The human brain processes videos 60,000 times faster than pure text – as shown by various studies. 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? You want to connect your washing machine yourself in the new apartment, during lockdown you wanted to try out a new cooking recipe, or you were looking for an easy-to-understand guide for a complicated Excel formula. What do all these situations have in common? Right! You usually 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 shown by the examples mentioned. Accordingly, it is not surprising that learning and explanatory videos are so popular.
In different 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, the study examined YouTube use among 12- to 19-year-olds. Regarding education, online videos are primarily used for reviewing and deepening lesson 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 as a trainer, how do you increase the learning success of your course participants with online videos? You can find the answer to these questions in the following table:
Advantages of your explanatory videos
| Advantages of your online videos | Tips to increase learning success |
Microlearning creates short learning units through bundled knowledge content! The attention span of your course participants continues to decrease due to rapid internet usage. Explanatory videos present your most important content in a nutshell. |
| |
Visualized topics | Explanatory 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 represented with graphics. Through the auditory level, your participants can follow you better and comprehend content faster.
|
Focused content | To keep explanatory videos exciting, you should not drag them out. Therefore, focus on the most important content.
| Your explanatory video can be repeated as often as needed 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). Address both learning types! | Design your online courses in a media mix so that you engage both hemispheres of the brain and appeal to the different learning types.
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Personal connection to course participants | Take advantage of the fact that you can personally motivate your participants. You can achieve this best by making your explanatory videos exciting and motivating. After all, your motivation in the explanatory video is tangible and, in the best case, is also transferred to the course participants! | Show your face! This is how you establish a personal connection with your course participants.
Also, ensure good sound and lighting conditions so that your participants can focus on the content.
|
Creative variety | You can create explanatory videos for any content. You have complete creative freedom! Diverse videos make it 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 becomes clear how diverse the advantages of explanatory 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 thereby addressing 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 find out about this and much more in the blog article "4 Learning Types: How Color Improves Training [Interview]"
You see: Explanatory videos not only help you with cooking or connecting a washing machine, but also offer enormous added value in the context of further education! This is because 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 embed explanatory videos into your online courses within the blink.it learning platform. How this works and what possibilities the blink.it platform offers you is explained in the following section:
Practical example: How to embed explanatory videos into your online courses
In addition to media formats such as text, image, and sound, the blink.it learning platform offers course creators the option of embedding 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
Embedding 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!
Conclusion
Explanatory videos increase learning success particularly when they convey short, understandable learning impulses and are embedded in a didactically sensible overall concept.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Why are explanatory videos particularly effective in e-learning?
Explanatory videos combine visual and auditory stimuli, making it easier to understand complex content. Learners can grasp information faster and repeat content as often as needed.
Why should explanatory videos be as short as possible?
Short videos help to maintain the participants' attention and keep a clear focus on the content. Small, compact units of knowledge in the style of microlearning make it easier to process and retain information.
How do explanatory videos support different learning types?
Explanatory videos stimulate multiple sensory channels simultaneously. The combination of image, language, movement, and structure benefits different learning habits and preferences alike.
Why is the personal appearance of the trainer in videos important?
When trainers appear visibly and authentically, a stronger emotional connection with the participants is created. This increases motivation, attention, and the willingness to engage more deeply with the learning content.
