Instructor Image
Discussion
1. What information about dividing fractions were you able to pull from the instructor's image in the second video?
2. In which video did you feel more focused on the content? Why?
3. Do you think it matters whether or not the instructor's image is in the shot or not? Why or why not?
The Research
Many teachers wonder if it is important for their image to be on the screen when recording instructional videos. Brunsal and Horejsi (2013) suggest that teachers outline the entire lecture on white boards and then record the video using the whiteboards as a guide to the lecture. When recording, the teacher should occupy one side of the video and the position the whiteboards of information to fill up the other. While this might be great at simplifying the video-making process for the teacher, does it actually help the students learn better? Schutz (2003) points out that the presenter’s image does not actually give much visual information; the audio of the presenter provides more. Additionally, Mayer (2009) notes five studies in which the instructor’s image was either included or excluded from the video. The average effect size was insignificant (0.22), indicating that the image of the instructor does not make much difference.