Evaluating the Effectiveness of YouTube as a Tool for Research in Higher Education Students: An Experimental Approach

The objective of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of YouTube as a tool for documentary research among higher education students. The study follows a quantitative and quasi-experimental approach, selecting 20 videos on “Machine Learning” and “Deep Learning” and evaluating them in terms of technical quality, information accuracy, and conceptual effectiveness. The videos were rated, and those with the highest and lowest scores were applied to an experimental group, while a control group did not use these videos. The results showed that the higher-rated videos led to a significant increase in students’ academic performance. Specifically, the experimental group that used videos with higher ratings in accuracy and technical quality showed a 20% increase in their evaluation scores compared to the control group. This increase was reflected across all assessed dimensions: knowledge and understanding, application and analysis, and synthesis and evaluation. Additionally, information accuracy was key, with 90% of the videos on “Machine Learning” meeting accuracy criteria, compared to only 30% of the videos on “Deep Learning.” The research also proposes a specific rubric for evaluating educational videos on YouTube, which can standardize and improve the process of selecting audiovisual content. In conclusion, although YouTube has potential as a resource for documentary research, its effectiveness largely depends on the correct selection and evaluation of content. The proposed rubric is presented as a valuable tool for researchers and educators who wish to incorporate YouTube videos into their academic practices, ensuring that the material used is of high quality and reliable.