Is Anyone Watching the Course Video? Inferring Elapsed Watch Time and Video Engagement Patterns When Using Embedded Videos from Youtube, Vimeo, or Other Third-Party Video Streaming Services for Moodle and Other Online Learning Management Systems

Because of the prevalence of video in online courses, it is important to understand the ways in which learners interact with video in order to improve video-based activities and content. However, when embedding third-party video hosting services (such as YouTube and Vimeo), instructional designers and researchers do not have access to in-depth video analytics at the participant level. In this paper, the authors propose a method for inferring patterns of video use and overall embedded video watch time (inferred video engagement or IVE) at both participant and individual video grain sizes in learning management systems (LMS). The authors subsequently demonstrate an application of this method using a dataset from a video-based, online teacher professional development course (oTPD) provided in Moodle. IVE has promise for instructional designers and educational technology researchers to aid in analyses of usability, learner experience, and media efficacy in digital learning environments.