Screencasts in Media Studies
Dr Paul Reilly
Department of Media and Communication
18 April 2015
www.le.ac.uk
Internationalisation and Department of
Media and Communication:
• Predominantly South-East Asian postgraduate cohort
(approx. 90% of intake from 2011-12- present)
• Students report difficulties keeping up with lectures
in real-time and completing written assignments
(especially in Semester 1)
• ELTU support students who often struggle with
English language skills
• Could Department use digital media to provide
resources for these students?
Screencasts in Media Studies: Research
Questions
• RQ1: To what extent did international students believe that
the provision of screencasts had enhanced their learning
experiences?
• RQ2: What impact, if any, did the use of screencasts have
upon the teaching practice of lecturers?
• RQ3: How did lecturers and students believe that
screencasts could be used more effectively to support the
teaching of media and communication studies?
Example of Screenr Homepage:
Research Design:
• Four academics from Department trained on how to
create screencasts in bespoke workshop in February
2013
• Screencasts created for six modules (3 PGT & 3 UG)
in Semester 2 (2012-13) and Semester 1 (2013-14)
• Five focus groups held between July 2013 and June
2014 – two postgraduate, two undergraduate and
one lecturer.
Words most frequently used by
postgraduate focus group participants
PGT students prefer supplemental screencasts
to watching recorded lectures
• Participants reported that screencasts had enhanced their
learning experiences through the ability to stop, pause, and
replay content from their classes.
• None expressed a preference for full lecture capture to optimum length of a screencast should be 10- 20 minutes
• They felt that their English language proficiency, and in
particular their listening skills, had been enhanced through
the repeated viewing of such content.
• Suggest adding subtitles to screencasts to allow students to
see exactly what lecturers are saying in narration
Words most frequently used by
undergraduate focus group participants
UG students use screencasts strategically for
revision purposes and for their assignments
• Both instructional and supplemental screencasts
appeared to have enhanced the learning experiences
of these participants.
• Some support for use of screencasts to facilitate
lecture flipping but concerns that full lecture capture
might increase truancy
• Some evidence to suggest screencasts were being
used to facilitate strategic/surface learning
Words most frequently used by
participants during lecturer focus group
Screencasts enhanced the learning and
teaching experiences of lecturers too
• Creating screencasts ‘less daunting than expected’
• Lecturers believe that recording screencasts had a
positive impact on their pedagogy e.g. focus on their
delivery
• Empowerment of screencasts contrasted with topdown imposition of lecture capture
• Receive positive feedback from international
students – support more widespread use in HE
For more on the project, see:
www.screencastsinmediastudies.wordpress.com
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