Effects of audio quality on retention and viewer perception in online educational video

Abstract

Several studies have found that noise in learning environments increases cognitive load and reduces a student’s ability to absorb, retain, and develop understanding of the content being taught. Although much work has been done to understand the uses and effects of video for distance and flipped learning, there is little to no research into the effects of audio noise in a video-based educational setting. This research effort is meant to help develop understanding of whether poor audio quality in educational video has adverse effects on learning similar to those observed in physical learning environments. Results of the experiment indicate that audio quality does indeed affect retention and may also have implications for viewer perception of the content.