Evaluating web lectures

Abstract

We present research using web lectures to enhance the classroom learning experience in an introductory HCI course. By using web lectures to present lecture material before class, more in-class time can be spent engaging students with hands-on learning activities. A quasi-experiment was conducted over a 15-week semester with 46 students in two sections of the same course: one section using web lectures and one using traditional lectures. Many control measures were in place, including each section being taught by the same instructor and blind grading. The web lecture section's grades were significantly higher than the traditional lecture section, and web lecture students reported increasingly strong positive attitudes about the intervention. Our twofold contribution is a novel use of existing technology to improve learning, and a longitudinal study of its use within the context of HCI education.