Effects of Video Lecture Design and Production Quality on Student Outcomes: A Quasi-Experiment Exploiting Change in Online Course Development Principles

Abstract

In seeking competitive advantage, many online graduate programs have turned to improving the quality of video lectures by investing in instructional designers and in-studio production. However, it is unclear how much video lecture design and production quality improve student outcomes. We used a regression discontinuity to evaluate how video lecture design and production practices that adhere to principles of multimedia learning affect perceived learning and student satisfaction. The study involved 300 students taking an online graduate course at a large, public research university, where 194 students were exposed to video lectures designed and produced by the instructor and 106 students were exposed to video lectures designed in collaboration between the instructor and instructional designers and produced in studio. Our findings indicate that designing and producing video lectures in accordance with principles of multimedia learning has a meaningful causal effect on students’ perceived learning and a marginal effect on student satisfaction. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings for video lecture development and design in the context of online business education and the COVID-19 pandemic.