Distracted by a talking head? An eye tracking study on the effects of instructor presence in learning videos with animated graphic slides

Effect of Explanation Videos on Learning: The Role of Attention and Academic Performance

“…The reason why talking heads are not recommended is because they distract learners from the learning content, as they spend a significant amount of time looking at them [11]. Therefore, talking heads reduce fixation duration on the content and number of fixation of newly appearing content [12]. Audio and visual elements should be complementary to the video rather than redundant.…”

“…Khan Academy-style tutorial videos are highly recommended [3], especially because they draw graphics while lecturing instead of having them already drawn, although videos with the instructor present and switching gaze between the board and the audience are shown to be better than just looking at the board or just the audience [14]. Moreover, to maximize the benefit of instructional videos, the 3 most important components are cognitive load, elements that impact engagement and elements that promote active learning [12]. And in addition, having a learning task after the explanation, helps students gain applicable knowledge in other situations rather than knowledge fixed to a specific scenario [2].…”

“…However, it is hard to determine which explanatory videos may be of higher quality for learning [6]. In general, videos that only show the instructor are not recommended because they direct overt attention to the instructor [11] and away from the relevant learning content [12]. Some have argued that Khan Academy-style videos can be effective because active writing and graphics direct attention to the relevant material [13], which is further enhanced with an informal and enthusiastic tone [3].…”