Short videos based on knowledge are being used more and more as informal learning materials, but their educational value cannot be understood simply by looking at the number of people who access them or the quality of the content. The key issue is how learners process, regulate, and socially interpret these short audiovisual explanations. This paper presents a theoretical analysis of learning from knowledge-based short videos, with a focus on the learner, by combining cognitive load theory, multimedia learning, self-regulated learning, and social presence. Unlike accounts of platform ecosystems that concentrate on production, governance, and quality control, this paper looks at the mechanisms from the learner’s point of view through which short videos become – or do not become – durable knowledge. It poses three questions: How does brevity affect cognitive load? In what way does algorithmic and fragmented viewing interact with self-regulated learning? How does the perception of instructor and peer presence influence persistence and meaning-making? The analysis maintains that short videos are educationally effective when they externalise structure, coordinate verbal and visual information, and prompt activity generated by the learner. In contrast, their pedagogical value is reduced when brevity removes necessary explanation, autoplay discourages deliberate pauses, and popularity cues displace judgments of credibility. A learner-centred framework is suggested in which instructional segmentation, metacognitive prompts, retrieval and transfer tasks, and socially meaningful feedback function as complementary conditions. The paper concludes that short-video learning should be designed and assessed as guided microlearning rather than as passive media consumption.
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Share and Cite
Zheng, C. (2026) Knowledge-based Short Videos as Learner-centered Microlearning: Cognitive Processing, Self-regulation, and Social Presence. Scientific Research Bulletin, 3(4), 62-69. https://doi.org/10.71052/srb2024/CNKJ8524