3.4 Preference for length 

We believe that different platforms will place different requirements on the length of teaching videos. To investigate this, we designed two questions, one on the length of teaching videos watched using the fixed terminals such as televisions and computers, and one on videos watched on mobile devices (see Table 15).

There is a big difference in perspective between the teachers and students on this point. Most of the teachers (58.6%) believe that videos broadcast on television or computers should be limited to 30 minutes or less, while more than three quarters of the students believe they should be above 30 minutes. As for the length of teaching videos viewed on mobile devices, half of the teachers (50.5%) believe they should be restricted to 10 minutes, but most of the students believe they should be 20-30 minutes.   

Table 15: Preference for length of teaching video among the teachers and students

V. Conclusion and Discussion

Based on the above analysis of the data from the questionnaire surveys, the following conclusions can be drawn:

1. There are both similarities and differences in the teachers and students’ recognition of the factors affecting and enhancing the attractiveness of teaching videos.

The survey aimed to understand the opinions of teachers on these issues, since the main body of design, development and application of teaching video resources is completed by teachers. If gaps in recognition exist between students and teachers, it may affect the design, development and application of teaching videos. Based on the results of the survey, the opinions from teachers and students are the same for most of the questions. However, a large gap does exist for some of the questions. For example, teachers prefer short videos, while students prefer relatively long videos. To give another example, teachers pay more attention to the form of representation, while students care more about content. In terms of lecturers, teachers prefer “open university teachers who are good at lecturing”, as well as “influential specialists”, but students prefer “top-level or influential specialists”.

2. The important and difficult elements of a course should form the teaching content of teaching videos

Both the teachers and students believe that teaching videos should focus on the important and difficult elements of a course, although recognition from the teachers is higher in this point. However, in reality most teaching videos adopt the spoon-feeding method, which clearly affects their attractiveness. 

3. Influential specialists are the primary choice for keynote speakers 

The results show that although the teachers are willing to accept open university teachers who are good at lecturing, which is fully understandable, they agree that “influential specialists” should act as keynote speakers. However, students prefer top specialists from each subject or influential specialists. In fact, following many years of practice and cultivation, there are many influential teachers from open universities. Therefore, they too deserve to be the keynote speakers of the teaching videos. 

4. “Lecture Room” is the preferred format for teaching videos

The survey shows that most of the teachers and students mutually accept the “Lecture Room” format, which will be helpful in deciding the orientation of future teaching videos. 

5. The quality of the technology used for teaching videos is crucially important 

The data shows that most of the teachers and students have high requirements for sound and image quality. However, these requirements are most stringent for teaching videos broadcast on the television, while they have fewer requirements for teaching videos broadcast online or on mobile devices.

6. Teaching videos do not have to be short to meet requirements

Most teachers think that videos broadcast on television or computers should be limited to 30 minutes and those on mobile phones should be limited to 10 minutes. However, most of the students prefer longer teaching videos. If the video is too short it may interrupt the continuity of teaching content or fail to convey all the necessary information. 

7. Interactivity could be neglected 

Neither the students nor the teachers place much emphasis on interactivity. Although teaching videos do exist independently, more often they are a component part of a course, undertaking the same teaching function as other parts of the course. Therefore, interactivity should be a function of the course as whole (e.g. online course), not just for the teaching videos. 

8. Students watch teaching videos very infrequently

The results show that the proportion of students who watch or view teaching videos is only one fifth, far below the ratio of teachers. This indicates that enhancing the attractiveness of teaching videos is a necessary, yet difficult, task. 

VI. Strategies to enhance the attractiveness of teaching videos 

1. Note the gap in recognition between teachers and students 

The main body of the design, development and application of teaching videos is completed by chief instructors and other responsible teachers or tutors, as well as the technicians. It is essential that they recognize the needs of learners in order to enhance the attractiveness of teaching videos. Moreover, teachers should pay much more attention to the gap in recognition of the factors affecting the attractiveness of teaching videos between teachers and students; improve the design, development and application of teaching videos from the point-of-view of the learners; and reflect the learner-centred notion and provide them with more attractive teaching videos. 

2. Practical measures should be adopted to promote the attractiveness of teaching videos

2.1 Unifying recognition

This means dealing with the problem of recognition of “emphasizing production over quality”(Ren Liping et al., 2011). It appears that decision makers and teachers care more about the quantity of teaching videos than the quality; as long as quantity can be guaranteed, the need of learners can be met. In fact, low quality teaching videos with many problems or careless mistakes will create “huge negative effects for learners”, which creates more losses than gains (Huang Lixin, 2006).”