Online Science Videos: Design, Production, and Impact on Student

Learning

Patrick Boggs1 and Jim Brinson

2

1Office of Instructional and Online Technologies, Ivy Tech

Community College, Terre Haute, IN, 47802

2School of Science and Technology, American Military

University, Charles Town, WV, 25414

Introduction and Context: The Need for Videos in the Online Science Classroom

• Difficult to establish a student/instructor and interactive “human” relationship through an online environment.

• Some question that online learning can be as effective as traditional learning, particularly for science courses with a manipulative lab component.

• One way to help remedy this, as well as to teach more abstract scientific concepts online, is to write, develop, produce, and effectively implement visual media and instructional laboratory videos.

Objective: Successful Video and Best Practices

To design, produce, and map the success rate of onlineinstructional videos created to supplement seven science labs for an online physical science course, andto develop a system of technological and pedagogicalbest practices.

The Primary Question

From the students’ perspective, will instructor-produced video help establish teaching presence and foster learningin an online course?

The Secondary Questions

• Will students perceive these videos as worthwhile and credible?

• Will the students report that these videos are important to their online learning experience, and will course scores and attrition data support this claim?

• What type of instructional products would the students like to see more of in this course?

• What will we learn about creation, production, and distribution of the videos, and what would we do differently for future videos?

Methods and Design

• Project spanned from 2007-2011

• Instructional laboratory videos were written and produced to accompany at-home laboratory assignments and then integrated into the Blackboard classroom (videos were required viewing in the course)

• End-of-course survey administered to a random student sample taken from multiple sections of an online general education physical science course (response rate = 80.4%) to assess usefulness and impact of videos on student learning

• Student course performance was analyzed and correlated with student claims on survey

The Survey

• Contained 17 closed-ended questions (7 five-level Likert items, 5 yes/no items, 1 ranking item, 4 multiple choice items) and 1 open-ended comments question

• Representatives from the science teaching faculty and the distance education and instructional and online technologies offices developed the questions

• Web-delivered, password-protected, and released randomly to participating course sections

Video Equipment

• Shot with a Canon XL-1 standard definition camera with BeachTek XLR adapter and VariZoom VZ-PRO-F Fujinon 8-pin Pro Zoom control

• Various tripods, bounces and scrims, and lights were also used

• Audio was recorded using a Samson lavalier microphone and receiver

• Any additional video, text, images, or graphics added that was not part of our original video was in the public domain or licensed with Creative Commons copyright

Video Equipment, cont’d

• Video animations were created using Adobe Flash and Apple Final Cut Pro

• Video distribution included streaming video (with different bandwidth options that could give a 640x480 presentation), downloadable video and audio mp3 (using Techsmith’s Camtasia Pro), and DVD.

• All options were free and linked in the virtual classroom except for the DVD, for which students were charged $3.00 for cost of materials

Attrition Rates and Academic Performance (Prior to and after Implementation of Video)

Student Benefit from Videos

= Strongly Agree or Agree = Neutral = Disagree*

*There were no Strongly Disagree responses

94.1%

91.2%

88.2%

88.2%

81.5%

5.9%

8.8%

8.6% 3.2%

8.6% 3.2%

15.3% 3.2%

Meeting/hearing/seeing the instructor is valuedInstructor-student relationship is important

Enjoyed watching videos

Videos aided in content learning

Videos had a direct (+) impact on final grade

Student Benefit from Videos

= Strongly Agree or Agree = Neutral = Disagree*

*There were no Strongly Disagree responses

85.3%

88.2% 9.3%

8.6%

2.5%

6.1%Videos needed for students to

succeed

Want more content-related

videos

Student Viewing Frequency and Experience with Online Learning

= Yes = No

*There were no Strongly Disagree responses

90.7%

88.8%

61.6%

31.3%

11.3%

9.3%

11.2%

38.4%

68.7%

88.7%

Watched all of the videos

Watched at least one of the videos two or more timesWatched 2-6 of the videos two or more timesWatched all of the videos two or more timesFirst time taking an online course

Preferred Media and Access DataPreferred Instructional Media

Preferred Methodsof Video Access

(0%)(0%)

= most preferred in category

Connection Speed and Location Used to View Videos

(0%)

(0%)

(0%)(0%)

Summary of Results and Findings

• When instructional videos were added as supplements to already existing lab assignments, the mean overall course grade increased 6.1%

• When instructional videos were added as supplements to already existing lab assignments, course completion increased 18.4%

• Students enjoyed watching the videos and valued the instructor interaction they provided

• Students found the videos to be helpful, and to have directly impacted their academic performance

Summary of Results and Findings, cont’d

• Students want to have more content-related videos in the course, and videos remain the 1st preference of instructional media among students

• Students prefer streaming video over other video formats

• Students often viewed the videos multiple times

• Almost all students primarily viewed the videos from home using a cable or DSL connection speed

The Take-Away…

Overall, data from this project clearly indicates that, from the students’ perspectives, the time and effort it takes for an instructional design team (instructor, instructional technologist/designer, producer, etc.) to develop and produce course video(s) are valued and validated.