Video-based learning is a powerful part of online learning (Yousef, et al, 2012). Instructional design principals and theories are needed when creating educational videos, but need to be extended to accomodate the rapid changes in technology and teaching practices (Giannakos, et al 2014).

How these principals are applied to video as a learning tool will be explored on this site, specifically in the MOOC and Corporate Training contexts.

Learning through film began in the 1940's when the U.S. government used the power of film to recruit soldiers and train and deploy forces quickly. Television took up the practice in the 1960's when American Public Television began televising educational programs and films were used in schools as educational tools. In the '80's the development of the VHS tape and players made watching videos possible in the classroom. In the '90s, the development compact discs and the ability to add assessments to the video made the act of watching a program more active. Since the internet, home-based computers, and video recording equipment became more affordable and pervasive  in the early 2000's, instructional web-based video has been exploding in use. (Yousef, et al 2014)

Sites like YouTube and iversity began to stream lectures to large numbers of learners as instructors began creating and sharing their own content online.

Specialized educational web-based platforms developed soon thereafter. Learning management systems like MIT Open Courseware, TEDed, and Videolectures.net. were developed by universities to stream video lectures across the internet. 

MOOCs began to combine these video lectures with other educational tools such as syllabi, e-books, assignments, and provided discussion forums, wikis, and peer-grading to enhance social collaboration.

Concurrently, corporations found video to be an efficient and effective training tool. Many now partner with MOOCs to bring their training out of the corporate environment and into the  "open educational" world of MOOCs.

In the last 10 years, MOOCs and corporate training have been an emerging trend in online education. After 2012, they fell into the “Trough of Disillusionment”  of the  Gartner Hype Cycle.  Now, with the rapid development of new technologies and internet devices, they have the potential to start stimulating new interest and popularity (Blackman, et al, 2015).

How corporate training and MOOCs use video in their online programs to improve effectiveness. the benefits and shortfalls of using videos in education, and the importance of adhering to proven best practices when using video as an instructional tool.

Effectiveness of VBL

There has been a great deal of research conducted on the effectiveness of using video in an educational capacity. These key findings can and should be kept in mind when using video in online instruction:

• • Video can be a highly effective educational tool (Brame, 2015)

  • Video can increase student perception of content's value (Draus, et al, 2014)

  • Video can create cognitive overload (Merkt et al, 2011)

  • Video has been found to be equally or more effective when students when learners can pause, stop, and review video content and when assessments with feedback are part of the video (Merkt et al, 2011)

  • There is a lack of clarity in the research as to video's impact on learning outcomes because video is a broad medium with many styles and modes of delivery. (Chorianopoulos 2018)

  • The cost of creating effective videos may cause some institutions to ignore the potential affordances not yet explored fully in online learning (Merkt et al, 2011, Hansh 2015)