Video Inspires Greater Engagement in Learning

A post in the What Researchers Need series.

While traditional peer-reviewed journal content remains a staple resource for researchers, a recent ProQuest survey indicates that research and teaching is informed by a diverse mix of content types.

In the years between ProQuest’s surveys, videos have made a dramatic climb in popularity. In 2014, only 39% of respondents were using video for educational purposes. In 2017, among the 410 surveyed, usage of video had almost doubled to 71%.

In the digital age, video is omnipresent. Available through an endless number of services, streaming on a variety of devices, video is simply a part of everyday life. Students and scholars are used to it and they expect to have access to it.

What is the value of using video for research and learning?

A June 2016 market report from Outsell on “Video in Education” outlines some of the advantages of providing video content to students:

• • Engagement. Students like video so they are likely to be more engaged with it, resulting in better understanding and attainment of content.
  • Authenticity. Information provided by a teacher can gain authority when supplemented with video content presented by a respected source or expert in the field.
  • Currency. Video content can be delivered in real-time for the most up-to-date news related to current events. At the same time, archived news content helps to provide a complete story about events that are unfolding.
  • Impact. A more emotional connection may be sparked by watching video content to enable a deeper, more memorable interaction with the material.
  • Introduction to difficult concepts. Seeing a demonstration of a complex concept enacted in a video might resonate better than other resources with some students, and can reinforce text or lecture materials.

Simplified access to expansive video content, create an ideal learning experience

Academic Video Online from Alexander Street is a subscription service that features 62,000 multidisciplinary video titles curated for educational purposes spanning an array of subject matter, including anthropology, business, counseling, film, performing arts, health, diversity studies, history, and more. Over 17,000 titles are exclusive to Alexander Street. Multiple content types such as documentaries, demonstrations, training videos, news clips and more support the needs of professors and students in their learning environments.

This collection includes content from over 1,500 leading distributors, producers, and filmmakers including 60 Minutes /CBS, A+E Networks’ HISTORY^®, PBS, BBC, Intelecom, Insight Media, Microtraining, Filmakers Library, Envision, Inc., Stanley Milgram, Dallas Telecourses, and Davidson Films.

• • Near Normal Man, Eixample, 2017
  • Class of ’27, A new generation in three forgotten places, Lost Nation Pictures, 2017
  • Radio Kobani, Journeyman TV, 2016
  • Losing Sight of Shore, Privately Published, 2017
  • Kiki, Sundance Select, 2016
  • Citizen Jane: Battle for the City, Sundance Select, 2016
  • Reinventing Cuba, SW Pictures, 2015
  • A Nation Divided? The Charlie Hebdo Aftermath, BBC, 2015