Senne M. Van Hoecke, Iris Schrijver, Isabelle Robert, Jan-Louis Kruger
Abstract Recorded online lectures have become increasingly common in higher education. This presents an opportunity to employ subtitles to increase accessibility and reach larger audiences. Research on how subtitles affect viewing, (subjective) cognitive load and comprehension in asynchronous, online lectures, however, remains limited. This study examines the effects of the presence and language of subtitles in two distinct styles of recorded lectures, a talking head lecture and a narrated PowerPoint presentation, on comprehension, eye movements and cognitive load. Dutch-speaking participants were shown three English-taught lectures in either lecture style in three subtitle conditions: with Dutch subtitles, with English subtitles or without subtitles. Results showed that the inclusion of a PowerPoint presentation is key to improving comprehension and decreasing subjective cognitive load. Subtitles receive a significant amount of attention when present, though learners can effectively process this additional source of information without it having any detrimental effect on comprehension. Same-language English subtitles are shown to be beneficial for long-term comprehension. Native-language Dutch subtitles reduce subjective cognitive load as long as no other visual-verbal information in another language is shown on screen.