The use of media within online university courses has been shown to aid the learning process with the delivery of information through various formats. However, issues that inhibit learning have been found when media are used inappropriately. Based on an examination of extant media research, this study arranges common media delivery problems into five main categories: pace, intelligibility, quality, media diversity, and congruence. Students taking online courses were asked to comment on the media used in their classes. Each of their comments was paired with one of the five categories with justification provided for the categorizations. Through analysis of these learner comments, this study examines the extent to which media delivery problems occur among a specific sample of online university learners in South Korea. The underlying pedagogy that explains the issues caused by inadequate delivery of media is also discussed, followed by recommended solutions that can address such pedagogical concerns. The results not only highlight existing solutions to these types of media problems but also build on them by suggesting other techniques in which media can be delivered so that the overall online learning experience may be enhanced.

Aim/Purpose: The number of students enrolled in online courses that use video lectures is on the rise. However, research shows that the number of students watching video lectures is low, and the number watching videos to completion is even lower. Background: This paper seeks to understand this problem by looking for correlations between instructional design and student engagement with video lectures. Methodology: Students at a cyber-university in South Korea (n=1801) were surveyed on their perception of the instructional design used in the courses they took and their engagement with online video lectures. Contribution: This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by demonstrating positive correlations between instructional design, watching, and finishing video lectures. Findings: While most other research has found low levels of online lecture viewership, this paper found significantly higher numbers watching and finishing videos. Other major findings of the paper are that five key elements of instructional design for online learning environments (designing methods, setting the curriculum, establishing time parameters, establishing netiquette, and utilizing the medium effectively) all correlated positively with students watching and finishing video lectures. Recommendations for Practitioners : Based on findings in this paper, it is recommended that practitioners consider taking actions when designing their instruction for online courses. These include batching their video lectures together by topic, devoting greater resources to helping students utilize the medium, and communicate time parameters in a way that encourages students to view video lectures in a timely manner. Recommendation for Researchers: As the watching of video lectures in this study was mandatory for learners, an interesting area of further research would be to examine whether that decision led to higher numbers of students watching them. Future Research: It is important for researchers to conduct further research into the interplay between ways instructors can design their instruction in order to encourage learners to better experience online learning.

An important aspect of MOOCs is the way students interact with video lectures. Instruction provided through video lectures should focus on ways to increase germane cognitive load, which directly contributes to learning. One approach that may lead to an increase of germane load may be to use video lectures with diverse forms of media, including both auditory and visual aspects of multimedia.This study surveyed a group of students (n = 1602) who participated in MOOC-like courses in South Korea to investigate the relationship between delivery diversity and germane cognitive load.Additionally, the relationships between individual indicators of both audio and visual aspects of multimedia and germane load were examined. Results show a positive relationship between diverse media delivery (auditory, visual, and total media) and germane cognitive load. The implication of these results are important for instructors who wish to promote a better understanding of e-learning materials through the delivery of content by using diverse forms of media.

Aim/Purpose: Extant research provides conflicting information regarding the role that lecture behaviors play within e-learning lectures. This study sought to understand what role motivation plays in increasing the likelihood that students engage in lecture behaviors in general, and how motivation affects the differing types of lecture behaviors. Background: The growth of online learning has increased the importance of video lectures as a means of delivering content. As with offline lectures, students may find it useful to adapt and change the way they interact with lectures to improve their learning. One possible approach that allows students to effectively manage any challenges they have in understanding a lesson is to initiate lecture behaviors to alter the flow of information. Methodology: In the present study, a survey was administered to cyber university students (n = 2434) in order to examine at the relationship between intrinsic goal orientation (a type of motivation) and levels of lecture behaviors. Contribution: This research fills an important gap by showing the effects that motivation can have on how students interact with video lectures and suggests the ways in which students engaging in specific lecture behaviors do so in order to gain a better understanding of the content. As lecture behaviors are an important part of how students are interacting with this important and new method of teaching, it is important to understand which characteristics make students more likely to engage in lecture behaviors. Findings: Students who have higher levels of motivation are more likely to engage in lecture behaviors. These lecture behaviors may include splitting attention between media sources, pausing the video lecture, rewatching parts of the video lecture, and diverting attention to obtain better audio or visual clarity. Recommendations for Practitioners: Instead of just tracking students’ viewing progress on each course lecture video, instructors should further endeavor to measure their students’ use lecture behaviors in relation to online course lecture content. Doing so can provide valuable insight into students’ level of engagement with course lecture materials and overall levels of intrinsic goal orientation. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers need to start factoring in how student characteristics interact with instructional engagement when investigating online learning. Impact on Society: Improvement in our understanding of online learning helps improve the quality of instruction, which provides a net gain for society. Future Research: This paper is a broad overview using a survey, so future research should focus on a more detailed analysis of lecture behaviors, possibly using controlled experiments.

