Enhance learning with short video fragments

Title of the project
Enhance learning with short video fragments of lectures

Project leader and team
A.W. Heringa (project leader), R. Vaatstra en P. Adriaans, Faculty of Law.

Financed by
UM Leading in Learning, Pillar E-factor in PBL

Project goals
In this project, we set up an item bank of short video fragments of approximately 15 minutes each. These video fragments were arranged around specific lectures, relevant themes, concepts and subjects in a course. Additionally, questions related to the relevant fragments of lecture(s) were also electronically presented to the students. Our assumption was that by watching the video fragments, students will understand concepts, themes and subjects better. As a consequence, we expected a positive effect of the number of fragments watched and questions made on the learning outcome. We also supposed that students were positive in evaluating improvement of their learning and insight by watching video fragments and related self tests. The idea further was that basic concepts and themes being conveyed in video lectures, which students can re-watch multiple times is needed for allowing the lecturer to engage in discussions, academic and theoretical exercises, and in depth treatises. If students have misconceptions the lecturer might refer the students to the video’s when they need further explanations about basic concepts.
In order to examine if there was an effect of using video fragments on learning, we examined the number of video fragments watched and questions of the self-test made during the courses. Furthermore, we specifically asked students in the evaluation questionnaire about the benefit of video fragments and the self test students were supposed to do. 
We analysed if a positive relation between students’ grades and the following variables existed:
1. number of video fragments watched
2. evaluation of the benefit of the video fragments to insight into the subjects
3. number of questions of the self-assessment made (if questions were available)
4. evaluation of the benefit of the questions to insight into the subjects

In conclusion we can say that watching video fragments and making self tests improve the insight and understanding of the subject matter of both first and second year courses. Since the effect of using these additional instructional materials is larger in the first year than in the second year, our expectation is that introducing these additional instructional resources more often in first year courses, students will learn and understand more, obtain more credits (ECTS) and drop-out will decrease. Supplementary to this, we would suggest to make video fragments and self test available for highly motivated exchange third year bachelor students who experienced considerable instructional aid of video fragments and self tests.
Making video’s is indeed an investment of time, but since the concepts discussed in first year video’s are not likely to frequently change, video’s may be used for several years. The availability of video’s also seems to appeal to diligent students, enabling them to study at their pace and time and to make sure that they do understand the basics. It is as much a tool for studying as it is for self-confidence and confirmation to indeed having grasped the essence.
The system has an important implication, that is that the basics covered in the video’s are not to be dealt with as such and again in lectures or tutorial groups but are to be taken for granted, so that lectures and tutorial groups can go into depth and facilitate discussion. We have not researched yet to what extent this effect is present and to what extent students do appreciate the lectures to have a different function and therefore refrain from attending them as being superfluous in their perspective for passing the exam.