Abstract:

The MOOC landscape has, over time, witnessed an absolute dominance of the video format. Regardless of the reasons for this, it is an indisputable fact that videos are the main medium in MOOCs - albeit not a new one. When we talk about video formats we should not make the mistake of thinking of a specific type of video. Indeed, videos as learning tools can be declined in very different ways. In basic terms, we could think about whether to have the teacher present on screen or not; whether to use the green screen technique, or animations; to include voiceovers, to use the technique of storytelling or have pictures and words on the screen; and so on.

The choice of each of these options will affect video production in terms of costs and time: without forgetting, last but not least, the impact of the format on the effectiveness of learning.

Several studies move towards analysis of the MOOC aesthetic, trying to establish relationships and principles to finalize and optimize video design for learning.

Our experience as MOOC producers at Federica Web Learning has given us the possibility to enjoy and observe diverse kinds of video through different subjects and platforms. Our work can be summarized as a comparative analysis of different video formats (video-lectures as well as video-trailers), essentially carried out through our experience on the ground. At the end, we will try to construct a map that could help teachers and institutions to choose the video formats that is most appropriate to the specific conditions and aims of each teaching situation online.

Keywords:

Weblearning, MOOC, video, aesthetic, education.