Purpose The paper aims to examine the effect of levels of self-regulated effort (SRE) and levels of cognitive load on the watching and completing of video lectures used as the main source of instruction in online learning environments. Design/methodology/approach A survey provided data on the students’ engagement with video lectures, their level of SRE and the level of cognitive load they perceived while watching video lectures. The relationships between these variables and statistical significance were analyzed. Findings There were three key findings: a positive relationship between SRE and both watching and completing lectures; a negative relationship between SRE and perceptions of existing cognitive load; and students in different demographic groups watched fewer lectures, experienced higher cognitive load and reported lower levels of SRE. Research limitations/implications Implications of this study are that video lecture creation would benefit from the development of best practices, consideration of students’ levels of self-regulation, minimization of extraneous load and individual differences among groups of students. Limitations are the context-specific nature of the findings and the fact that data were drawn from self-reported survey responses, meaning they are subjective in nature. Originality/value The originality of this paper lies in its investigation of relationship between SRE, cognitive load and video lecture viewership. No research of this topic could be found during the literature review. Findings are of value to those interested in reaping increased levels of video lecture viewership by showing elements that will encourage engagement, satisfaction and better transmission of instruction.

Purpose Because student viewership of video lectures serves as an important aspect of e-learning environments, video lectures should be delivered in a way that enhances the learning experience. The delivery of video lectures through diverse forms of media is a useful approach, which may have an effect on student learning, satisfaction, engagement and interest (LSEI), as well as future behavioral intentions (FBI). Furthermore, research has shown the value that LSEI has on learner achievement within online courses, as well as its value in regards to student intention to continue learning in such courses. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between media diversity, LSEI and FBI in hopes of enhancing the e-learning experience. Design/methodology/approach This study surveyed a group of students (n = 88) who participated in cyber university classes in South Korea to investigate the correlations between media diversity and lecture viewership, effects of lecture viewership on LSEI and FBI, effects of media diversity on LSEI and FBI as well as the correlation between LSEI and FBI. Findings Results show no relationship between media diversity and viewership. Both lecture viewership and media diversity were positively correlated with LSEI. However, neither media diversity nor viewership was positively correlated with FBI. Finally, LSEI was positively correlated with FBI. Originality/value This paper looks at how video lectures affect LSEI. Past research has generally looked at learning, satisfaction, engagement and interest as separate entities that are affected by instructional aspects of online learning. Because of their interrelationships with each other, this study combines them as one construct, making a stronger case for their combined association.

Ideally, instruction should be delivered in a way that reduces the processing of information that does not contribute to learning (extraneous load) and increases cognitive processing that contributes to learning (germane load). One way students might effectively manage extraneous load is through specific video lecture viewing strategies to control the flow of information. Extant research provides conflicting perspectives regarding the role of viewing strategies within video lectures in improving learning. This study analyzed survey responses from a group of university students (n = 2012) participating in online classes in South Korea and looked at the mediating effect of video lecture viewing strategies on the relationship between extraneous load and germane load. The results showed that viewing strategies mediated the relationship between extraneous load and germane load. When viewing strategies were added to the model, the large negative relationship between extraneous load and germane load reversed to become a small positive relationship, implying that the negative correlation between extraneous load and germane load can be largely mitigated by students engaging in specific viewing strategies to better understand the content.

Purpose Due to the autonomous nature of e-learning, learner control options should be provided to allow students to be more selective of content based on learning needs. Maintaining students’ situational interest should also be a goal in e-learning, as research shows that doing so leads to a greater chance of success. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between learner control and maintained situational interest in hopes of promoting better engagement through content selection based on learning needs. Design/methodology/approach This study analyzed survey responses from university students (n = 2,173) participating in a variety of massive online courses in South Korea to investigate the correlation between system-provided learner control and maintained situational interest. Additionally, the correlation between learner control and maintained situational interest was examined among demographic subsets including gender, age and grade level. Findings Results show a positive relationship between learner control and maintained situational interest, as well as a positive relationship between learner control and maintained situational interest among each demographic subset. Originality/value These results add to the current literature by promoting a practical way of maintaining students’ situational interest by providing them with the ability to control aspects of their own learning processes.