Opinion: Why "High-Energy" Videos Might Be Hurting Your Students' Retention (The Motion Trap)

Thanks for this, more people need to recognize these issues. 

One of the biggest problems I have with ID as a field is that it too broadly encompasses disparate audiences across training, learning, and education, with little regard for the differences. Beyond the superficial, the goals and means are so not the same. Coming from academia deep learning resonates, well, deeply with me. The idea that at times 'boring is best' cannot be over emphasized. The growing trend to shorten, streamline, gamify, and enliven education coupled with the constant external enticement of learners to learn is extremely detrimental. 

Although in the literature, few are willing to build on the concept that effective learning is neither necessarily easy or fun. It is often difficult, uncomfortable, and perhaps even painful at times. The long-term benefits of deep learning are rarely recognized in the short term. One could say that a period of 'healing' may be required before the actual gains are realized.

The fluid and ever-changing definition of learning, and what metrics are used to describe its effectiveness, also contributes to the problem. Excitement during learning, emotional satisfaction, short-term performance gains, redefined assessment strategies, and other similar metrics are commonly employed to describe the 'success' of the various tends (of which AI, generative content, and high energy media are just the latest).

Amazingly, every new trend that catches the interest of researchers always seems to result in nearly universal support and similar reports of success. And, like lemmings, everyone quickly hurls their work into the same direction. After all, who is going to argue with the data that indicate higher grades and happier students at the end of the term? No one really rushes toward the project that results in potentially lower semester grades, associated angry students, and likely lower course review scores. Not even if potentially significant long-term impacts could be shown at 2, 5, or even 10 years down the road.  

Until the focus can be recentered on deep, meaningful learning we will continue to be at the mercy of whatever constitutes the latest and greatest of edutainment.