Why Do We Question How Long Videos Should Be in Online Learning?
When designing and working with faculty, we have tried to maintain our suggestions for video length, recommending that videos be no more than 5-7 minutes in length overall. This guidance has been backed by our own team’s experience, as well as much of the research literature which emphasized the need for shorter videos instead of lengthy, almost classroom lecture-style videos. In an MIT study, Guo, Kim, and Rubin (2014) posit that learner engagement declines after 6 minutes, and in their recommendations, suggest that “shorter videos are much more engaging” (p. 42). This guidance is accepted in instructional design, and the majority of time, we would agree.
However, through our own process where we have used our course evaluations as an opportunity for quality improvement, we discovered that uniform guidance on video length could be misleading. In fact, there could be some cases where videos remain engaging beyond the highly reasonable suggestion of a 6-minute maximum. Generalizing how long a video should be, across all disciplines, is a difficult suggestion to uphold. Instead, we determined that video length should be based on the topic. We should design videos based on what learners are being asked to do cognitively while watching, instead of sticking to an overarching time limit. This would lead to far more appropriate, yet varied, video lengths.
Additionally, following this practice leads to more challenging design practices, as a designer will need to use their expertise to determine their media strategy here. This also unleashes designer creativity, so they are not stuck to a rigid orthodoxy that may not fit their needs.
Video Length Connected to Cognitive Impact
Picture this: We have 2 courses, one on business strategy where the topic is highly conceptual, and the other on algebraic equations, which is highly technical. The conceptual video, at 5–7 minutes of length may be exactly right, and perhaps the concept could have been explained even quicker. Keeping this type of video under 6 minutes is very achievable and highly recommended, as anything longer has the potential to lose the learner’s attention.
However, the algebra course may contain involved calculations or derivations where the learner needs to follow each step in an unbroken logical sequence. The natural length of such a video may stretch beyond 5-7 minutes, but it would still hold the learner’s complete attention because the task requires cognitive involvement from beginning to end. There is no opportunity for the learner to disengage, otherwise, they miss a step and might have to start the video over from the beginning. In this scenario, a 10-minute video does not feel long, as the learner was engaged fully for the entire time, and each step in the video was essential to the learner completing a component of the course. Moreover, breaking the video into shorter chunks fragments a single topic into multiple videos, making it more difficult for the student to retain the topic as a whole.
Instead of focusing on a broad suggestion for overall length, let’s first focus on differentiating the goal of the video. Do we want the video to explain concepts that require reflection afterwards, or does the video need to cover technical steps in a computational course which requires precision on both the instructor’s and student’s side?
If the video is conceptual, then the shorter the better as this kind of video has high potential to lose student attention. If it is technical and requires a series of logical steps, then the longer video does not mean it is designed inefficiently. In fact, the design may be highly effective and efficient despite the lengthy video as it allows learners the time to complete the necessary components to master a technique with one learning asset.
The Difference in Video Formats
When outlining video needs, it’s important to understand the style of video that will make the most impact for the student. Higher education video production can vary from self-recorded faculty videos to full productions in a studio. With any video, particularly the high production ones, there is a need for efficiency, as these are quite cost-heavy, so ensuring the video is the correct style is key.
Two of the most common formats in online learning are demonstration videos and lecture-style videos. Both videos are quite useful in their place, but there needs to be an understanding in making sure the video has an impact (Brame, 2016).
Demonstration Videos: Reducing Mental Guesswork
Demonstration videos are excellent for when a learner needs to perform tasks exactly as instructed to achieve a certain outcome. For example, financial calculations in an accounting class or coding lessons in an engineering course benefit greatly from demonstration videos. The strength of these videos is in their clarity of message and opportunity for direct application. Additionally, these videos may not require custom studio time, as a screencast can provide clear demonstrations followed by post-production edits to provide a high-quality feel.
These kinds of walkthrough videos remove any ambiguity while answering most learner questions before they are asked. The faculty can instruct students on an exact operation, and each action in the video keeps the learner engaged as they do not have the opportunity to zone out, otherwise they miss a key piece of information.
Lecture-Style Videos: Supporting Meaning-Making
By lecture, we are not meaning a traditional 1-hour lecture as was identified by Risko et al. (2016) as an inefficient use of time. We would assume at this stage most, if not all, designers in online learning understand posting a recorded, 1-hour lecture to an LMS is not a good learning experience.
The lecture-style videos we are referring to are asynchronous, instructional videos that typically have stayed in the 5 to 7-minute time frame to teach short chunks of content to learners in easily digestible sections. This style video helps learners understand concepts and make decisions, and by listening to the instructor explain reasoning through a narrative, the learners are able to make connections and establish learning through connection to mental models or whatever it may be.
This style of instructor-led, narrative videos support conceptual learning by helping learners follow the instructor’s reasoning while connecting them to their own ideas to help build mental models that guide decision-making.
Using Course Evaluations to Improve Instructional Video Design
Courses often have an evaluation at the end, seeking to gain feedback from students on how the course was delivered, faculty effectiveness, learning materials, and so on. When these end of course activities are viewed as an opportunity for quality improvement, it opens up a new avenue of possibilities.
In our process, we administer these course evaluations at the end of every course and have a robust retrospective process where all stakeholders come together to review an evaluation report and determine next steps for improvements. Through these efforts, we are able to understand the learner experience beyond simple scores on a Likert scale, which allows for an iterative course design process and continual improvement over time.
Conclusion
Rules like “keep videos under six minutes” are appealing because they simplify design decisions, and in most cases, sticking to this guideline is a good practice and safe choice. A shorter video will maintain the attention of a learner better than a long video, except when the video calls for detail. Short videos can also provide a negative experience for learners if too much meaning is compressed into them.
Longer videos can work well when they reduce cognitive friction by showing exactly how a task unfolds in detail and without rush. This style of video is essential for many of the technical and computational courses that students take in higher education. The key is to ensure the videos match what the learner needs based on the content they are learning.
References
Brame, Cynthia J. 2016. “Effective Educational Videos: Principles and Guidelines for Maximizing Student Learning from Video Content.” CBE—Life Sciences Education 15 (4).
Guo, Philip J., Juho Kim, and Rob Rubin. 2014. “How Video Production Affects Student Engagement: An Empirical Study of MOOC Videos.” Proceedings of the First ACM Conference on Learning at Scale (L@S ’14): 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1145/2556325.2566239.
Risko, Evan F., Neil Anderson, Anil Sarwal, Michael Engelhardt, and Alan Kingstone. 2012. “Everyday Attention: Variation in Mind Wandering and Memory in a Lecture.” Applied Cognitive Psychology 26: 234–242.
Abhijeet Dalal, Ed.D.
Northeastern University
Kevin Tobin
Northeastern University
Holly Franklin
Northeastern University
Matthew Behlmann, Ph.D.
Northeastern University
