Final"report"on"the"Me2U"project"

Part"of"the"Echo360"grants"programme"2010"
John"Davies"&"Clare"Hardman,"University"of"Sussex,"UK"
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/elearning/audioandvideo/me2u99
9
9
1."

Project"Overview"

9
The9Me2U9project9has9been9working9with9faculty9at9the9University9of9Sussex9to9explore9the9diverse9
ways9 in9 which9 Echo3609 personal9 capture9 (PCAP)19 can9 be9 used9 to9 create9 recordings9 (screencasts)9
that9 support9 student9 learning.9 These9 screencasts9 are9 intended9 to9 scaffold9 learning9 in9 a9 variety9 of9
ways,9 with9 particular9 emphasis9 on:9 (i)9 increasing9 students9 understanding9 of9 assessment9
expectations9 and9 feedback;9 (ii)9 providing9 timely9 cohortOlevel9 feedback9 during9 the9 module9 and9 (iii)9
acting9as9a9revision9tool9towards9the9end9of9a9module.9
9
Many9studies9have9looked9at9how9both9short9audio9and9video9clips9can9be9used9to9support9student9
learning9(e.g.9Copley,92007;9Whatley9&9Ahmad,92007;9Ming9et#al,92010).9These9studies9have9found9
that9such9resources9can9make9a9positive9contribution9to9student9learning.9One9key9difference9
between9previous9research9and9the9Me2U9project9is9that9former9studies9have9involved9using9
technology9that9is9userOowned9and9may9therefore9require9some9specialist9knowledge9to9both9create9
and9produce9recordings.9The9potential9advantage9of9PCAP9is9that9the9tool9offers9a9scalable9way9of9
creating9shortOform9recordings.9Given9that9Echo3609is9a9centrallyOsupported9system,9users9do9not9
require9specialist9knowledge9about9the9file9types9in9which9recordings9should9be9produced9and9
where9the9resultant9files9should9be9stored.9This,9coupled9with9the9simple9interface9of9Echo3609
personal9capture,9may9encourage9uptake9from9staff9and9allow9them9to9focus9more9on9the9content9
of9recordings.99
9
Academic9staff9across9a9range9of9disciplines9used9PCAP9in9a9variety9of9ways,9for9example:99
9
helping9students9to9prepare9for9lab9classes9by9recording9a9screencast9that9summarises9the9
key9points9about9the9session;9
providing9resources9that9complement9lecture9material;9
giving9pointers9to9a9midOterm9test9and9some9feedback9to9the9cohort9on9the9test.9
9
The9project9was9evaluated9from9both9the9student9and9staff9perspective9and9this9report9makes9
recommendations9about9how9short9screencasts9can9be9used9most9effectively9to9support9teaching,9
learning9and9assessment.9
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1

9Echo3609personal9capture9(PCAP)9is9a9version9of9the9lecture9capture9tool9that9can9be9installed9on9a9laptop9or9
desktop9computer.9It9records9what9is9displayed9on9the9screen9plus9audio9of9the9presenter9and9can9also9
include9a9webcam9video9of9the9presenter.9

1"

9
2."
9

Key"findings"

Students9feel9strongly9that9recordings9support9their9learning9
Screencasts9that9explain9key9concepts9are9rated9most9highly9
Screencasts9that9prepare9students9for9assessment9are9accessed9most9frequently9
Students9who9did9not9access9screencasts9consider9themselves9to9be9less9competent9with9
technologies9
Evidence9suggests9that9accessing9screencasts9can9improve9assessment9performance9
Lecturers9find9PCAP9easy9to9use9and9would9recommend9it9to9their9colleagues9
There9are9clear9benefits9in9using9an9institutionallyOowned9system9on9which9to9create9short9
screencasts9
Students9like9material9in9different9formats9and9will9access9both9screencasts9as9well9as9textO
based9versions9of9the9same9material.9
9
Methods"

3.""
9
3.1"" Overview"of"project"participants"
9
A9total9of9129modules9used9Echo3609personal9capture.9The9findings9presented9in9this9report9focus9
on9a9subOset9of9these9modules,9that9represent9a9range9of9screencast9types9(see9Tab919for9details).9
Academic9staff9who9participated9in9the9project9decided9when9and9how9it9was9appropriate9to9use9
PCAP,9sometimes9with9input9from9the9project9team.9From9the9recordings9made9by9staff,9three9
general9themes9arose9around9how9screencasts9could9support9the9cycle9of9learning."
"
Contextualising#learning#
This9theme9relates9to9screencasts9that9help9students9to9frame9their9learning9on9a9module.9An9
example9of9this9would9be9a9lecturer9releasing9a9recording9at9the9start9of9the9module9that9outlines9
the9module9content,9the9outcomes9for9the9student9and9the9expectations9of9the9lecturer.9
9
Preparation#for#specific#tasks#
An9example9of9this9would9be9a9screencast9that9is9made9available9ahead9of9a9laboratory9practical.9The9
screencast9could9explain9what9the9student9will9do9during9the9practical9and9point9towards9resources9
to9which9students9will9need9to9refer.99
9
Supporting#students#feedback#and#assessment#
Screencasts9on9this9theme9could9be9created9at9any9point9in9the9module.9The9lecturer9could9record9a9
screencast9at9the9start9of9the9module9to9explain9the9purpose9of9the9assessment9and9how9it9links9to9
the9learning9outcomes,9in9the9middle9of9the9module9to9provide9cohortOlevel9feedback9on9a9
formative9assessment9task,9or9towards9the9end9of9the9module9to9give9pointers9to9the9assessment9
task.9

