Visual Instructor Presence in Online Lectures: Effects of Individual Differences in Attention Control

The aim of this experiment was to examine the relationship between individual attentional control capabilities and learning from video-based lectures with differing amounts of visual stimuli. Research suggests that extraneous stimuli in lectures, such as visual instructor presence, may increase cognitive load, thus inhibiting learning. This experiment explored how lecture format (slides that filled the screen vs. a virtual classroom), instructor presence, and attentional control ability impacted learning outcomes. Participants engaged in a battery of attention tasks, watched a lecture, and were quizzed on the lecture material. Attentional ability level interacted with instructor presence, where instructor presence improved learning for individuals with poor attentional capacity but slightly harmed learning for those with better attentional capacity. There were no main effects of instructor presence or lecture format. Despite the additional stimuli that instructor presence adds to a lecture, it is possible that the speaker’s image may increase engagement.