Confused which educational video to choose? Appropriateness of YouTube videos for instructional purposes- making the right choice

The ubiquity of computers and increasing Internet connectivity is leading to the emergence of innovative ways of learning such that terms like mixed-ability teaching, independent and flexible learning and interactive lessons are becoming buzzwords for the learning society. The availability of the enormous variety of online free resources poses problems when it comes to picking out the relevant, updated and appropriate ones be it for general use or for educational purposes. YouTube Edu offers a learning platform with hundreds of thousands of instructional materials, only a mouse click away. In an attempt to spot the best videos, many are guided by the number of views and likes. This study investigated the appropriateness of this selection approach. Media specialists and video producers brainstormed, discussed and agreed on a list of 16 criteria which were then applied to 30 videos dealing with three subjects of Mathematics, namely Fractions, Sets and Integers. Each video was attributed a suitability video index (SVI) on a scale of 0–48. The study revealed that if in the first instance, the number of views and likes can be a first step towards selecting appropriate videos, yet a more scientific approach needs to be adopted and this study has compiled a set of carefully selected criteria to assess the suitability of videos for instructional purposes. These criteria can be used as important guidelines for video makers wishing to produce sound and pedagogical instructional videos.