2"

9
Table91.9Summary9of9modules9for9which9data9are9presented9in9this9report.9
9
Module"name"

Class"size"

Type(s)"of"screencast"

Globalisation9&9Geopolitics9

Level"of"
study"
UG929

449

Contextualising9learning9

The9Dynamic9Earth9

UG19

849

Contextualising9learning,9supporting9
students9assessment9and9feedback9

Introduction9to9Business9and9
Management9

UG19

2609

Supporting9students9assessment9and9
feedback9

Biological9Chemistry9

UG919

1449

Preparation9for9specific9tasks,9Supporting9
students9assessment9and9feedback9

9
Sample9clips9that9relate9to9these9themes9can9be9viewed9at9
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/elearning/audioandvideo/me2u/examples/sample_clips99
9
3.2" Data"sources"used"to"evaluate"the"project"
9
Questionnaire#data#from#students#
The9questionnaire9data9helped9elucidate9which9aspects9of9the9students9learning9the9screencasts9
supported,9how9often9they9viewed9recordings9and9the9devices9on9which9the9recordings9were9
viewed.9The9relationship9between9a9students9technical9confidence9and9whether9they9watched9the9
screencasts9could9also9be9examined.99
9
Focus#group#data#from#students#
The9focus9group9data9helped9expand9on9findings9from9the9questionnaire9data9and9enabled9better9
categorisation9of9the9main9areas9of9learning9that9these9short9screencasts9can9support.9
9
Virtual#Learning#Environment#log#data#on#student#access#to#the#screencasts#
The9logs9from9the9VLE9data9provided9evidence9of9when9it9is9optimum9to9release9the9screencasts9to9
students9and9the9types9of9screencasts9that9were9viewed9most9often9by9students.9This9information9
helps9to9promote9the9use9of9short9screencasts9with9staff99given9their9time9is9in9such9short9supply,9
they9will9want9to9know9how9to9make9sure9the9students9get9optimum9use9of9the9recordings.9VLE9logs9
were9also9used9to9look9at9the9extent9to9which9individual9students9accessed9the9recordings9and9their9
performance9in9assessment9tasks9related9to9the9content9of9the9screencast.9
9
Interviews#with#staff9
Finally,9interviews9with9staff9were9undertaken.9These9were9very9important,9as9academic9staff9are9
more9likely9to9be9persuaded9to9use9a9piece9of9technology9if9endorsed9by9their9peers.9If9the9project9
participants9discuss9their9use9of9Personal9Capture9and9are9willing9to9recommend9it9to9their9
colleagues9then9the9barriers9to9the9uptake9of9screencasts9will9be9lowered.9

3"

4."
Project"findings"
9
4.1" Student"responses"to"different"types"of"screencast"
9
Contextualising#learning9
Those9screencasts9that9were9designed9to9contextualise9learning9were9amongst9the9highest9rated9by9
students.9One9lecturer9prepared9a9set9of9three9screencasts9for9a9second9year9political9geography9
module9that9covered9key9concepts.9In9our9interview9with9this9lecturer9he9explained9that:9
9
All9the9themes9were9covered9in9the9lecture9but9I9was9aware9that9having9covered9it9in9
lectures9there9were9still9some9students9who9werent9getting9it9so9I9wanted9to9emphasise9key9
ideas9with9the9recordings.9With9a9two9hour9lecture9students9might9not9necessarily9pick9out9
the9most9important9bits9but9this9allows9me9to9highlight9them.9Explaining9it9again9in9a9
different9way9might9increase9their9understanding.99
9
Students9found9these9screencasts9extremely9helpful9in9aiding9their9understanding9of9the9module9
(Fig.91).9It9was9clear9that9students9welcomed9the9way9that9screencasts9reinforced9the9material9
covered9in9lectures,9illustrated9by9one9of9the9students9interviewed9as9part9of9the9project.9
9
By9giving9you9examples9[the9screencast]9helped9with9definitions9so9it9consolidated9what9you9
already9knew9and9had9diagrams9with9it9which9were9really9useful9
9
The9evaluation9of9questionnaire9data9also9revealed9that9more9students9on9this9module9took9notes9
and9viewed9the9screencasts9more9than9once9compared9with9screencasts9on9other9modules.99
9
9
9
Figure91.9Distribution9of9
9
responses9to9the9question9
9
Watching9the9screencasts9
9
increased9my9
9
understanding9of9module9
9
material9(n9=9179students)9
9
on9the9module9Political9
9
Geography.9
9
9
9
#
#
#

