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Background: Taking notes during learning has benefits both during class (through writing things down to encode information) and after class (by using written notes as external storage for revision). Comparisons of note‐taking methods (i.e., using paper or a computer) have mainly shown that paper leads to better learning. However, previous studies have mostly been conducted in laboratory contexts. Aims: The current study investigates university students' perceptions of the efficacity of their own preferred note‐taking method, along with the strategies they employ. Sample: Data were collected from 108 university students. Methods: Students answered a questionnaire about their note‐taking strategies during initial note‐taking (in class) and revision (after class). Results: The results show that students who take notes on paper do not consider their method to be more effective, but they report engaging in more reformulation and less multitasking. Students who take notes on a computer are more likely to reformat their notes, and thus to reformulate at a later stage. For all students, review sheets are mostly done on paper. Conclusions: These results suggest that although students are not necessarily aware of the benefits of reformulation associated with handwriting on paper during initial note‐taking, when revising, they tend to choose handwriting and benefit from reformulation when aiming for deeper processing. Therefore, revision activities remain mainly paper‐based. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning from videos is becoming an important part of educational activities. Whereas outlines have great potential, particularly during information seeking (IS), few studies have so far explored the effect of their presence in videos. The two aims of the present study were thus to 1) evaluate the influence of outlines on IS and learning, and 2) analyze the extent to which an IS task can optimize the use of outlines during learning. As outlines are known to have a positive impact on video representation during IS tasks, we predicted that performing an IS task prior to a learning task featuring an outline would result in better content representation by learners. A total of 103 participants were divided into four groups (2 × 2 factorial design): with or without an outline, and with or without IS questions before learning. Results indicated that the presence of an outline promotes topic recall in terms of both the number and organization of the topics recalled, and performing an IS task with an outline before learning promotes content memorization to a small extent. Results are discussed in terms of engagement and metacognitive processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning from videos is becoming an important part of educational activities, but video content may be difficult to process, mainly because its organization is not very salient in this medium. The learner's organization process should be enhanced by (1) displaying the structure (ie, table of contents) in the video‐based environment, and (2) proposing interactivity tools (interactive table of contents and cued timeline) to use this structure in a more efficient way. A total of 57 participants (higher education students) were divided into three groups (no table of contents, table of contents, and interactive table of contents) to assess the effects of displaying a structure on learning outcomes and behaviours. Results showed that tables of contents boosted topic recall, and interactivity allowed learners to perform more relevant reviewing behaviours. However, reviewing behaviours appear to be broadly timeline‐driven, and learners did not actively use the interactive table of contents. No significant effect was found on other learning outcomes (ie, content memorization and comprehension). One suggestion is that a table of contents, especially when it is interactive, can be an organizational aid during the construction of a mental model, but learners may underestimate its usefulness. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Educational videos are increasingly being used for learningAccording to the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, organizing incoming information is essential for learningIn written documents, a table of contents may serve as an organizational aidIn information‐seeking tasks, an interactive table of contents improves localization.What this paper adds Adding a table of contents to a video may promote topic recall, but not content learning.An interactive table of contents may enhance consultation strategies (eg, reviewing information).Learners tend to use timelines, rather than tables of contents, to navigate videos.Implications for practice When designing an educational video, adding an interactive table of contents may enhance the quality of learning.Different strategies seem to be employed by learners, with some of them displaying no reviewing behaviours at all.Learners may underestimate the usefulness of the table of contents, so it may be necessary to encourage then to use it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information seeking (IS) has become a critical activity in video‐based environments. Up to now, the effects of support on information seeking (i.e., scaffolding) have seldom been assessed. The twofold aim of the current study was to (a) assess the effects of scaffolding on IS in videos and (b) determine the characteristics of the users' mental models after an IS activity with or without scaffolding. We divided 50 participants into two groups that either did or did not benefit from initial scaffolding during an IS task. Both groups then had to perform a localization task without any further access to scaffolding. Results showed that scaffolding the video by providing a table of contents and markers on a timeline helped students to engage in highly efficient IS, but they had less accurate mental representations of the video than those without scaffolding. The hypothesis that scaffolding provides a usable but external model was therefore supported. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Videos are increasingly used in learning.Searching for information in videos may be a complex activity.So far, very few studies have been conducted on the potential effect of scaffolding videos during an information‐seeking (IS) task. What this paper adds: In this study, we put in place the scaffolding of the video by adding a table of contents and markers on the timeline.Structuration and segmentation have positive effects on the performance in IS, in terms of response success, time spent on each search, relevance, and perceived difficulty.Scaffolding has a negative impact on the users' internal representations of the video. Implications for practice: Incorporating a table of contents and a structured timeline into a video facilitates the search activity.Without scaffolding, the search activity is longer and cognitively more costly.Paradoxically, users have a poorer representation of the video (i.e., poorer mental model) after the IS task when they were given scaffolding.Future studies should focus on the benefits of providing structuring and segmentation in learning tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]