Work in progress - using screencasts to enhance student learning in a large lecture Material Science and Engineering course

Abstract

University lecturing is changing as a result of increasing student populations, increasing student diversity, and transformative technologies. One of the newest technological developments is the availability of screencasts, recordings that capture audio narration along with computer screen images. This study documents the strategic use of screencasts in a Material Science and Engineering (MSE) course, and examines their impact on student learning and satisfaction in the large lecture environment. Screencasts posted to the course management site included solutions to homework and quizzes and mini-lectures that explain topics identified by students as unclear. Survey results indicate that the majority of students responding found all of the screencasts helpful regardless of whether they found a concept difficult or not. But other data suggest that the impact on student learning could be even greater, as both faculty and students learn to utilize this new resource. Future course iterations will refine the uses of screencasts and continue analyzing their impact.