Is This a Helpful YouTube Video? A Research-Based Framework for Evaluating and Developing Conceptual Chemistry Instructional Videos

Abstract

The advent of sites such as YouTube has allowed learners to access videos to support their classroom learning. Given the varying quality and content of chemistry instructional videos, identifying and selecting appropriate videos can be challenging for both instructors and students. This article aims to summarize education research important for creating videos to support students’ conceptual chemistry learning and identify ways these criteria can be operationalized for use in the framework to evaluate or guide the development of instructional videos focused on conceptual understanding of chemistry topics. The framework helps the user consider the chemistry content of the video through the lenses of the disciplinary Core Ideas, Science Practices, causal mechanistic reasoning, and Johnstone’s Triangle. It also includes design considerations from Mayer’s multimedia theory and considerations for accessibility. Finally, we summarize findings and insights gained from using the framework to evaluate a set of 25 highly viewed or highly relevant YouTube videos related to Le Chatelier’s Principle.