4"

Preparation#for#specific#tasks9
A9number9of9staff9used9PCAP9to9record9screencasts9designed9to9support9students9with9specific9
learning9tasks.9For9example,9one9lecturer9created9a9recording9that9walked9students9through9various9
web9resources9that9they9were9required9to9access9during9a9practical9session9in9Psychology.9Another9
example9was9a9screencast9that9highlighted9the9key9tasks9involved9in9a9laboratory9practical9on9a9
Biological9Chemistry9module.9Students9on9this9module9felt9these9screencasts9made9them9feel9better9
prepared9for9the9practical9session9(Fig.92).9Whilst9the9information9presented9in9these9types9of9
screencast9was9available9in9other9formats99for9example9a9laboratory9handbook9O9students9found9it9
valuable9to9be9able9to9access9the9guidance9in9another9format:9
9
9the9screencasts9show9what9you9should9expect9when9you9go9into9the9lab9and9people9learn9in9
different9ways9so9its9really9helpful9to9have9a9different9resource9
9
As9with9other9types9of9screencasts,9students9welcome9the9flexibility9that9the9preOlaboratory9
recordings9offered:9
9
[the9screencasts9are]9useful9for9catching9up9at9home,9can9go9at9your9own9pace9
(pause/rewind),9allows9you9to9be9more9flexible9with9other9commitments9(e.g.9work/family),9
allows9you9to9revisit9the9material9time9and9time9again.9
9
9
9
Figure92.9Distribution9of9
9
responses9to9the9question9
9
Watching9the9screencasts9
9
helped9me9to9feel9better9
9
prepared9for9the9
9
laboratory9session9(n9=9749
9
students)9on9the9module9
9
Biological9Chemistry.9
9
9
9
9
9
9
Another9benefit9of9recording9the9Biological9Chemistry9screencast9was9that9it9freed9up9some9of9the9
faceOtoOface9teaching9time9on9the9module.9In9previous9years,9a9oneOhour9lecture9slot9had9been9used9
to9preview9the9laboratory9practical.9By9recording9the9screencast,9this9slot9could9be9released9to9
provide9additional9teaching9time.9In9addition,9given9that9the9content9of9the9practical9was9unlikely9to9
change9in9the9next9iteration9of9the9module,9the9lecturer9could9reOuse9the9recording9next9year.9
9
#

5"

Supporting#students#feedback#and#assessment9
This9is9clearly9a9very9broad9area9of9student9learning9and9a9range9of9different9screencasts9fit9within9
this9theme.9The9first9example9was9perhaps9the9most9straightforward99a9recording9that9gave9
students9advice9about9the9assessment9task9for9the9module.9Two9lecturers9in9Business9and9
Management9made9screencasts9of9this9type99one9of9which9focussed9on9pointers9for9writing9an9
essay9and9the9other9gave9guidance9on9completing9a9group9project.9The9modules9on9which9both9of9
these9lecturers9were9teaching9had9class9sizes9in9excess9of9250.9In9addition,9a9large9proportion9of9
students9were9from9overseas.9It9has9been9demonstrated9that9lecture9capture9can9be9particularly9
valuable9for9this9group9of9students9(Gosper9et#al,92010).99
9
Again,9students9found9these9screencasts9useful,9with9around980%9agreeing9that9the9recordings9
helped9them9prepare9for9the9assessment9tasks.9Student9comments9on9these9screencasts9reflected9
this.9
9
I9had9many9questions9about9my9essay9and9the9screencast9really9made9me9understand9what9
exactly9I9had9to9do.9The9visual9presentation9along9with9my9professors9recording9was9
extremely9effective.9
9
I9found9it9very9helpful9when9dealing9with9the9essay.9Made9it9a9lot9clearer9and9helped9me9to9
structure9it9better.9
9
It9was9very9helpful9and9cleared9many9questions9I9had.9However9for9me9it9was9the9first9time9
to9see9such9a9thing9(screencast9from9a9university)9and9I9just9love9it9
9
A9lecturer9in9Physical9Geography9used9PCAP9at9an9early9stage9in9the9module9to9help9elaborate9on9
some9key9concepts9and9then9wanted9to9explore9whether9it9could9be9used9to9help9students9better9
understand9their9assessment.9The9lecturer9used9PCAP9to9record9a9preOtest9screencast9that9outlined9
what9he9would9be9looking9for9in9the9assessment9and9giving9general9advice9to9students9about9the9
task.9After9the9test9had9been9marked9and9the9papers9returned9to9the9students,9the9lecturer9then9
recorded9a9screencast9that9gave9feedback9on9how9the9group9had9performed9in9the9test99the9areas9
in9which9they9had9done9well9and9the9areas9in9which9they9had9struggled.9Again,9students9welcomed9
the9fact9that9it9gave9them9an9opportunity9to9reflect9on9their9assessment.99
9
I9thought9it9was9quite9good9because9you9could9be9looking9at9all9your9books9and9have9the9
exam9paper9out9and9he9explains9it9its9good9because9he9doesnt9necessarily9have9the9time9
to9talk9to9everyone9individually9but9put9generalisations9up9which9was9really9useful.9
9
This9was9the9first9piece9of9assessed9work9that9the9students9had9to9submit9on9their9degree9course9
and9the9lecturer9felt9that9the9screencast9helped9to9alleviate9anxieties.9The9lecturer9also9felt9that9
creating9the9recording9saved9him9time9that9would9otherwise9be9spent9dealing9with9the9same9
questions9from9students,9either9via9email9or9faceOtoOface.9
9

