Effects of Displaying the Teachers' Gaze Through Webcam in Video Lectures on Student Learning

This study evaluates the effects of displaying teachers' eye movements in video lectures through webcam-based gaze tracking technology. Participants were exposed to instructional videos that featured either a gaze cursor, generated by the webcam, or a traditional mouse cursor. The findings reveal that the gaze cursor did not significantly improve comprehension of text-based content. However, it substantially enhanced understanding of diagrammatic content by aiding the recognition of conceptual relationships. Notably, the use of the gaze cursor was linked to an increase in cognitive load, which may be attributed to heightened information processing demands. These results underscore the conditional efficacy of teacher gaze visualization in lecture videos facilitated by webcams.