Eye-Tracking in Instructional Videos

Nathan Garrett, PhDWoodbury University (Los Angeles)

Slides available at http://profgarrett.comEmail nathan.garrett@woodbury.edu

Presented at ISECON 2015

AbstractThis project examined the impact of different multimedia designs in instructional videos. An eye-tracking machine recorded learners while they were shown a slide presentation alongside a video of the instructor. Learners frequently switched between the video and slides, on average every 2.4 seconds. Speakers who gestured, repeated keywords, or began new points often sparked these switches. The switch patterns were evaluated using Multimedia Learning Theory to determine what they might reveal about the cognitive load of the presentation on the learner. The switches appear to show synchronization attempts (or failures) between the speaker and the multimedia, and yield insight for managing optimal cognitive load. Interviews clarified these eye-tracking results, and together they confirm and expand several helpful guidelines for multimedia use in instructional videos.

What do we know about video-based learning?• 3-6% increase in learning• Or not… (depending on academic discipline)

• Students like videos• Increases Social Presence (sense of connection)• Richer media

• How can we improve them with analytic data?

Media Learning TheoryProcesses• Selection• Organize• Integrate

Avoid Cognitive overload

Method: Eye-tracking• Frequently used in web usability studies

Half of viewers’ time on face

Extends “Showing Face in Video Instruction: Effects on Information Retention, Visual Attention, and Affect” by Kizilcec, Papadopoulos, and Sritanyaratana

Experimental Research Design• MBA & undergraduate business students (n=22)• 5 minute recorded presentations• Eye Tracker• Survey • Interview

Experimental Research Design

Experimental Research Design

Data Analysis1. Replication

2. Modeling

3. Visualization

4. Qualitative

1. Replication

Original Study This Study

Average time spent before transitioning 3.6 seconds 2.3 seconds

Time spent on video 41% 65%✔

2. Modeling

Changes to n by splitting

presentations

3. Visualization• 10s = 4 transitions• 20s = 7 transitions• 60s = 20 transitions

Initial (~3-4) seconds on slide

People respond to instructor’s gestures

People respond to instructor’s gesturesand content

The instructor explains that CouchSurfing is registered as a B corporation, but does not look at the slides or use body language to focus the audience’s

attention on the slides.

Indicates viewers are synchronizating visual & audio information

Visually interesting slides get more attention

Viewers respond to speaker’s repeated phrases

Speaker went off slides

Reading numbers gets a lot of attention

4. Qualitative Themes• The presentation and the PowerPoint slides meshed well together.

(Participant 5)

4. Qualitative ThemesText-heavy Slides

• What he was saying and what was on the PowerPoint didn’t coincide with each other… Make sure what he says and what’s on the slide are the same thing. (Participant 5)

• Way too much writing… Design was good, but it was hard to follow what he was saying while at the same time reading the slides. (Participant 11)

4. Qualitative ThemesText-light (picture-heavy) slides

• Because her PowerPoint was just pictures, it didn’t seem like she put effort making the PowerPoint and whatever she was talking about really didn’t make sense… Want more content basically… (Participant 5)

• Felt like kind of a childish presentation. I like to see some writing at least… to me it’s kind of irrelevant, makes it harder to follow the topic. (Participant 11)

4. Qualitative Themes• Learners disliked text-heavy slides due to synchronization problem• Learners disliked text-light slide due to lack of signposting

Research Conclusions• Eye movements align with MLT

• Sparklines are useful visualization tool

• Eye movements can be used to reduce Cognitive Load in videos

What does this mean for when we make videos?• Pause 3-10s on new slides

• Avoids overload during initial skim

• Make slides easily skimmed • Since learners are transitioning every 3-4s

• Help learners synchronize slides and gaze

• Avoid overload• Have all points on the slide• Don’t have so much content that they miss key points