6"

4.2" Why"didnt"students"view"screencasts?"
9
Questionnaire9data9revealed9the9reasons9why9students9did9not9access9the9screencasts.9The9most9
common9responses9to9this9question9were9that:9students9did9not9know9the9screencasts9were9
available;9students9were9too9busy9to9access9them;9students9did9not9see9their9relevance9to9their9
learning.9A9number9of9respondents9said9that9they9had9not9watched9them9yet,9but9would9do9so9
toward9the9end9of9the9module9as9a9tool9for9revision.9Students9in9focus9groups9stated9that9many9of9
their9peers9had9not9known9about9the9recordings.99
9
One9interesting9finding9was9that9those9students9who9did9not9access9any9screencasts9considered9
themselves9to9be9less9competent9with9technologies9(Fig.93).9Whilst9the9scores9for9competency9are9
relatively9high9for9both9groups,9the9score9for9those9who9did9not9access9the9screencasts9was9
significantly9lower9than9expected9(Chi9square9test9=96.5,9P9=90.03,9df=2).9This9finding9was9supported9
by9the9focus9group9interviews9with9students9and9suggests9that9there9are9still9some9barriers9around9
the9access9to9technologies9for9certain9students.9Additional9guidance9on9how9to9access9the9
screencasts9should9be9provided9to9ensure9that9those9who9consider9themselves9less9competent9feel9
able9to9use9these9resources.9
9
9
Figure93.9Distribution9
of9responses9to9the9
question9I9feel9I9am9
able9to9work9
competently9with9
electronic9media9for9
those9students9who9
did9and9did9not9access9
screencasts.9
9
9
9
"
"
4.3" Optimum"points"to"release"screencasts"and"where"to"target"PCAP"to"maximise"effect,"both"
pedagogically"and"in"terms"of"use"of"resource"
9
The9number9of9times9that9students9accessed9an9Echo3609recording9could9be9gathered9through9
examining9the9VLE9activity9reports.9In9addition,9the9dates9on9which9recordings9were9accessed9could9
also9be9ascertained.99
9
9
9
!

7"

Activity#patterns#for#access#to#screencasts#
A9detailed9view9of9activity9patterns9for9an9assessmentObased9screencast9can9be9gained9from9
examining9the9Introduction9to9Business9and9Management9module.9After9the9screencast9was9
uploaded,9there9was9an9initial9peak9in9access9(Figure94).9This9then9dropped9off9and9between9five9and9
ten9students9a9day9accessed9the9recording.9This9number9steadily9rose9as9the9assessment9deadline9
drew9closer,9a9pattern9of9activity9that9has9been9found9in9other9studies9(Brotherton9and9Abowd,9
2004).9In9total91939out9of92609students9accessed9the9screencast9a9total9of92779times.9This9represents9
around974%9of9students9on9the9module.9The9essay9guidance9was9also9available9in9printed9form9and9
was9viewed9by92319students9(89%).9Although9this9was,9therefore,9more9popular9than9the9screencast,9
these9data9indicate9that9students9welcome9such9guidance9in9multiple9formats.99
#
#
Figure94.9Activity9patterns9of9access9to9an9essay9guidance9screencast9created9for9an9
#
undergraduate9firstOyear9module9in9Business9and9Management.9The9arrow9indicates9the9
9
submission9date9for9the9assessment.9
9
9
9
9
99
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
The9Biological9Chemistry9module9provides9a9clear9illustration9of9the9patterns9of9usage9of9screencasts9
that9had9differing9objectives.9The9patterns9of9access9are9doveOtailed9by9an9introductory9screencast9
and9a9recording9designed9to9support9the9end9of9module9test9(Fig.95).9Once9again,9the9most9accessed9
screencast9was9the9preparation9for9the9test99the9number9of9views9grew9rapidly9towards9the9test9
date.9The9pattern9of9access9for9the9preOlaboratory9screencast9is9interesting.9The9cohort9was9divided9
into9three9groups9for9the9laboratory9practicals9and9these9are9indicated9by9the9first9three9peaks9of9
access9that9conclude9on9the99th9February9(Fig.95).9There9is,9however,9a9fourth9peak9that9starts9
around9a9week9later.9The9reason9for9this9peak9is9that9students9were9required9to9discuss9the9
laboratory9practical9in9their9tutorial9groups,9so9students9appeared9to9return9to9the9screencast9as9a9
refresher9for9this9event.9
9

