Use of instructional videos in leadership education in higher education under COVID-19: A qualitative study

vocabularies were difficult to understand (N = 7), while a student believed that the general duration of the theory-related videos was too long (N = 1). Second, in terms of the case-based videos’ contribution to students’ pre-lesson self-learning, the majority of the students thought that the case-based videos were suitable for pre-lecture self-study (N = 34) because they were related to students’ lives, which can stimulate their reflection. Besides, the case-based videos matched the theory-related videos and demonstrated the concepts. As stated by a student: “I think these case scenario videos are suitable for self-study. Compared with the theory- related videos, they are easier to understand, because they are not just explanations in words, but they are some daily life examples to explain the theories concretely. These are supplements based on the theories, which are more suitable for us in pre-lecture prepara- tion.” (Group 2 Line 635–637) The videos also used a casual and friendly tone to present the stories, which could engage students. As elaborated by a student: “Most of the scenario videos are interesting to me. For example, in one video, a Youtuber walks in [the university campus] and interviews different people. It is quite fun. It uses a very casual and friendly way to present, so it is suitable for us to watch.” (Group 7 Line 278–280) However, a small portion of students (N = 5) thought that while scenario videos were strict forward and easy to understand, they cannot be used to explain complicated concepts and may not motivate students to reflect.

3.5. Videos’ benefits to the students’ learning of course content In terms of videos’ benefits to the students’ learning of course content, this study investigated three aspects: 1) videos’ general benefits, 2) theory-related videos’ benefits, and 3) case-based videos’ benefits. First, the majority of the students thought that the videos could facilitate their understand- ing of lecture content (N = 27) and related theories (N = 26). A student explained as follows: “It is a good starting point to use short videos to preview these concepts. I think this course has a lot of concepts or a lot of theories, so these videos can give us a preliminary under- standing of these theories, then we can have more in-depth elaboration and application of these theories in class. I think this step-by-step approach is pretty good.” (Group 4 Line 425–428) Moreover, the videos allowed students to learn the course content with a self-discipline atti- tude, learn to manage their time (N = 5), and pace their learning according to own needs. The videos also increased students’ learning flexibility and helped their assignment and term paper writing (N = 10). Besides, the combination of the theory-related videos and the scenario-based videos enabled students to understand both the theories and their application to daily life (N = 3). As elaborated by a student: “I think the videos can improve my understanding of related theories. Each topic’s videos are divided into theory and cases. I think the combination is very good. After watching the

theory-related videos, I am already familiar with those theories. So, when I watch the PLOS ONE Qualitative evaluation of virtual teaching and learning videos in leadership education PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291861 September 21, 2023 13 / 28