**2.1 Videos in asynchronous online learning**

Video lectures connect content, the teacher, and students that are separated in space and time in asynchronous online learning. In recent years, video presentation has become a predominant format on the web and video lecture is an immensely popular tool in online and blended learning.

It is a common practice that in-person class lectures are video recorded and available for more learners or for the purpose of review. The production of educational videos close to scientific films in which lecturing is not necessarily a key element is a sophisticated process requiring numerous experts in content, editing, production, sound, visual, graphic design, speaking, and so on [7]. The most widely used and the cost-effective type may be the lecture capture format, which itself could be very diversified using a variety of screen and voice capturing tools [4].

The convenience and benefits of video lectures are undeniable. Students can watch them anytime, stop at any moment, and repeat at their wishes. The audio and video media significantly enrich the previously text-based online courses, making online learning more interesting, engaging, and satisfying. Videos have fueled the development of flipped and blended learning. In a flipped classroom, precious in-person class time can be freed up for more challenging procedural learning by having students watch the recorded lecture before the class. As an important element of massive open online courses (MOOC), videos deliver instructional material to large numbers of geographically dispersed learners, making education more flexible, accessible, and affordable.

Transcending the chronicle and physical boundaries, videos can generate the learning environment that is relevant and realistic by presenting cases, events, or the real-world problems, thus making the learning more contextual and motivating problem solving. Videos also offer the learning opportunities that students do not necessarily experience at first hand [8].

Video helps to address teaching presence in online learning by making the instructors visible and audible. Virtually engaging teachers express their enthusiasm for the subject on the screen, motivate learning by telling stories, and connect the learners' emotions to what needs to be learned. Indeed, the biggest advantage of videos lies in the narrative, cases presented in videos are more engaging and satisfying to learners, leading to enhanced empathy and more effective learning in settings like problembased learning [9].

Consider the following principles when producing instructional videos: an appropriate combination of pictures, spoken language (conversational language preferred) and text, signaling by highlighting or on-screen key words, simplification to reduce distractions, a short length of 2–5 minutes (less than 6 minutes), mindfulness of social cues, storytelling or narrated animations, and expanded learning space. It is also worthwhile to mention that many existing videos can be handily transformed into educational videos by editing or adding didactic interactions such as prompt questions, actionable tasks, or social interactions [5, 10]. A well-designed instructional video is concise and focused without any irrelevant details; it almost always effectively harnesses the benefits of audio and visual components inherent in video, with an appropriate balance of verbal and pictorial elements tailed to the specific information to be conveyed [10].

#### **2.2 Videos in synchronous online learning**

Video conference connects content, the teacher, and students via synchronous audio and video telecommunication technologies, which are operated through computers, dedicated video-conference systems, or mobile devices. It has become an essential tool in synchronous online learning in many online or blended courses. Besides sending video and audio data across the networks, the video conference facilitates interaction and collaboration through features like file, screen, or workspace sharing. The video conference platforms specifically designed for teaching and learning have more inherited bells and whistles to engage learners and evaluate learning via formative or summative assessment [11].

The lack of simultaneous communication compromises teacher-student and student-student interactions. Video conference that brings the teacher, students, and content at the same time is a great tool to enhance interaction, a crucial and sophisticated element in teaching and learning. Video conference platforms specifically designed and tailored for online learning offer a variety of features to engage students and promote interactions in an online classroom. These features include roster management, labeling, polling, quizzing, whiteboard, screen sharing, file transfer and sharing, and breakout rooms. Students can have private chats, send instant messages, hint the instructor to speed up or slow down, and even take the control of the instructor's desktop. Such a well-rounded video conferencing tool for synchronous online learning allows the teacher to manage an online classroom much like in the traditional face-to-face setting, if not more effectively [11].

As working from home has become the new norm, video conferencing platforms designed for businesses find their roles in online learning. Equipped with essential features for facilitating simultaneous interactions such as chat, screen sharing, breakout rooms, and even whiteboard functionalities, those platforms meet the basic needs for synchronous online learning [12]. Moreover, when intelligently combined with formative assessment tools, video conference platforms can significantly enhance the engagement of online learners by creating a dynamic and interactive learning environment [13].

Video conferencing enables blended synchronous learning, allowing in-classroom and online students to interact with each other and the instructor simultaneously. This approach significantly increases the accessibility for online students, enabling their active participation in the live classroom teaching and learning activities without being physically present in the classroom. In addition, this approach also addresses the drawbacks of asynchronous online learning, including delayed feedback and missing social presence, by engaging interactions and enabling teaching presence [14]. Therefore, in the context of blended synchronous online learning, video conferencing helps to establish an integrated learning environment that seamlessly combines the physical classroom and virtual space [15]. The implementation of video conferencing offers valuable flexibility to the physical classroom, which cannot be totally replaced by the technology.

#### *The Roles of Video in Online Learning DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.114245*

Considering the value of simultaneous interactions in online learning and the challenges of coordinating everyone's participation at the same time, it is essential for schools to implement structured class schedules to support the synchronous element and effort in online learning [16].

## **2.3 Interactive videos**

Conveying a set of information in a structured manner, instructional videos using transmission pedagogy are often criticized for being passive and without interactivity. Being a rich and powerful medium that is more attractive to learners does not necessarily mean more satisfying or effective learning. Studies have shown that instructional videos without interactivity do not result in either a higher degree of satisfaction or better learning outcomes than no instructional videos at all. Interactive videos, however, boost not only the level of satisfaction but also improve the effectiveness of learning [17].

Passive video watching can be transformed into active learning by editing the video itself. It is a common practice to add a formative assessment at the end of the video to quiz the students. Continuous video watching can be intentionally interrupted by the multiple questions distributed throughout the video to check for understanding, and such practice has been demonstrated to improve both students' performance and satisfaction [18, 19].

Having learners take control of what they watch introduces another layer of interactivity. Not only can they adjust the speed of the video but also able to select the specific section of the video that contains an embedded index or annotations [17].

Incorporating videos into an interactive learning platform is another way to foster engagement and promote active learning. Guided questions can be presented to students before watching the video, so the students are motivated to watch with purpose. Summative note writing and formative assessment activities can be added after watching the video to encourage review and reflection. In a multi-media-based learning platform, by connecting with many other learning activities, the video has become an integral part of an active learning process [17, 20].

#### **2.4 From video consumers to video producers**

Videos can be a valuable active learning tool when students transform themselves from video consumers to producers to interpret, assess, organize, and represent knowledge. In the era of digitization, with a camera, computer, and appropriate software, video production and editing become feasible at home. They are affordable and easy to use, with some specially designed for educational use. Students, typically the video consumers, can be strategically transformed into video producers by using student-produced video assignments. This innovative approach shifts the focus of learning from the video to learning with the video. Here, the learners have to take the role of the producers to create the video to demonstrate or reflect their understanding of the course material [21].

To create an instructional or review video, students must first discover the knowledge and identify the source of information. Such endeavor nurtures a sense of independent learning, which is a significant foundational step leading to self-directed learning.

In creating the videos, students must mindfully process the information, a hallmark of active learning. In video making when students are in charge of the process and take full responsibility for the final product or the learning outcome, they learn actively and more effectively with much more depth. Other benefits of using video making in learning include augmented motivation, heightened engagement, enhanced technical skills, boosted self-reflection and self-esteem, and expanded educational resources [22].

Video-making supports the meaning-making process of constructive learning. Considering the social aspects of learning, the role of video making can be expanded when more collaborative and interactive activities are organized and guided around the videos properly. After all, learning is a dialog between the learners themselves and other learners [23].
