Viewing Introductory Videos Prior to Lectures Aids Student Learning

Updated Apr 08, 2026

Gross anatomy asks students to build accurate mental 3D models from dense, unfamiliar material. If they arrive unprepared, the lecture can quickly become overwhelming, which makes comprehension harder and raises wider concerns about how well future clinicians understand anatomy (Berney et al., 2015; Yammine and Violato, 2015; Peterson and Mlynarczyk, 2016; Cui et al., 2017; Singh et al., 2015; Ali et al., 2015).

Much of the existing research focuses on how the lecture itself is delivered. Far less attention has been given to what happens before the lecture, even though a short, structured preparatory task, such as pre-lecture study paired with guided in-class questioning, could reduce cognitive overload and help students learn more once teaching begins. Because preparation is often left to students and only lightly supported by staff, the effect of pre-lecture activities on comprehension has remained underexplored.

The aim of this study was to test whether a pre-lecture activity could improve students’ comprehension of a gross anatomy lecture. In this case, the activity was a short educational video. The authors hypothesised that giving students some prior knowledge before the lecture would reduce cognitive load during the session and lessen the demand on their 3D visualisation skills.

Across two consecutive academic years, 254 first-year medical students at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) volunteered to take part. The students were split into two groups, and both groups watched a video for 15 minutes immediately before the lecture. Group A watched the first 15 minutes of an action film. Group B watched a five-minute educational video on heart anatomy three times. That video included animated 3D diagrams with labels, spoken explanations, analogies, and an introduction to clinical applications. All students then attended a lecture on the gross anatomy of the heart and completed ten multiple-choice true-false questions aligned with the lecture’s intended learning outcomes.

In both academic years, the students who watched the educational video, Group B, outperformed those who watched the action film. The second-year difference was not statistically significant on its own, but the first-year result was highly significant, and the combined result across both years was statistically significant. For lecturers, the practical takeaway is clear: a short, well-structured pre-lecture video can improve comprehension of a difficult lecture. The findings also align with related studies. Moravec et al. (2010) found that students performed significantly better in post-lecture tasks when they completed pre-lecture activities such as a worksheet or a narrated PowerPoint video. Stull et al. (2011) similarly found that academic achievement improved when students completed an organised pre-lecture online quiz. Seery and Donnelly (2012) also concluded that a structured pre-lecture task helped narrow the gap between students with and without prior knowledge of the topic.

This study highlights the value of giving students pre-lecture materials that prepare them to understand complex teaching once it begins. In this case, the material was a short animated educational video. The authors argued that the improvement in post-lecture scores may reflect a freeing of working memory: instead of using that capacity to process entirely new ideas in real time, students could use it to deepen and organise what they were hearing. For educators teaching difficult, content-heavy subjects, that makes pre-lecture preparation a practical way to improve comprehension without lengthening the lecture itself.

FAQ

Q: How do students feel about the use of pre-lecture activities, particularly educational videos, in enhancing their learning experience?

A: The study does not directly report how students felt about the videos. That is an important gap, because a pre-lecture resource only helps if students find it clear, useful, and worth the time. Surveys, interviews, and broader student voice work can show whether students felt better prepared, where the video was confusing, and what should be improved before wider rollout.

Q: What impact do pre-lecture activities have on the long-term retention of knowledge, beyond just the immediate comprehension of a single lecture?

A: This study focused on immediate comprehension after the lecture, so it cannot tell us whether the benefit lasts. Long-term retention matters in medical education, where students need to recall knowledge well beyond a single session. Follow-up assessments weeks or months later, combined with student feedback, would help show whether pre-lecture videos improve retention as well as short-term understanding.

Q: Are there any differences in the effectiveness of pre-lecture activities across diverse student populations, including those with varying levels of prior knowledge or different student needs?

A: The article does not explore whether some groups of students benefited more than others. That matters, because students with different levels of prior knowledge, confidence in spatial reasoning, or accessibility needs may respond differently to pre-lecture materials. Further research could compare outcomes across groups and use student feedback to refine video length, pacing, language, and format so the support is useful to a broader range of learners.

References

[Source Paper] Hadie SN, Simok A, Shamsuddin S, Mohammad J, Determining the impact of pre-lecture educational video on comprehension of a difficult gross anatomy lecture, Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences, Volume 14, Issue 4, 2019, Pages 395-401.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2019.06.008

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