Enhancing Learning with Online Educational Videos in the Web 2.0 Era: Learner Engagement, Learning Processes and Outcomes

Video combines visual and auditory elements to support information processing and deepen learning, making it an effective tool for education. Since the 1970s, videos have been used in classrooms through formats like instructional television and videotapes. With technological advancements, their use evolved from VHS and DVDs to digital streaming and platforms like YouTube, Khan Academy, and Coursera.

The rise of Web 2.0, particularly the widespread use of video on social platforms, has fueled the growth of online educational videos. Today, videos with educational purposes (e.g., scientific explanations of phenomena or demonstrations of expert procedures), ranging from recorded lectures and live demonstrations to animated explainers and interactive tutorials, play a central role in formal and informal learning environments. Whether used to master academic subjects, learn new technologies, or explore hobbies and interests, online educational videos have become an integral part of how people acquire knowledge and skills in the digital age.

This special issue focuses on online educational videos, which offer unprecedented opportunities for learning. In formal education, they complement instruction and play an important role in the advent of the flipped classroom. In informal learning, they support just-in-time, self-directed access to distributed knowledge and engagement with content that aligns with personal interests, goals, and schedules.

Despite the growing prevalence and potential of online educational videos, we still know relatively little about how they engage learners and support learning processes and outcomes. While many educational videos are readily accessible and widely used, their effectiveness often varies depending on how they are designed, delivered, and experienced by diverse learners. Moreover, with the social and interactive nature of Web 2.0 platforms, engagement is no longer limited to passive viewing—it also includes liking, commenting, sharing, and responding to others' input, all of which can influence how learners process and apply what they see.

This Research Topic provides a platform to explore the unique challenges and opportunities associated with online educational videos. The timely discussion will generate insights that inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of these videos to enhance learner engagement, improve learning processes, and optimize outcomes across diverse educational contexts.

This Research Topic invites submissions on online educational videos in the Web 2.0 era, within formal and informal learning contexts, that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Learner Engagement

– Emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of engagement

– Impact of social features (e.g., comments, likes, shares) on engagement

• Design and Pedagogical Features

– Effects of format (e.g., animated vs. live-action), length, pacing, and interactivity

– Use of multimedia principles and instructional design frameworks

• Learning Processes an Outcomes

– Conceptual understanding, procedural knowledge, and skill development

– Transfer of learning and learner satisfaction

• Social and Technological Aspects

– Influence of platform design on learning behaviors

– Emerging technologies (e.g., AI, AR/VR) in video-enhanced learning



We welcome the following types of manuscripts focused on online educational videos:

• Original Research Articles presenting empirical findings from qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods studies

• Conceptual Papers offering new frameworks or models

• Systematic Reviews synthesizing existing research

• Design-based research showcasing innovative uses

Keywords: Educational Video, Learner Engagement, Learning Process, Learning Outcome, Web 2.0

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.