8"

9
Figure95.9Activity9patterns9of9access9to9a9series9of9screencasts9created9for9an9
9
undergraduate9firstOyear9module9in9Biological9Chemistry.9
9
!
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
It9appears9therefore,9that9recordings9to9support9the9assessment9process9are9accessed9by9the9
greatest9proportion9of9students.9This9is9perhaps9not9all9that9surprising9given9that9students9will9
always9want9advice9and9guidance9on9their9assessment.9It9does,9however,9indicate9the9value9that9
screencasts9can9play9in9supporting9assessment9and9feedback.9It9is9in9these9areas9of9the9UKs9
National9Student9Survey9that9Higher9Education9Institutions9perform9consistently9less9well9(Crook9et#
al,92012).9Short9recordings9made9using9lecture9capture9software9could,9therefore,9play9a9role9in9
helping9to9scaffold9the9students9assessment9cycle.99
9
Whilst9those9screencasts9based9on9assessment9were9most9accessed,9it9was9often9those9that9were9
designed9to9help9students9contextualise9their9learning9that9were9most9highly9regarded9by9students.9
For9two9modules9in9which9lecturers9had9created9screencasts9that9aimed9to9illuminate9key9concepts,9
the9role9that9they9played9in9supporting9their9learning9was9rated9most9highly9by9students.9In9both9
cases,994%9of9students9agreed9that9screencasts9had9increased9their9understanding9of9the9module9
material.99
9
4.4" Do"screencasts"have"any"effect"on"assessment"marks?"
9
Establishing9the9effect9of9any9technological9intervention9on9student9learning9is9fraught9with9
difficulties.9A9number9of9studies9have9explored9whether9students9who9viewed9lecture9capture9
recording9achieved9better9assessment9marks9(e.g.9Brotherton9&9Abowd,92004;9Hodges9et#al,92008;9
Heilesen,92010;9Secker9et9al,92010;9Settle9et#al,92011).9In9most9of9these9cases9it9is9very9difficult9to9
separate9out9the9effects9of9the9recordings9from9the9other9variables9that9influence9assessment9

9"

performance.9Van9den9Brand9(2011)9found9that9the9assessment9marks9were9higher9for9a9module9on9
which9students9had9access9to9short9screencasts9compared9to9previous9years.9Van9den9Brand9
attempted9to9benchmark9these9findings,9by9comparing9the9marks9on9his9module9to9another9that9did9
not9contain9screencasts.9He9discovered9that9marks9on9the9latter9module9had9remained9constant,9
indicating9that9the9screencasts9may9have9had9a9positive9effect9on9assessment9marks.9
9
By9taking9a9similar9approach,9the9possible9effect9of9watching9screencasts9on9the9assessment9
performance9of9students9on9the9Biological9Chemistry9module9was9examined.9Students9were9
separated9into9those9who9had9and9had9not9accessed9the9preOlaboratory9screencast9and9the9
assessment9marks9for9these9two9groups9were9compared.9The9average9mark9for9those9students9who9
accessed9the9screencast9was964914%,9significantly9higher9than9the9average9mark9of957921%,9%9for9
those9who9did9not9access9the9recordings9(Tab.92).9This9statistic9on9its9own9is9not,9however,9
particularly9insightful.9Those9students9who9accessed9these9resources9were9perhaps9likely9to9be9the9
ones9who9would9perform9better9on9the9module.99
9
In9an9attempt9to9control9for9this9variation,9the9performance9of9students9on9the9Biological9Chemistry9
module9was9compared9with9their9assessment9marks9on9another9module.9The9module9Cell9and9
Molecular9Biology9contained9a9similar9assessment9type9(practical9report)9and9was9running9in9the9
same9term.9If9there9was9no9effect9of9accessing9the9screencast,9it9would9be9expected9that9the9group9
who9accessed9the9screencasts9on9the9Biological9Chemistry9module9would9also9have9significantly9
higher9marks9on9the9Cell9and9Molecular9Biology9module.9Whilst9the9marks9for9the9access9group9
were9slightly9higher,9the9difference9in9marks9between9the9two9groups9did9not9differ9significantly9
(Tab.92).9This9suggests9that9the9difference9between9assessment9marks9on9the9Biological9Chemistry9
module9could9be9as9a9result9of9accessing9these9screencasts.9
9
Table92.9Assessment9performance9for9two9groups9of9students9on9two9modules,9one9which9contained9
screencasts9and9the9other9that9did9not.9Students9were9grouped9by9whether9or9not9they9had9
accessed9a9screencast9on9the9module9Biological9Chemistry.9
9
Module"name"

