YouTube learning has grown in popularity throughout the years. When YouTube started in 2005, it seemed like there were only silly cat videos but now, 20 years later, the world has seen the rise of educational videos on YouTube.

Many companies have started to use the platform to train their employees. According to Education Week, “YouTube ranked the highest as a preferred learning tool” for people K-12. In the survey, it was found that 59% of the people preferred YouTube as their primary source of education, while only 47% preferred printed books.

Generation Z started their education on YouTube and, now, we have adults using YouTube as an education tool, too, such as learning a new language, or learning how to fix a car problem. There is no doubt that the trend of educational YouTube will continue for future generations.

To really see the impact of YouTube, some experimentation was necessary, and that’s what The Et Cetera did. In order to check if YouTube has an impact on education, we measured the knowledge obtained about a topic students were interested in.

Two students took the challenge, using YouTube to increase their knowledge on a desired topic.

Student One decided to learn about magnetic brakes and why they are the most reliable. Meanwhile, Student Two decided to learn about the United States’ economic challenges.

Student One chose a video that engaged with real life examples, such as the idea of magnetic brakes in cars and the reliability of magnetic brakes for most manufacturers. Student Two chose a video that explained the impact of many economic challenges in events such as the Great Depression and the 2007 Great Recession.

There were times when both students reported that they were either bored or confused. This is the first roadblock of YouTube learning. Deciding to learn on YouTube can at times be difficult, as some videos either don’t explain the subject well or are not a reliable source. With this problem, students have to spend more time looking for a YouTuber who explains the same topic but in a more engaging way.

At the end of the experiment, the students were asked to summarize what they have learned. Both students were able to explain what they learned in detail and were able to make it easier for other people to understand the subject presented. Then, they showed examples that helped explain what they were studying.

“I learned more from YouTube. If I had used printed books, I would have taken longer, even more than a couple of months,” Student One said. “With YouTube, that lowers the amount of time depending on the videos you watched.”

Student Two said, “Even though there are cons of learning from YouTube, there are more pros, which at the end of the day it outweighs the cons.”

The statement from Education Week was proven right. YouTube has become more than just a site to watch Markiplier or cat videos. Though it may never replace actual teachers or books, YouTube has become a reliable educational tool for its users.