Abstract:
Are Visual Audio Screencasts (Via’s) a worthwhile endeavor to engage learners? Evidence gathered from a first year engineering class was evaluated to answer this question.
The research aimed to test the effectiveness and practicality of using ViA’s in providing feedback on hand-written laboratory reports.
ViA’s were generated using Screen-O-Matic and distributed through Dropbox to the individual learner. In this study an optional two-stage submission of assignments was made available to the learners, establishing a feedforward-feedback loop. The created ViA’s provided a permanent record, which can be accessed at the learner’s convenience.
Using ViA’s, for feedback, allows for a more enriched learning environment. Video, being a visual medium, has the potential to enhance learning. ViA’s accommodate a range of learning styles. 90% of the class identified themselves as visual or kinesthetic learners. 45% indicated that they are aural learners. 30% of the learners in this survey do not learn by reading or writing.
Low-proficiency listeners require the extra visual framework that ViA’s provide. They also require more written text and/or visual codes to accompany the oral comments created in ViA’s. This leads to improved listening skills.
The group of learners in this study rated ViA’s highly, so much so that at the end of the semester, a number asked, would ViA’s still be provided in the next semester? The desire of the learners to continue with ViA’s feedback, and their assertion that the subject was easier to learn and understand, would suggest that Via’s are worthwhile to engage learners.
“This research was conducted as part the multi-institutional Y1Feedback (www.y1feedback.ie) project, which was funded by the Irish National Forum for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching.”
Key Words: Feedback; Screencasts; ViA’s; Engagement, Learners.