Biological9Chemistry9
(screencasts)9
9
Cell9&9Molecular9
Biology9(no9
screencasts)9

Average"assessment"
mark"for"group"who"
accessed"screencast"
64914%9

Average"assessment"mark"
for"group"who"did"not"
access"screencast"
57921%9

69916%9

67914%9

Test"statistic"

(t9=92.1,9p=0.04,9df=131)9

(t9=91.1,9P9=90.13,9df=142)9

9
"
"
"
"

10"

4.5"

The"level"and"nature"of"support"that"staff"require"to"create"these"recordings"and"identify"
the"barriers"to"creating"recordings"and"propose"how"can"they"be"minimised""

9
Benefits#of#an#institutionallyFowned#system#
In9general,9lecturers9required9little9support9in9using9PCAP9and9liked9the9simplicity9of9the9tool9and9its9
basic9functionality.9The9fact9that9PCAP9was9implemented9as9an9institutionally9owned9system9was9
also9seen9as9an9advantage.9This9meant9that9PCAP9was9integrated9with9the9Universitys9virtual9
learning9environment9and9users9could9add9their9recordings9to9their9module9sites9in9the9same9way9
that9they9might9add9other9resources.9Staff9were9not9required9to9make9technical9decisions9about9the9
types9of9file9they9should9produce,9where9the9recordings9would9be9stored9or9the9size9of9the9file.9This9
meant9that9staff9with9no9prior9experience9of9using9video9or9screen9capture9software9were9able9to9
participate9in9the9project9and9could9concentrate9on9designing9the9content9of9their9recordings9rather9
than9worrying9about9the9technology.9
9
Level#of#support#that#staff#required##
At9the9start9of9the9project,9staff9were9given9a9very9short9demonstration9of9the9software9and9a9one9
page9how9to9guide.9For9the9majority9of9lecturers9this9was9all9the9support9they9needed.9Some9staff,9
who9were9less9confident9with9technology,9required9additional9support.9Some9participants,9for9
example,9came9to9the9TLDU9office9to9record9their9screencasts,9so9they9had9support9on9hand9in9case9
any9technical9hitches9occurred.9In9terms9of9content,9lecturers9were9given9broad9areas9that9might9be9
appropriate9for9screencasts9e.g.9to9outline9tutor9expectations9at9the9start9of9the9module,9to9provide9
guidance9on9assessment.9For9some9of9the9tutors9more9detailed9ideas9about9how9PCAP9could9be9
used9to9support9student9learning9were9provided.99
9
Issues#for#staff#
All9lecturers9participating9in9the9project9were9asked9if9they9had9any9resistance9to9using9PCAP9and9
what9they9felt9the9barriers9might9be9for9other9colleagues.9Some9staff9did9not9like9hearing9the9sound9
of9their9own9voice9and9whilst9they9had9recorded9lectures9before9they9had9not9edited9them9so9had9
not9had9to9listen9back9to9the9recording.9All9staff9reported9that9once9they9had9got9used9to9this9it9
would9not9put9them9off9making9recordings9but9may9prove9a9barrier9to9others.9Some9lecturers9were9
not9keen9to9use9the9webcam9as9they9felt9selfOconscious9and9were9not9convinced9that9it9added9to9the9
students9learning9experience.9Staff9may9be9more9willing9to9use9the9webcam9now9that9the9project9
has9gathered9positive9feedback9from9the9student9perspective.9Some9lecturers9found9it9difficult9to9
condense9their9material9to9a9fiveOminute9recording.9It9was9suggested9that9writing9a9script9as9well9as9
a9few9PowerPoint9slides9would9help9the9brevity9of9screencasts.99
9
Most9colleagues9wanted9initially9to9create9a9professional,9wordOperfect9recording.9It9transpired9that9
staff9were9happy9to9produce9less9polished9recordings9that9took9less9time9to9make.9In9addition,9
students9reported9liking9the9informality9of9these9recordings.9An9explanation9of9the9limitations9of9the9
PCAP9tool9and9demonstration9of9examples9of9recordings9made9by9other9colleagues9would9help9to9
set9staff9expectations.99

