UNIT 3 INTERACTIVE VIDEO

As already mentioned in the previous units, the use of videos - whether static or dynamic - in support of the learning process, is widely consolidated among educational institutions. Chambel, Zahn, and Finke (2006) address the topic affirming that the video can be used as a teaching aid:

• By reconstructing real experiences thanks to the high level of authenticity and realism;

• By allowing learners to observe dynamic processes that would otherwise not be observed in real-life ( because they are difficult to reproduce or are dangerous, costly, etc.) or that would be difficult to describe by using words;

• By combining different symbolic systems such as graphics, text, narration into coherent multimedia content.

At the same time, when used properly, videos allow teachers and instructors to:

• Increase learners’ attention, improving their motivation to learn and helping them to orient their focus;

• Stimulate discussion;

• Encourage learners to think about what they are learning, e.g. by analysing their own professional practice;

• Set project-based dynamics in motion, involving learners in the process of designing, planning and producing videos.

Fig.1: Immagine di jcomp su Freepik

What is an interactive video and what added advantages does interactive video offer?

An interactive video may be defined as a non-linear video, which offers both conventional video control and navigation functions (e.g. play, pause, stop, rewind/fast forward) and more complex ones (e.g. indices or summaries). Interactive video is enhanced with hyperlinks to additional material (documents, graphics, Webpages, audio files, etc.) using specific ‘markers’.

Interactive videos - in addition to conventional features - offer macro-level activities which allow users, for example, to divide the video into chapters and create summaries, breaking information down into smaller units and facilitating learning. 

A second important element is the presence of hyperlinks or interactive points, i.e. ‘markers’ that users can click on to gain access to additional materials (documents, graphics, links, audio, etc.). 

There is an additional group of optional features that may or may not be present in an interactive video. They are called ‘exchange options’, i.e. activities that stimulate individual or collective thought and analysis through individual or collaborative video annotation, allowing users to add notes directly in the video interface and exchange comments with the possibility to insert quizzes, prompting users to assess their own learning progress.

Fig.2: features found in interactive video (source: Sauli, Cattaneo, and Van der Meij, 2017)

For the development of professional knowledge, interactive video is particularly useful to:

• show specifically how to carry out a given procedure;

• move beyond the “word-alone” level of abstraction;

• show various viewpoints or different representations of the same object or procedure;

• represent complex concepts.

2. Integrating interactive video in a didactic scenario

The three phases in the production of an interactive video are the following:  (1) preparation and selection of the raw video,(2)  creation of the interactive video, and (3) its use for didactic purposes.

2.1 Preparatory phase: identification and preparation of raw video

In order to create an interactive video, you first need to have a video to start out with. The teacher can either use an existing video, e.g. taken from broadcasting archives, or can create his/her own video from scratch.

– If the idea is to use an already existing video, it is important to devote a certain amount of time to video selection. The search engines of broadcasting archives, specialised websites or video aggregation sites (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) can make this task easier. However, it is important to make sure that you find out whether or not the videos in question are subject to copyright;

– However, if the idea is to produce a video from scratch, then there are two possibilities:

1. Create a storyboard to reproduce a specific situation: in this case, the video represents a reconstruction or a simulation of reality. Planning the storyboard is extremely important in order to take into account all of the elements that one wishes to show.

2. Film a real situation to maintain and convey authenticity.

The changes to be made in the video editing phase may vary according to the learning outcomes and other requirements. In some cases, only minor changes are needed (e.g. cutting out a scene) but in others you may have to make more significant changes such as splicing and combining various video sequences or creating complete video footage.

It is very Important to limit the duration of the video; an average duration of 3 to 5 minutes works well. In any case the video duration should not exceed 6 minutes in order to avoid overloading the cognitive resources of learners.

Carefully plan the audio tracks in your video. Here, the aim is to use audio in line with the intended purpose of the interactive video, choosing the most inclusive scenario.

2.2 Production phase: making the video interactive

Subdividing video into chapters

It is a good idea to subdivide video content into different parts (chapters), to facilitate comprehension of narration and give learners the time needed to gain a clear overview (Merkt et al., 2011). In the creation of chapters, we suggest the following:

• Choose meaningful titles, that are immediately understandable, allowing learners to quickly get an idea of the topics that will be covered in the chapter;

• Maintain semantic coherence, creating titles that are evocative and semantically coherent, allowing users to situate themselves within the video and understand its internal structure;

• Insert an adequate, but not excessive, number of chapters, to facilitate navigation and avoid information overload.

Inserting interactive points and other types of interaction

Interactive points appear over images in the video; clicking on the point will interrupt the video and provide the user with access to additional information about the subject. The following steps need to be considered when creating an interactive point:

• Its function with respect to the content of the video and the learning outcomes to be reached;

• Its nature: in fact, an active point can provide additional information, but can also be used to assign a task or start a quiz to assess one’s own learning progress;

• Its spatial and temporal position. Its spatial position can be used to focus learner attention on a detail in the frame that is particularly relevant to the content covered. The temporal position (duration) determines how long the interactive point will remain visible and clickable on the screen;

• Additional material. In order to avoid cognitive overload, it is important to carefully select the material to be linked to each active point;

• Creating opportunities for reflection. Interactive points can also be used to facilitate and stimulate these activities.

Fig.3: Video Production and Editing Phase.

Generally speaking, when adding interactive points, it’s important to:

• Limit the quantity of interactive points to avoid the risk of cognitive overload and subsequent disorientation;

• Exercise restraint when inserting additional material. That is insert only the amount of additional material strictly needed to achieve learning outcomes;

• Facilitate reflection and analysis;

• Carefully choose the right moment to insert a new active point, giving preference to moments in which learners are not required to pay close attention to other video or audio material;

• Insert interactive points that make reference to specific elements that are immediately obvious to users;

• Set enough time and space between one active point and another;

With interactive points you can associate the following types of content: text and documents, hyperlinks, graphics.

According to Smith and Ragan (1999) there are mainly two types of didactic strategies: more teacher-centred ones, where teachers provide the most support (supplantive) to more student-centred ones (generative). 

In the first case, teachers maintain a rather high level of control over the lesson and the class. It is therefore a more directive style, and it is normal for the teacher to use interactive video as a teaching aid for their lessons.

In the second case, learners play a more active role in the production of knowledge and the teacher plays a less active role, exerting a more limited level of control and scaffolding. 

3. Research Evidence

• Cattaneo A., Sauli F., “Integrating interactive video in a learning scenario”, Guidelines from IV4VET Project, 2017.