Course Paper
Literature Review
Applying the Design Principles to Edit the Instructional Videos’ & the Impacts on the Germane
Cognitive Load on Online Graphic Design Students’ Learning
Overview of the Problem
Higher education globally has depended on asynchronous materials to assist students in
continuing their learning process in online or in-class courses (Noetel et al., 2021). Moreover,
diverse variables affect higher education students’ learning by watching interactive digital
videos in asynchronous courses. In this literature review, studies are analyzed to examine the
effectiveness of applying the graphic design principles and multimedia design principles to edit
interactive videos toward enhancing the students’ performance, increasing the German
cognitive load, and reducing the cognitive load in general. As Afify (2021) described, the
interactive video should support and invite students’ engagements with the included content.
In particular, the interactive video allows students to control their learning by pausing, clicking
links, or getting involved in the included questions. Besides the educator should add indicated
information asynchronously with the video. Additionally, the researcher defined the interactive
type of video as not linear as if students are watching TV presentations. Likewise, researchers
suggested that educators focus on specific design rules and efficiently utilize graphic design
principles to prevent external elements and any interference that delay learning specific skills.
Proposal Research Questions
Q1: Do the edited instructional videos affect the graphic design student’s performance
and learning the new technique?
Q2: How do edited instructional videos affect the learner’s time studying the examples?
A year ago, a study by Afify (2021) examined if interactive videos improve the students’
performance in tests while maintaining their learning. Moreover, the researcher measured if
the implication of short interactive videos reduces the cognitive load related to medium and
long videos. As the author explained, the educators should consider three significant variables
to increase students’ engagement: categories of videos, sources of videos, and instructions for
displaying the videos—that for improving students’ attention, students’ active learning and
decreasing the cognitive load. Beside, the researcher measured the effect of the interactive
video length on the cognitive load and students’ performance among the three groups divided
based on short, medium and long video time. The results showed a significant effect on the
video length on reducing the cognitive load, on the cognitive load types (intrinsic, extraneous,
and germane)in general, and of the cognitive achievement in retention of learning in favour of
the short time group. Consequently, the study pointed to benefit from the design and content
development of interactive digital video-based learning.
Recent research by Thompson et al. (2021) employed an experimental design with
random assignment to control and experimental groups; compared a 14-minute instructional
video with the same content split into three segments. Also, they examined the effects of
segmenting on students’ learning, interaction patterns, or perceptions of the video.
Furthermore, the researchers anticipated that participants better remember information
presented in four to five-minute segments than the unchanged length video. Correspondingly,
the study surveyed students’ interactions preferences for the instructional video. As a result,
there was no significant disparity in the video length and its impact on learning for the control
and experimental groups, neither their interaction nor perceptions of the video. Thus, the
researchers explained that instructional video segments and length might be less important
than the other instructional materials educators provide to support students’ interaction with
the instructional video.
A study in Thailand examined the effectiveness of developing instructional videos for Lai
Kammalor Drawing and how it affects Arts Education students’ ability before and after learning
through instructional videos (Luangmongkol & Kiattisak, 2021). Likewise, the researcher
accumulated details about the Kammalor drawing process to keep their culture’s legacy and
enhance teaching Thai Painting for the Art students. Specifically, the video maintained sensitive
techniques, including the mistakes and answers to the students’ inquiries, and the instructional
video included visual and auditory elements. Hence, the results indicated that the evaluation of
the video design was above average, and the instructional video content was significantly more
effective than the required percentage. Consequently, the post-test result was relatively more
remarkable than the pretest result.
A study in the researcher applied the sandwich principle to modify an instructional video
in a medical course (Bock et al., 2021). Accordingly, they compared the control and (sandwich
principle) groups’ results; they showed remarkably increased test scores and improved long-
term retention in both groups compared to before watching the video. Despite, there was no
significant difference between the groups’ results. Further, students valued the revised video;
they found the interruptions of the repeated knowledge helpful.