11"

4.6" Guidelines"on"how"to"create"effective"recordings"using"PCAP.""
9
A9set9of9guidelines9has9been9produced9in9the9form9of9a9series9of9webpages,9printed9guides9and9
screencasts9that9demonstrate9the9software9and9the9lecturers9reflections9on9PCAP.99
9
Guidance9includes:9
What9equipment9do9I9need9to9use9Echo3609Personal9Capture?9
How9do9I9make9a9recording?9(for9Mac9and9PC9users)9
How9do9I9edit9and9publish9my9recording?9
How9do9I9add9my9recording9to9my9Study9Direct9site?9
How9can9I9use9Echo3609Personal9Capture9in9my9teaching?9
How9do9I9make9a9good9recording?9
9
Guidance9for9colleagues9can9be9viewed9at:9
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/elearning/audioandvideo/me2u/guides9
9
Lecturer's9reflections9on9using9Echo3609Personal9Capture9can9be9viewed9at:9
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/elearning/audioandvideo/me2u/examples/reflections9
9
5."
Technical"challenges"
9
There9were9some9technical9challenges9early9on9in9the9project.9Most9of9these9were,9however,9
rectified9when9the9University9upgraded9to9Echo3609v2.6.9Providing9a9specific9microphone9or9
webcam9to9those9using9PCAP9was9important,9as9some9equipment9did9not9seem9to9work9as9well.9In9
particular,9using9an9inObuilt9webcam9tended9to9mean9that9the9video9of9the9presenter9and9the9audio9
track9were9not9synchronised.9Participant9used9webcams9recommended9by9Echo3609(Logitech9
Quickcam9Pro990009for9PC9and9Logitech9QuickCam9Vision9Pro9for9Mac).9There9were9still9intermittent9
problems9with9video9and9audio9synchronising,9particularly9if9a9recording9had9been9edited.99
9
Despite9praising9the9simplicity9of9Echo3609personal9capture,9staff9suggested9some9improvements9
and9additional9functionality.9Colleagues9felt9that9using9the9playhead9to9select9and9cut9sections9in9the9
editing9tool9was9not9accurate9enough9and9meant9that9staff9accidentally9cut9off9more9of9the9
recording9than9they9had9intended.9It9was9suggested9that9this9should9be9more9sophisticated9and9
accurate9as9an9editing9tool.9Staff9also9wanted9the9ability9to9add9clips9together9and9to9pause9whilst9
recording.9However,9this9additional9functionality9may9defeat9the9tools9simplicity,9which9was9
something9that9staff9considered9to9be9a9big9advantage.9
"
"
"
"
"
"

12"

6."
Conclusions"and"recommendations"
9
Conclusions#
The9projects9findings9have9illustrated9that9students9felt9strongly9that9the9recordings9made9by9staff9
supported9their9learning.9In9particular,9screencasts9that9explained9key9concepts9were9rated9most9
highly9and9those9that9prepared9students9for9assessment9were9accessed9most9frequently.9The9
project9also9found9evidence9that9accessing9recordings9improved9the9assessment9performance9of9
some9students.9On9one9module,9students9who9accessed9screencasts9performed9significantly9better9
in9the9associated9assessment9than9those9who9had9not9accessed9the9screencasts.9The9validity9of9this9
finding9was9strengthened9by9looking9at9these9two9groups9of9students9on9another9module9that9did9
not9contain9screencasts.9The9marks9for9the9two9groups9did9not9differ9significantly,9indicating9that9
the9PCAP9recordings9may9have9had9an9effect9on9the9improved9performance.999
9
Lecturers9required9minimal9support9in9using9PCAP9and9found9making9recordings9a9straightforward9
process9and99all9staff9who9participated9in9the9project9would9recommend9the9tool9to9their9colleagues.9
There9were9clear9benefits9in9using9an9institutionallyOowned9system9on9which9to9create9short9
screencasts9in9terms9of9reducing9the9barriers9to9entry9for9staff.9The9fact9that9lecturers9did9not9have9
to9think9about9the9file9formats9in9which9recordings9should9be9produced9or9where9those9recordings9
would9be9stored9enabled9them9to9focus9on9the9role9the9screencast9would9play9in9supporting9student9
learning.9
9
Whilst9the9software9was9generally9reliable,9some9technical9challenges9arose9O9particularly9with9the9
audio9and9video9synching9correctly9and9the9software9crashing9for9no9obvious9reason.9More9testing9
by9Echo3609of9PCAP9to9identify9the9reasons9for9this9would9be9welcome.99
9
Recommendations9
1. In9order9to9increase9student9access9to9recordings9staff9should9promote9their9recordings9
directly9to9students,9demonstrate9how9they9can9access9them9and9explain9why9they9have9
been9created.9This9would9also9help9reduce9barriers9for9students9who9are9less9technically9
competent.9
2. Staff9should9not9focus9on9creating9a9polished9recording.9
3. Depending9on9the9purpose9of9the9recording,9staff9could9consider9reusing9screencasts9in9
future9years.9
4. Using9the9webcam9will9help9create9recordings9that9students9will9find9more9personal.9It9will9
however9mean9that9recordings9take9longer9to9make.9
5. Good9integration9with9existing9university9systems,9for9example9a9virtual9learning9
environment9is9important.9
6. Tentative9evidence9was9found9that9recordings9can9improve9assessment9outcomes9.9Further9
more9detailed9research9in9this9area9is9recommended.9
9
!

