Exploring the Effect of Film Forms on Learning for MOOC Learners

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of film forms for MOOC learners on learning recall, flow experience, attention and relaxation. The experimental videos were adapted from a TaiwanLIFE MOOC Digital Content Production, and all videos were redesigned according to the research needs. Seventy-one university students in southern Taiwan were voluntarily recruited as participants, and they were randomly assigned into one of the two groups with different film design (the descriptive-style film or the narrative-style film). Participants were asked to watch the film and complete the survey. The findings showed that significant differences existed between two groups: 1) the video recorded with the narrative approach benefited recall and flow experience, and 2) learners who watched the video designed with the descriptive strategy got significantly higher level of relaxation. The study found that the narrativestyle film afforded to create situational learning contexts, which made learning practical and kept learners focused and enjoyed. These results would serve as a reference for future work on MOOC video or online instructional video design.

Keywords

• MOOCs
• instructional video design
• descriptive strategy
• narrative strategy
• flow experience