Online and Classroom Simulations: Does Video Use Inspire Interest, Comprehensibility, or Achieve Learning Outcomes?

This study examined whether a video illustration of a complex phenomenon promoted learner interest, perceived comprehensibility, and better learning in online- and classroom-based contexts. In the first study, undergraduate participants (N = 101) viewed learning materials which contained a video only, a video and textual explanation, or a textual explanation alone. Participants rated the interestingness and comprehensibility of the instructional materials and completed a learning outcomes test. The second study (N = 56) included the same learning materials in a classroom context. The video presentation of the material did not improve learning outcomes, in either context. Participants in the computer-delivered context who only viewed the text learned the material better than those who had viewed the video. In the classroom-delivered context, the video neither helped nor hurt the learning outcomes, but it also did not significantly boost learners' interest. Taken together, findings from the present study indicate potential limited utility of including video material within these instructional contexts.