figures and illustrations) are most frequently used by tools that support learning through videos. The learner activity is heavily explored through log files in data analysis studies, and interactive features have been frequently scrutinized in controlled experiments. We complement our review by contrasting research findings that investigate the impact of video characteristics on the learning effectiveness, report on tasks and technologies used to develop tools that support learning, and summarize trends of design guidelines to produce learning video

New trends in education: the use of ICT in different ways

In the 21st century and due to the exponential growth of the Internet and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), people live in a technological age, in all areas and in all contexts, we have daily contact with technology, with access to Information. This dynamic requires a constant update of the services and technological tools that change the method that we study, work, communicate and socialize on an unprecedented scale. These constant changes force everyone, regardless of age, gender or profession, to possess a range of functional and critical thinking skills, such as information literacy, media literacy and technological literacy. The evolution of technologies, forces the promoters of education, to always be aware of the changes that society is introducing outside the classroom. Today, students don't have the same pattern as before, regardless of age, they are very active and are no longer the same introverted child who studied a few years ago in the classroom. According to this, students are eager for different forms of motivation inside and outside the classroom, they need the learning and teaching process to move along with changes in society and ICT. To ensure the success of today's students, it is important to provide them with the technological skills to make the correct use of ICTs, to perform tasks essential to their learning process, such as researching and selecting information, creating content, information sharing, use of collaboration tools or environment simulation tools. The main objective of this chapter is to show how ICT tools that can be used in educational environments to help students, helping them develop key skills in their training process, is also relevant to show how these tools can help teachers achieve these goals in daily activities with their students

How Learning Evolved from Offline Classroom to Online Platforms with its Amplifier, Edu-KOLs: A Systematic Literature Review

Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) gradually emerged on e-commerce platforms with their influencing power on global audience. E-learning platforms followed suit on drawing the influence of educational KOLs (Edu-KOLs) for perceived learning outcome, customer retention and branding. This paper presents a systematic literature review on the thematic of traditional learning and its transformation into e-learning platforms. We seek to achieve a preliminary analysis into current development and trend on educational digitalization and its effectiveness, particularly with its amplifier, Edu-KOLs who lead new waves of learning for Gen Alpha and beyond. This literature review summaries terminologies on Edu-KOLs, and prudently reviews the locus of past research on e-commerce platforms with extracted KOLs’ analysis. The findings indicate a wide research gap given few researches having been directly yielded into Edu-KOLs’ impact, as opposite to mounting empirical evidence for e-commerce platforms with perceived outcome through KOLs

IMPACTS OF WATCHING VIDEOS ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AT UNIVERSITY LEVEL

The study sought to analyse the effects of educational videos on university students’ academic activities and performance. This research is very useful for educators and video makers who utilize and/ or make free or commercial videos for educational purposes. The research was based on the quantitative method and data had been collected through a sample survey. The semi-structured questionnaire was utilized and 342 responses were retrieved. The study revealed that watching educational videos affected the academic activities and performance of the respondents positively. Most respondents used mobile phones and laptops to watch videos. The study further confirmed that the majority of the respondents preferred short length videos and animated educational videos.      Article visualizations

How College Instructors Use Social Media for Instruction

The use of social media has increased tremendously in recent years with many sectors using it for the purpose of communicating, sharing ideas, gathering information and stating opinions. The use of social media has trickled down into education with instructors using it for teaching and learning. This study used Gagne\u27s Nine Events of Instruction as a framework to investigate the types of social media applications used, and how they are specifically used for instructional purpose in colleges. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze data. Results indicated that about 31% of instructors use different social media types in diverse ways that related to Gagne\u27s Nine Events of Instructional design. The study gives insight on the ingenious ways in which instructors use social media for instruction

YouTube for Assisting Autonomous Deaf English Learners in Mastering EFL

Teaching English to students with special needs has been a concern in Indonesia. However, there were still some limitations in the practice of teaching and learning in class. Thus, this research tried to portray the use of YouTube to improve the quality of English learning outside the classroom. This research attempted to depict YouTube's use to assist autonomous deaf learners in mastering English as a foreign language. This research utilized case study research and thematic data analyses. The subject of the research was one autonomous deaf English learner. The data collecting technique was a written interview through an online chat application. The first result of the research pointed out that there were four learning manners of the autonomous deaf learner in optimizing the English learning process through YouTube, namely using the caption feature, backward feature, comment section, and google translate to learn more about English. The second result revealed that the autonomous deaf English learner obtained three insights from the learning process through YouTube: grammar knowledge, vocabulary, and general knowledge, particularly about knitting. Finally, it may be concluded that the YouTube features that served captions, backward buttons, and comment sections became the paramount factors for supporting the learning autonomy of the deaf learner in mastering English as a foreign language

Standalone, Supplemental, and Embedded Microlearning Development Alternatives for Federal Programs during a Pandemic

Microlearning has been studied since the early 2000’s. Comparisons of microlearning and eLearning are found throughout the research. Some research has presented developing microlearning as an alternative to developing eLearning courses. However, this action research paper is written in support of developing microlearning to be implemented alongside or as a component of eLearning. Microlearning benefits learners because it can be developed as standalone, supplemental, or embedded course content. A literature review and close examination of a series of microlearning videos developed for a federal program will highlight how microlearning can be developed as standalone or supplemental course content that can then be embedded into eLearning course content

Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat (SWOT) Analysis of the Adaptations to Anatomical Education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland in Response to the Covid‐19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has driven the fastest changes to higher education across the globe, necessitated by social distancing measures preventing any face to face teaching. This has led to an almost immediate switch to distance learning by higher education institutions. Anatomy faces some unique challenges. Intrinsically, anatomy is a three-dimensional subject that requires a sound understanding of the relationships between structures, often achieved by the study of human cadaveric material, models and virtual resources. This study sought to identify the approaches taken in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland to deliver anatomical education through online means. Data were collected from 14 different universities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland and compared adopting a thematic analysis approach. Once themes were generated, they were collectively brought together using a strength, weakness, opportunity, threat (SWOT) analysis. Key themes included the opportunity to develop new online resources and the chance to engage in new academic collaborations. Academics frequently mentioned the challenge that time constrains could place on the quality and effectiveness of these resources; especially as in many cases the aim of these resources is to compensate for a lack of exposure to cadaveric exposure. Comparisons of the actions taken by multiple higher education institutions reveals the ways that academics have tried to balance this demand. Discussions will facilitate decisions being made by higher education institutions regarding adapting the curriculum and assessment methods in anatomy