Effects of outlines and information seeking on learning outcomes in video-based environments

Learning from videos is becoming an important part of educational activities. Whereas outlines have great potential, particularly during information seeking (IS), few studies have so far explored the effect of their presence in videos. The two aims of the present study were thus to 1) evaluate the influence of outlines on IS and learning, and 2) analyze the extent to which an IS task can optimize the use of outlines during learning. As outlines are known to have a positive impact on video representation during IS tasks, we predicted that performing an IS task prior to a learning task featuring an outline would result in better content representation by learners. A total of 103 participants were divided into four groups (2 x 2 factorial design): with or without an outline, and with or without IS questions before learning. Results indicated that the presence of an outline promotes topic recall in terms of both the number and organization of the topics recalled, and performing an IS task with an outline before learning promotes content memorization to a small extent. Results are discussed in terms of engagement and metacognitive processes.