In 2020 researchers applied an experimental study among two groups; the first group
has the instructor-present video, in which the instructor is next to the learning material. In
comparison, the second has the instructor-absent video showing the content with the
instructor’s narration (Wang et al., 2020). Subsequently, the results presented that retention of
information for the instructor-present video group did not improve compared with those who
saw the instructor-absent video. Also, the result indicated that participants experienced a lower
intrinsic load with the instructor-present video. However, the results did not specify any general
effect on the cognitive load and the German cognitive load with the instructor’s presence.
A few years ago, researchers Abdul Hamid & Br Ginting (2019) conducted a study in
Indonesia and designed instructional videos for illustration classes. The researchers employed
several elements, including instructions, core and essential competencies, signals, purposes,
overview, activities and the developers’ profiles. Thus, instructional video drawing illustration in
fine art had feasible results and was worth utilizing as a digital education method.
Research by Miner & Stefaniak (2018) examined video contents and the positive effects
on student learning results based on perceptions of using multimedia video presentations. The
results indicated that Instructors should acquire professional development support to integrate
multimedia video technology. Furthermore, the study revealed that students suggested
professors utilize video and considered it improved understanding.
Costley and Lange (2017) investigated why students frequently lose motivation to
remain engaged in the online course’s materials such as MOOCs, which leads to dropping the
course or failing to submit the required tasks to gain their credits. Therefore, the researchers
surveyed more than a thousand students from MOOC e-learning courses in South Korea.
Furthermore, the researchers aimed to design video lessons to increase engagement and gain
students’ interest in the course materials. Accordingly, this study examined the relationship
between a mixed combination of indicators as auditory, visual and multimedia elements and
germane cognitive load. The study found a positive relationship between mixed media
approaches and germane cognitive load.
In the following study, the researcher explored the effectiveness of the implementation
of video annotation in online courses (Thomas, 2016). Annotation software allows students to
control the video add comments or questions to the video, which can help the learners retain
information and restudy them later. The results showed that the summarization task in an
annotating video tool did not improve the students’ performance. Therefore, the researcher
suggested that future studies investigate the applied strategies to examine the
metacomprehension accuracy.
A decade ago, the researcher Ibrahim (2012) utilized segmenting strategies in his study.
He applied three design principles to divide the video into five segments, cues to explain the
main ideas and removing non-essential fragments even if they were interested. Likewise, the
researcher applied a quasi-experimental design to consider self-regulated learning strategies
and evaluate the effect of the instructional video developed using the Segmenting Signalling
Weeding model and students’ knowledge acquisition. The results revealed that learners who
watched the edited video did not have difficulty understanding and retaining information
compared to students who watched the not edited video.
Identifying the Gaps
When learners cannot control their learning and the time allocated to learn from the
linear video, that will increase the cognitive load and discomfort their ability to understand the
information in the specified time (Afify, 2021). Accordingly, the educator has a significant role in
developing effective techniques for creating video-based material by applying design principles
and multimedia design principles. For example, the developed method can evaluate the precise
details that students need and utilize them with graphics-based or text-based communication
information. And the educators should consider dividing the video into short segments to
reduce the cognitive load that affects the learners’ performance (Costley & Lange, 2017).
Consequently, the studies’ results align with the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning that
reflects active learning while integrating meaningful strategies watching the interactive video
(Afify, 2021; Ibrahim, 2012; Sweller, 2010). Most of the studies yielded positive results when
the educators and experts edited the video and added text-based signals, including applying the
design principles to increase the German cognitive load. Therefore, future studies should
examine the impact of instructional videos on learning difficulty and apply diverse design
strategies to help reduce the cognitive load.
References
Abdul Hamid, K. & Ginting, Sri Juita Br. (2019). The Development of Instructional Video in
Drawing Illustration at Fine Arts. International Seminar on Transformative Education and
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Bock, Thomas, C., Heitzer, M., Winnand, P., Peters, F., Lemos, M., Hölzle, F., & Modabber, A.
(2021). Transferring the sandwich principle to instructional videos: is it worth the effort?
BMC Medical Education, 21(1), 525–525. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02967-3
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