Table 2.

Results of analysis of semi-structured interviews at RWTH Aachen University in 2018 (n = 11).

Keyword/ Topic	Leading quotation(s)	Number of supporting statements	Conclusion	Comments/ Additional information
Testing	‘You did something actively and did not just read things through, so you were constantly required to perform and I think you then simply learned better’ [ID01].	9 supporting 1 neutral 0 contradicting	Implement testing.	interviewees’ requests: − no excessive workload − not too redundant − appropriate difficulty (not too easy) − provide solutions
Khan style	‘It’s not bad to see things written’ [ID02].	6 supporting 1 ambivalent 1 contradicting	Implement subsequent animations/ writing if possible, and check traditional Khan style for suitability in individual cases.	Note: The content of the interviews changed from traditional handwritten Khan style to subsequent animations.
Animations	‘It’s cool for schematics if they build up one after the other’ [ID03].	5 supporting 0 contradicting	Implement subsequent animations if possible.
Usability	‘[It’s important] that it works logically and simply somehow. The easier, the better’ [ID03].	7 supporting 0 contradicting	Try to use a simple and intuitive eLearning environment.	Depending on which software is used at your institution for students’ eLearning, you may use this familiar software.
Mobile use	‘[…] especially when it’s also possible on my mobile phone’ [ID01].	7 supporting 0 contradicting	Make the videos available on mobile devices.
Structuring	‘Do I find that under “human medicine,” under “lecture,” under “media library,” or under “no idea”?’ [ID03]. ‘I rarely use [our institution’s media library] because it’s too confusing’ [ID02]. ‘The titles have to be well chosen so that they are concise and describe the content’ [ID04].	3 supporting 0 contradicting	Give your eLearning environment a good structure.	You may also tag your videos/content and implement a search function.
Chapters	‘[I’d appreciate] it if the videos were broken down to sub-items so that you would only have to look at the sections you wanted to see’ [ID05].	6 supporting 0 contradicting	Implement chapters.
Length	‘The maximum would be about 15 minutes because, beyond then, I would no longer be attentive. Five minutes is already a good length, but the videos must not be shorter. Something between 5 and 15 minutes’ [ID05]. ‘Using chapters, the length is not so important anymore’ [ID06].	8 supporting 0 contradicting	Try to create short videos, but do not worry if you exceed the six-minute limit slightly.
Speed	‘Not too fast and not too slowly’ [ID06].	4 supporting 0 contradicting	Extract ideal speed from literature.	Note: Speed was considered an important success factor for educational videos.
Take-home messages	‘I think that’s actually quite good because you learn the beginning and the end well’ [ID06].	5 supporting 0 contradicting	Formulate take-home messages.
Reduce extraneous processing	‘There was so much background information – that was too much of a good thing’ [ID07].	6 supporting 0 contradicting	Avoid too much background information; reduce distractions (content-wise & artistically).	Note: Nevertheless, the topic should be covered completely.
Talking head	‘I’d find that more personal’ [ID08]. ‘I don’t care to see the speaker – it can be good, but it doesn’t have to be’ [ID02]. ‘I’m not a fan of [educational] videos in which you see the speaker. I don’t like that at all’ [ID01].	2 supporting 3 supporting 0 supporting	Check the talking head for suitability in individual cases. Ensure that the talking head does not interfere with the display of other elements.	You may consider both weaning on the one hand and more engagement and personalized videos on the other. Note: Many participants expressed concern about the space needed on the screen.
Medical examples vs. everyday-life examples	‘[I’d appreciate] both; first, I would look at everyday life and then at what helps me later in my job’ [ID04]. ‘I thought it was good that they were medical tests. […] But it should already be realistic’ [ID09]. ‘I actually always prefer everyday examples’ [ID08].	7 supporting 0 supporting 1 supporting	Try to implement both types of examples and aim for realistic ones.
Humor	‘It mustn’t be forced. Discreetly funny but not too forced’ [ID04]. ‘In longer videos, it helps in any case, and, even in short videos, it does no harm. But as for whether it is necessary … [?]’ [ID10]. ‘I don’t really care. It must be interesting … but it doesn’t have to be done through humor … then better serious’ [ID03].	3 supporting 1 supporting 1 supporting	Design your videos to be appealing and use discreet humor.	Note: Spontaneous and self-ironic humor was designated an appropriate and pleasant form of humor.
Games (Quiz)	‘I am a very playful person, I’d like that’ [ID06]. ‘Yeah, you could do that, but you don’t need to’ [ID09]. ‘I find comparison with other students difficult’ [ID03].	7 supporting 1 supporting 0 supporting	Implement a quiz or games, if possible, consider offering the games as a voluntary option.	Ideally, the quizzes should run on mobile devices, too.
Videos as additional learning modality	‘It’s good to learn with such an additional offering [videos]. It is simply another way of learning’ [ID08].	5 supporting	Videos seem to be accepted as a learning tool.

Note. Shaded rows mean that the category was defined deductively.