In the final module evaluation questionnaires , 79 % of respondents reported that they had received sufficient guidance on assessment ( rating this 4 or 5 on a 1-5 scale ). This is a marginal increase from the previous year ’ s cohort , in which the same question garnered 74 % positive responses . We can account for the fact that this change was so small , perhaps , in the fact one out of three assessments on this module did not receive a dedicated video ( the reflective diary , which was addressed , though only obliquely , in the seminar preparation video ). Having provided this extra guidance on some pieces of assessment , it seems students felt more affronted at not receiving it on all pieces of assessment . This raises one potential red flag in the wider incorporation of video content : students may feel modules that do not use videos are unfairly withholding necessary support . There is the risk of moving to a model in which all tutors are required to use video .
Though the module questionnaire results and anecdotal evidence collected through face-to-face discussion with students suggest that the videos did alleviate some anxiety about assessment , the extra guidance failed to have as significant an impact on student achievement as we had hoped . In 2017 / 18 , the median mark for the group presentation was 65 %; it was also 65 % in 2018 / 19 . In 2017 / 18 the median mark for the seen exam was 60 %; in 2018 / 19 it rose to 62 %. This must be attributed , in part , to student engagement . The presentation guidance video garnered 35 unique viewers , or 65 % of the cohort , while the exam preparation video had 36 unique viewers , or 66 % ( analytics provided by YouTube ). As the remaining 35 % of students did not choose to engage with this extra content , they will not have received any benefits from it . However , though average marks did not significantly change , the strongest students ( those who were more likely to engage with the video content ) did improve . No overall first-class marks ( 70 % or higher ) were given on this module in 2017 / 18 , but six students ( 11 % of the cohort ) earned first-class marks in 2018 / 19 . Equally , the weaker students may also have benefitted ; four students ( 8 %) in 2017 / 18 received a third-class mark ( lower than 50 %) overall , while no students received a mark in this range in 2018 / 19 .
Conclusion
Despite only seeing marginal improvement in average marks and student feedback , we continue to feel positively about the potential of video content , particularly in subject areas with limited contact hours . Student response during the focus groups was enormously favourable , and these students were necessarily those who had engaged most with the videos . The positive impact upon staff time should also not be ignored . This could be increased by sharing videos across the programme . A bank of videos which review the core skills of the subject ( like annotation , close reading , research , referencing , etc .) would help to alleviate staff time pressures both in class and over email . Equally , producing videos that address forms of assessment more generally ( e . g . presentations , reflective diaries , annotated bibliographies , etc ) would both relieve burdens upon staff time , and would help students to apply skills learned in one module to the other modules on their degree . We also believe there ’ s further potential to supplement lecture and seminar time with video content . In the 2017 / 18 academic year , we used screencasts as part of a funded outreach project with Higher Horizons +. We found that the screencasts gave us the space to come up with more innovative and hands-on classroom activities , and believe this same benefit could be extended to our undergraduate students . On the whole we feel positively about the benefits of using videos , especially as a way of addressing the wider pressures upon staff resources being faced across the sector .
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank our research assistant Natalie Ilsley for her contributions to this study .
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