How long may learning videos be for young people?

Using a learning platform, it is easy to provide learning videos or videoed material for the learners. The question is if the learners really watch (or even want to watch) these videos. It seems to be obvious that the length of the video stands in direct context of the use by the learners.

Humans have shorter attention span than goldfish, thanks to smartphones

The telegraph, May 15, 2015¹

The length also is correlated to the attention span of people. This attention span can be estimated with approximately 10 seconds. People who are regularly involved in learning or observation of processes may have a longer attention span.

A study (part of the book "Technology Enhanced Teaching", 2016) gives interesting answers to the question mentioned above. Obviously, there is no difference between male and female students.
The preference lies at 5 minutes, 20 % of the students would prefer a length of 2 minutes.

Results or the study (from: Technology Enhanced Teaching, 2016)

Data of the study: n = 72 (18 male, 54 female), age 16 – 18 years old attending a secondary high school.

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¹ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/03/12/humans-have-shorter-attention-span-than-goldfish-thanks-to-smart/

Does eLearning increase the motivation of the learner?

El-Seoud, Seddiek, Taj-Eddin et.alt.¹ (2014) mention that “… recent studies indicate that university students who have been enrolled on e-learning courses outperform those being taught on traditional courses”. This would indicate a higher level of success using eLearning included in teaching activities.
From my point of view, the technological approach does not necessarily guarantee neither the increasing learning outcomes. Students must be motivated to learn and for me it no context exists between the use of technology and a higher motivation of students.
Motivation is, simply expressed, the reason of a person to do something. From this aspect, it is of interest, if students are motivated to learn and if the use of eLearning increases their motivation. Teaching science for many years, I made the experience that complex content and relations as often found in mathematics or physics challenge the students. I got the impression, that they rather liked to get explained such complex relations than to elaborate these in group work or using some eLearning.
I started a case study with students of an age of 16 (secondary highschool level) to find out their opinion. In that case study they got a distance learning unit in physics about rotation and the theory’s application to everyday processes. The unit consisted of some interactive simulations (available at their learning platform Moodle) where students could study the forces occurring during rotation. Additionally, some questions related to the shown content were asked and discussed by the students in a (moderated) forum.
A final questionnaire asked the students about their experience and feelings. One of the questions aimed for motivation:
My motivation to concern myself more intensively was increased by the eLearning unit.

The result was astonishing. No one agreed to the question (Values in brackets represent the numeric value).

Agree completely (1)	0%
Agree partly (2)	29%
Agree (3)	47%
Don't agree (4)	24%
Means	2,94
Standard deviation	0,72
Sample n	34

I asked the students for their survey results and got the feedback that students rather prefer to get explained complex matters intensively by a good teacher than to work on their own to gain the findings and context. Some students explained their behavior by learning economy: For them it’s more time sparing to get things explained than to need a lot of time to understand the complex context. The feedback to the way of realization was rather positive: The students appreciated the multimedia material and found it useful and well performed.

¹ Abou El-Seoud, Samir; Seddiek, Naglaa; Taj-Eddin, Islam; Ghenghesh, Pauline; Nosseir, Ann; El-Khouly, Mahmoud (2014): E-Learning and Students' Motivation: A Research Study on the Effect of E-Learning on Higher Education. In Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn. 9 (4), p. 20. DOI: 10.3991/ijet.v9i4.3465.

Competence Based Learning Outcomes

Competence oriented access as a quality issue in Blended Learning

Blended Learning is a complex teaching method. On the one hand, it offers the opportunity to teachers to mix the best of onsite and online to create a new learning environment. This “blend” can have a positive impact on efficiency, convenience and learning outcomes.

On the other hand, especially these learning outcomes are important. In modern teaching it should be out of discussion to define them based on the guidelines for Competence Oriented Education (COD).

What are Competences?

Competences can be defined easily as “something what you can”. Focusing on the process of learning and the expected learning outcomes you may define competence as a cluster of related abilities, commitments, knowledge and skills that enable a person to act efficiently in a job or in a specific situation.

For teaching, you may condense that to a three column set and define a competence model as a cluster consisting of knowledge, skills and attitudes.

How to define Learning Outcomes Competence Based?

Teaching was content based for a long time. The knowledge of the content was the most important result in the teaching process for many years.

In modern teaching, the knowledge of the content is a means to skills. Content is necessary – without doubt – but to use the knowledge to be able to do something is more important in your daily job.

A good way is to define the competence with the terms “the learner is able to do …” or similar at the beginning. This is the requested competence. The next step is to identify the learner’s needs. Now you have to analyze which knowledge is necessary (so you can define the content). The expected ability of the learner can be used to define the skills. Finally, you define the necessary attitude, which is necessary to bring in the skills of behave in the described way.

With the definition of the competences, you may start to create learning activities.

Conclusion

Teachers should care for their competence of teaching competence orientated. The method is versatile and can be used general in teaching.

In Blended Learning Courses a competence oriented access must be understood as a basic issue.