[02] Making Educational Videos Engaging

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Welcome back to Research Topics on Digital Education. I'm Elisabeth Kensington, and I'm joined by Martin Nottingham. Martin, do you remember when MOOCs first started making headlines?

f4fe5777

Oh, absolutely. I mean, it feels like a lifetime ago, but I still remember the buzz around edX launching in 2012. Suddenly, you could take a real MIT or Harvard course online, for free. It was wild. I actually signed up for one of those first edX courses—Intro to Computer Science, I think. I was just amazed that I could watch these university lectures from my living room. It felt like the future had arrived, you know?

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Yes, and edX really played a pivotal role in shaping what MOOCs would become. They started with a handful of courses, but the scale grew so quickly. Universities all over the world wanted to join in. But, as exciting as it was, there were a lot of early lessons—like, just putting a camera in a classroom and recording a lecture didn't always work out as well as people hoped.

f4fe5777

Right, and I think that's something we touched on in our last episode too with Elena and Jack—how just moving traditional education online doesn't automatically make it better. There was a lot of trial and error in those early days. But the promise of free, global access to university-level content? That was a game changer.

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Exactly. And it set the stage for a lot of research into what actually works in online education, especially when it comes to keeping students engaged with video content.

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So, let's talk about the study we're focusing on today. It was published by Philip Guo, Juho Kim, and Rob Rubin. The title: How Video Production Affects Student Engagement: An Empirical Study of MOOC Videos

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It is not so recent, it dates back to 2014 but it seems that the results obtained have not yet been well received in education!

f4fe5777

This was the largest-scale empirical study of MOOC video engagement at the time... 6.9 million video watching sessions across four edX courses. That's a massive amount of data!

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It's huge! And what's really interesting is how this kind of big data lets us see patterns that just aren't visible when you're only looking at a single class or a few dozen students. For example, you can actually measure how long students watch each video, when they pause, if they try the follow-up problems, and so on. It gives a much clearer picture of what keeps people engaged—or when they tune out.

f4fe5777

Yeah, and I think that's something that's easy to overlook. Like, before this, a lot of decisions about online courses were based on gut feeling or what worked in a physical classroom. But with this kind of data, you can actually see, "Hey, students are dropping off after five minutes," or "They rewatch certain parts of tutorials." It's a whole new way to improve teaching.

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Absolutely. I remember working with a team to redesign a video curriculum, and we used this kind of engagement data to decide which videos to split up, which ones needed more visual cues, and even which instructors needed to change their presentation style. It was a real shift from intuition to evidence-based decisions.

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And that's the power of big data in education. It takes the guesswork out and helps you make changes that actually matter for learners.

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So, what did the data actually show? The biggest finding was that shorter videos—under six minutes—were way more engaging. No matter how long the video was, students rarely watched more than six minutes at a time.

f4fe5777

Yeah, and that's kind of funny, right? Because a lot of professors, myself included, used to think, "Oh, I'll just record my hour-long lecture and put it online." But the reality is, people just don't stick around that long. The median engagement time was at most six minutes, even for longer videos.

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Exactly. And it wasn't just about length. Videos that mixed things up—like switching between the instructor's face, slides, and code—kept students watching longer. There was something about seeing the instructor, even just for a few moments, that made the video feel more personal and less monotonous.

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And here's the part I find really interesting: the videos filmed in a professor's office, just talking to the camera, actually outperformed the ones shot in fancy studios. It's almost like the more informal, conversational style made students feel like they were having a one-on-one chat, not just watching a broadcast.

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Yes, and that's a bit counterintuitive. You'd think higher production value would mean higher engagement, but the data showed the opposite. Sometimes, less is more—especially if it means the instructor is more relaxed and direct with the audience.

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So, if you're making MOOC videos, don't stress about the perfect studio. Focus on being clear, concise, and a little bit personal. That's what keeps people watching.

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Another big takeaway was about presentation style. The so-called "Khan-style" tablet tutorials—where the instructor draws and talks through the material—were much more engaging than just PowerPoint slides or code screencasts.

f4fe5777

Yeah, and I think that's because there's something about seeing the material come to life in real time. It's more dynamic, and it feels like the instructor is working through the problem with you, not just reading off a slide. Plus, the study found that faster speech rates—up to 254 words per minute—actually increased engagement. So, being energetic and enthusiastic really matters.

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Right. And it's not about rushing, but about bringing energy. In fact, one MOOC in the study switched to chunked, more personal videos—short, focused, and conversational—and saw a measurable jump in engagement. Students were more likely to watch the whole video and attempt the follow-up problems.

f4fe5777

That's a great point. And, you know, sometimes instructors worry about speaking too quickly or making mistakes, but the data suggests that a natural, enthusiastic delivery is more important than being perfectly polished. Editing out long pauses and filler words helps too, but you don't have to sound like a robot.

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Exactly. It's about being yourself, but with a bit more energy. And planning ahead—thinking about how to break up the content and how to present it visually—makes a huge difference.

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So, what does all this mean for people actually making online courses? First, intentional pre-production planning is crucial. Don't just hit record—think about how to segment your material into short, focused chunks, ideally under six minutes each.

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And don't underestimate the importance of data literacy. Being able to look at engagement data and adjust your approach is key. I once worked with a professor who was really hesitant to change his style. He was used to formal lectures, but after seeing the engagement numbers, he agreed to try a more conversational, informal video. The difference was immediate—students watched longer, and more of them attempted the follow-up exercises. He was actually surprised by how much more comfortable he felt, too.

f4fe5777

That's a great story. And I think it shows that sometimes, just being willing to experiment and look at the data can lead to big improvements. You don't have to be a video expert—you just have to be open to feedback and willing to try new things.

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Exactly. And as we saw in the last episode with the ECOBI model, digital education is all about flexibility and continuous improvement. The same goes for making engaging videos—plan, measure, adapt, and don't be afraid to get a little personal with your audience.

f4fe5777

Well, that's all for today. Thanks for joining us as we dug into what really makes MOOC videos engaging. Elisabeth, always a pleasure.

c377b6f2

Thank you, Martin. And thanks to everyone listening. We'll be back soon with another research topic on digital education. Until next time, goodbye!

f4fe5777

Take care, everyone. See you next time.