Student engagement is often described as 'the holy grail of learning' (Sinatra, Heddy and Lombardi, 2015, p.1). Higher education educators have been implementing different pedagogical approaches to promote active learning with the aim of improving student engagement. This paper proposes an activity-based learning approach with the use of educational video to promote student engagement. We evaluate whether such an approach could improve student learning and engagement with STEM subjects e.g., Chemistry and Physics, from three perspectives: motivation, engagement, and academic performance. We surveyed 136 STEM preparatory programme students to conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses. The main findings support using the video-enabled activity-based learning (ABL) approach to promote student engagement within classes and for future study. Moreover, the ANOVA tests results demonstrate the significant differences in the students' academic performance with the use of video-enabled ABL. The P-value of the Chemistry session is 0.0016, and 0.00075 for the Physics session. This study also contributes to STEM education by providing insightful and practical guidance on how to effectively use scientific educational videos to enhance STEM education. Furthermore, this UAE-based exploratory case study has been conducted in the context of middle eastern students' learning behavior which adds an interesting cultural dimension.