13"

7."
Summary"of"dissemination"activities"
9
Coverage9in9the9University9Bulletin9magazine9
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/press_office/bulletin/08oct10/article7.shtml99
9
Oral9and9poster9presentation9Echo3609European9Conference,9May920119
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/elearning/audioandvideo/me2u/echo360_conference99
9
Presentation9at9ALT9Conference,9September920119
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/elearning/audioandvideo/me2u/alt99
9
References"
9
Brotherton,9JA9&9Abowd,9GD9(2004)9Lessons9Learned9from9eClass:9Assessing9Automated9Capture9and9Access9
in9the9Classroom.9ACM#Transactions#on#ComputerFHuman#Interaction911"(2),9121O1559
Copley,9J9(2007)9Audio9and9video9podcasts9of9lectures9for9campusObased9students:9production9and9evaluation9
of9student9use9Innovations#in#Education#and#Teaching#International944"(4),93879O939999
Crook,9A,9Mauchline,9A,9Maw,9S,9Lawson,9C,9Drinkwater,9R,9Lundqvist,9K,9Orsmond,9P,9Gomez,9S,9Park,9J9(2012)9
The9use9of9video9technology9for9providing9feedback9to9students:9Can9it9enhance9the9feedback9experience9for9
staff9and9students?,9Computers#and#Education958(1)9386O3969
Gosper,9M,9McNeill,9M,9Phillips,9R,9Preston,9G,9Woo,9K,9Green,9D9(2010)9WebObased9lecture9technologies9and9
learning9and9teaching:9a9study9of9change9in9four9Australian9universities9ALTFJ#Research#in#Learning#
Technology918(3)9251O2639
Heilesen,9SB9(2010)9What9is9the9academic9efficacy9of9podcasting?9Computers#in#Education955,91063O10689
Hodges,9CB,9StackpoleOHodges9CL9&9Cox,9KM9(2008)9SelfOefficacy,9selfOregulation,9and9cognitive9style9as9
predictors9of9achievement9with9podcast9instruction9Journal#of#Educational#Computing#Research938"(2),9139
1539
Ming,9N,9Armellinia,9A,9Harrington,9S,9Barklambb.9K9&9Randallb,9R9(2010)9The9role9of9podcasting9in9effective9
curriculum9renewal.9ALTFJ#Research#in#Learning#Technology918"(2),9105O1189
Secker,9J,9Chattzigavrill,9A9&9Leape,9J9(2010)9The9impact9of9technologies9in9a9first9year9undergraduate9course9
for9social9scientists9Proceedings#of#the#9th#European#Conference#on#eFLearning9
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/329689[last9accessed93rd9October92011]9
Settle,9A,9Dettori,9L9&9Davidson,9M9(2011)9Does9lecture9capture9make9a9difference9for9students9in9traditional9
classrooms9Proceedings#of#the#16th#annual#joint#conference#on#Innovation#and#technology#in#computer#
science#education9http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=19997729[last9accessed93rd9October92011]9
van9den9Brand,9B9(2011)9WebObased9Learning9Increases9Student9Pass9Rates9for9Difficult9Courses9Presentation#
given#at#the#Mediasite#user#conference#2011#
http://unleash.mediasite.com/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=278bdf7cd3fe4605a40f7692b7da2e4e1d9[last9
accessed93rd9October92011]9
Whatley,9J9&9Ahmad,9A9(2007)9Using9video9to9record9summary9lecturer9to9aid9students9revision9
Interdisciplinary#Journal#of#Knowledge#and#Learning#Objects93,185O1969
9

14"

Me2U%project%expenditure%
!
Costs%
Payments!to!staff!participating!in!the!project!
Project!researcher!(run!focus!groups,!transcribe!interviews,!
analyse!qualitative!data)!
Payments!to!students!for!participation!in!focus!groups!
Conferences!&!travel!costs!
!
TOTAL%
!

!
2,600!
1,588!
410!
1,829!
!

6,427!