What do Students Understand by Explainer Videos? Results of a Written Survey of Student Teachers

Abstract

In both practice and research, the term «explainer video» is often used ambiguously and varies depending on the perspective of users and researchers. This article focuses on concepts and attributes of effective explainer videos from the users’ perspective. Based on an online survey conducted at the TU Braunschweig on students’ use of explainer videos, the responses of 113 student teachers were evaluated. A qualitative content analysis was used to determine students’ understanding of the term «explainer video» and their individual evaluation criteria. In essence, the students surveyed understood explainer videos to be short, comprehensible videos that use visualizations and seek to convey knowledge, while presenting a complex subject in a way that is easy for users to understand without much prior knowledge. Despite similarities in the participants’ concepts, no common understanding of the term «explainer video» could be established. Students’ expectations concerning explainer videos focused primarily on the content and/or the layout, aesthetics, language, knowledge transfer, and the duration of the video. Nevertheless, the participants weighted the mentioned aspects differently. In addition, they use explainer videos for different purposes and at different times in their learning process.