Investigating the Aesthetic Effect of Visual in Online Higher Educational Video Lecture Experience

Technology not only influences the way that learning experiences are developed, but it also has an effect on how people engage with the learning, and the way that students understand the learning material. In fact, the increased use of technology in education as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns has vastly extended the range of traditional teaching and learning approaches tapping into sensory capacities never explored before. Moreover, evidence from the literature suggests that learners rely heavily on their senses to process information and visual design can be used to influence a successful learning experience by evoking positive embodiments and emotions in learners. Designing for the aesthetic emotions has the potential to support student satisfaction, cognitive development, sense-making and support in creative engagement and innovation. All learners have different preferences of how to deal with the presented information to best support their learning, and same is the case with designing for the aesthetic. Designers can cater for these different preferences by developing learning experiences that afford cognitive and affective connections and associations. This paper reports on research that explored the role of the aesthetic in the design of the higher educational learning experience. The research involved a survey investigating student perceptions of what the effects of changes to the aesthetics of video lectures on students’ learning experiences were. The findings highlight various aspects of the aesthetic and the potential impact that these can have on students’ learning.