Edutainment With Videos and Its Positive Effect on Long Term Memory

Millennials, like many college students, watch more content, academic or not, on the Internet than on any other media source. The authors investigate how online content such as the videos on YouTube.com (https://youtube.com) can be used as a tool to reach today’s student, capture their attention and interest, and thereby increase the retention of academic content. The study is to extend the existing research on the use of video content in the classroom and introduces the concept of long-term retention of material. Two studies were conducted. First, a random sample of undergraduate students participated in a controlled experiment utilizing a 2 X 2 design for the hedonic (humorous) and congruency variables. Five months after study 1, the same students were asked to recall the content learned in during the first study and these results were used to evaluate long term memory recall. The article demonstrates that hedonic (humorous) videos that are congruent with the subject matter more effectively reinforce the material and significantly increase retention in the short and long term. Marketing educators are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the wealth of video content available on the Internet, particularly on YouTube.com (https://youtube.com). Commercials, lectures, movie clips, and television clips often address key marketing concepts in a manner that is both engaging and humorous for the student audience. Suggestions on how to source and integrate videos in course content are offered.