Journal Article: Impact of Screencast Technology: Connecting the Perception of Usefulness and the Reality of Performance

The study, Impact of Screencast Technology: Connecting the Perception of Usefulness and the Reality of Performance, focuses on undergraduate engineering students, and explores how and why students use screencasts. For their study, Green, Pinder-Grover, and Millunchick (2012) have identified several uses of screencasts in education that include: “providing an overview, describing procedures, presenting concepts, elaborating on content, and focusing attention” (p. 718). Data is collected throughout the semester via student survey and course performance. One specific type of screencast used in this study are homework solution screencasts. In general, students found these screencasts to be very useful for a couple of reasons such as additional study resources, or a way to better understand problems that were done wrong, and why the student had done them wrong. At the end of the study, 92% of students surveyed believed they had a deeper understanding of the material after viewing the screencast. (Green et al., 2012, p. 726).

Another type of screencast offered to students in this study were mini-lecture screencasts. These screencasts were created by an instructor based off of a poll of the students and their misconceptions. In addition to using mini-lecture screencasts as a study resource, students used these videos to help fill in gaps to their notes. Again, 90% of students surveyed found these mini-lecture screencasts to be beneficial. In the end of the study, “we found a positive, significant correlation between screencast use and performance overall” (Green et al., 2012, p. 729). This is especially true if a student has a positive attitude towards screencasts, and can see the benefit to viewing these videos.

I found this study to be very interesting. I have always thought of using screencasts in my classroom as a way to show my students procedures. In reading this study, I became more aware of the various ways screencasts could be used in the classroom. Based off of the study, it is clear to see the benefit of screencasts, and I would like to incorporate more of them into my instruction. While incorporating these videos, I would definitely have a discussion with my students about the benefits of viewing them. This study pointed out that when students see the benefit to the screencast, they are more likely to view the screencast, and they will take away more information from viewing the video.

I think both major types of screencast that were discussed in the study, homework solution and mini-lecture, would be excellent to try in my classroom. I always go over homework in class. However, a screencast would allow students who are gone, or students who need to hear the solution again, a chance to meet their individual needs. Mini-lecture screencasts are a neat idea, too. I think giving the chance to have students identify what they are confused about, and then going home and watching a video that further explains that topic is a great way reach my students. This method also gives students some control over what they are learning.

GREEN, K. R., PINDER-GROVER, T., & MILLUNCHICK, J. M. (2012). Impact of Screencast Technology: Connecting the Perception of Usefulness and the Reality of Performance. Journal Of Engineering Education, 101(4), 717-737.