The human brain processes videos 60,000 times faster than pure text – as various studies show. YouTube is the most widely used video platform in Germany and is used in versatile ways both privately and in the field of education. But why is learning with videos so popular? Find out now what makes learning with videos so efficient and how you can increase the learning success of your course participants with online videos!
Do the following situations sound familiar to you too? You want to connect your washing machine yourself in the new apartment, you wanted to try out a new recipe during the lockdown, or you searched for an easy-to-understand guide for a complicated Excel formula. What do all these situations have in common? Right! Most of the time, you find answers in YouTube videos.
Of course, there are other video platforms besides YouTube. Nevertheless, YouTube is the largest and most widely used video portal in Germany. However, the following tips can be applied to all other video platforms. Videos are omnipresent – as the examples mentioned show. Accordingly, it is not surprising that learning and explanation videos are so popular.
In various contexts, new learning habits arise in which online videos in particular take center stage: A study by the Council for Cultural Education reinforces this observation. In 2019, this study examined YouTube use among 12- to 19-year-olds. In relation to the topic of education, online videos are primarily used for reviewing and deepening classroom content.
Study Youth / YouTube / Cultural Education. Horizont 2019 // Source: Council for Cultural Education, Illustration: blink.it
But what makes online videos so popular with learners? And how do you, as a trainer, increase the learning success of your course participants with online videos? You will find the answer to these questions in the following table:
Advantages of Your Explanation Videos
| Advantages of your online videos | Tips for increasing learning success |
Microlearning creates short learning units through consolidated knowledge content! The attention span of your course participants is constantly decreasing due to fast internet use. Explanation videos present your most important content in a nutshell. |
| |
Illustrated topics | Explanation videos help your participants learn content faster. Through the video, they receive an audiovisual explanation of the knowledge content.
By using different learning channels, the learning process becomes easier and content can be retained better. | Processes can be shown using graphics. Through the auditory level, your participants can follow you better and understand content faster.
|
Focused content | To keep explanation videos exciting, you should not drag them out. Therefore, focus on the most important content.
| Your explanation video can be repeated as often as desired until the content has been learned and reinforced. If necessary, participants can take notes. |
Consideration of different learning types | Your course participants learn differently! Some people tend to learn with the left hemisphere of the brain (responsible for numbers, languages, structures), others with the right (images, imagination, feelings). Appeal to both types of learners! | Design your online courses with a media mix so that you engage both hemispheres of the brain and appeal to different learning types.
|
Personal connection to course participants | Take advantage of being able to motivate your participants personally. This works best when you make your explanation videos exciting and motivating. Your motivation in the video is palpable and, at best, is transferred to the course participants! | Show your face! This is how you establish a personal connection with your course participants.
Additionally, pay attention to good sound and lighting conditions so that your participants can focus on the content.
|
Creative variety | You can create explanation videos for all types of content. You have full creative freedom! With varied videos, it is easy for your participants to follow you.
| Find an example and guide yourself by it when creating your video. Additionally, you can think of a story and tell it in your online video. |
It is clear how diverse the benefits of explanation videos are. Videos not only get straight to the point of your knowledge content but also visualize it. In addition, you align your online courses with different learning types by using audiovisual explanations and thus appealing to different areas of the brain.
Would you like to learn more about the different learning types and find out which group you belong to? You can learn this and much more in the blog post “4 Learning Types: How training gets better with colors [Interview]”
As you can see, explanation videos do not just help you when cooking or connecting a washing machine, but also offer enormous added value in the context of further education! Course participants can access the most important information at any time and are supported in their learning through visualizations.
To increase the learning success of your course participants, you can of course also integrate explanation videos into your online courses on the blink.it learning platform. You can find out how this works and what possibilities the blink.it platform offers you in the following section:
Practical Example: How to Integrate Explanation Videos into Your Online Courses
In addition to media formats such as text, images, and sound, the blink.it learning platform also offers course creators the option of integrating videos into courses. You have two options for this:
1. Embed a video via YouTube
Tutorial: Embedding a video via YouTube on the blink.it platform // Source: blink.it
2. Upload a video directly to blink.it
Integrating online videos into a blink.it course is very simple. This gives your course participants the opportunity to work through content in short units (blinks). Your participants benefit from their successful learning process, and you as the course creator benefit from a popular course!
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Why are explanation videos particularly effective in E-Learning?
Explanation videos combine visual and auditory stimuli, making it easier to understand complex content. Learners can grasp information faster and repeat content as often as desired.
Why should explanation videos be as short as possible?
Short videos help to maintain the participants' attention and focus content clearly. Small, compact learning units in the style of microlearning make information easier to process and retain.
How do explanation videos support different learning types?
Explanation videos appeal to multiple sensory channels at the same time. Through the combination of image, speech, movement, and structure, different learning habits and preferences benefit equally.
Why is the personal appearance of the trainer in videos important?
When trainers appear visibly and authentically, a stronger emotional bond with the participants is created. This increases motivation, attention, and the willingness to engage more intensively with the learning content.
Updated on 07/14/2026
