The concepts of segmenting—or splitting content up into short chunks—and video length come up often in learning science research. It is well-proven to be an effective tactic in helping students learn better and retain information longer. The key lies in creating meaningful segments, keeping them short, and giving students control over when to move on to the next one.
One of the most popular MOOCs of all time—Learning How to Learn on Coursera by Barbara Oakley and Terrence Sejnowski—references segmenting as one of the factors that makes it so “sticky” (Oakley, Poole, & Nestor, 2016). It draws on one of Richard Mayer’s famous principles of multimedia learning—the segmenting principle—that tells us that students learn best when content is presented in user-paced chunks that help them manage cognitive load (Mayer, 2014). Fiorella & Mayer (2018) summarize research that tells us that the segments we create must be meaningful (Biard, Cojean, & Jamet, 2017) and that students should have control over when to move onto the next segment (Merkt, Ballmann, Felfeli, & Schwan, 2018). Arbitrary segments created by the student pausing a longer video are not as effective as meaningful ones. And neither are brief pauses that automatically roll into the next video. As an instructor, creating short videos that are self-contained chapters helps students know when it’s a good time to stop, and lets them pause as long as they need to process information before learning something new. It gives students with busy lives and potentially limited attention span for screen-time the flexibility to complete their coursework on their own time, at their own pace.
Limited attention span is a significant concern when it comes to video. Many research studies address the topic of ideal video length in online learning. The overwhelming consensus is that shorter is better—though the exact definition of “short” varies. In a 2012 study, Risko and colleagues found that “attention to, and retention of, lecture material declined as a function of time on task,” while a study of videos in MOOCs showed a higher dropout rate with longer videos (Kim et al., 2014). Learning How to Learn, mentioned above, featured videos that averaged about five minutes in length (Oakley, Poole, & Nestor, 2016), while Guo, Kim, & Rubin (2014) recommend keeping videos under six minutes.
While the exact length should vary according to the content of the video, the key takeaway is clear—simply recording a 50-minute lecture as you might present it in the classroom will not work. Break it up into short, meaningful chunks that students can work through as they please.
Biard, N., Cojean, S., & Jamet, E. (2017). Effects of segmentation and pacing on procedural learning by video. Computers in Human Behavior, 89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.12.002
Fiorella, L., & Mayer, R. E. (2018). What works and doesn't work with instructional video. Computers in Human Behavior, 89, 465-470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.07.015
Guo, P. J., Kim, J., & Rubin, R. (2014). How video production affects student engagement: an empirical study of MOOC videos. Proceedings of the first ACM conference on Learning @ scale conference (L@S ’14). https://doi.org/10.1145/2556325.2566239
Kim, J., Guo, P. J., Seaton, D. T., Mitros, P., Gajos, K. Z., & Miller, R. C. (2014). Understanding in-video dropouts and interaction peaks in online lecture videos. In Proceedings of the first ACM conference on Learning@ scale conference (pp. 31-40). https://doi.org/10.1145/2556325.2566237
Mayer, R. E. (2014). Principles of multimedia learning based on social cues: Personalization, voice, image, and embodiment principles. In R. E. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning (2nd ed., pp. 345–368). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139547369.017
Merkt, M., Ballmann, A., Felfeli, J., & Schwan, S. (2018). Pauses in educational videos: Testing the transience explanation against the structuring explanation. Computers in Human Behavior, 89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.01.013
Oakley, B. A., Poole, D., & Nestor, M. (2016). Creating a Sticky MOOC. Online Learning, 20(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.24059/olj.v20i1.731
Risko, E.F., Anderson, N., Sarwal, A., Engelhardt, M., & Kingstone, A. (2012). Everyday attention: Variation in mind wandering and memory in a lecture. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 26(2), pp.234-242. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.1814