ConceptGuide: Supporting Online Video Learning with Concept Map-based Recommendation of Learning Path

Published in the Web Conference 2021 (WWW) [Best student paper award], 2021

People increasingly use online video platforms, e.g., YouTube, to locate educational videos to acquire knowledge or skills to meet personal learning needs. However, most of existing video platforms display video search results in generic ranked lists based on relevance to queries. The design of relevance-oriented information display does not take into account the inner structure of the knowledge domain, and may not suit the need of online learners. In this paper, we present ConceptGuide, a prototype system for learning orientations to support ad hoc online learning from unorganized video materials. ConceptGuide features a computational pipeline that performs content analysis on the transcripts of YouTube videos retrieved for a topic, and generates concept-map-based visual recommendations of inter-concept and inter-video links, forming learning pathways as structures for learners to consume. We evaluated ConceptGuide by comparing the design to the general-purpose interface of YouTube in learning experiences and behaviors. ConceptuGuide was found to improve the efficiency of video learning and helped learners explore the knowledge of interest in many constructive ways.