Abstract:

Screencasting tools allow for a screen capture of the actions on a computer screen with accompanying audio. This research initially reviews through the literature how screencasting has been used pedagogically and, through this primary research, the application of an existing screencast called Screencast-O-Matic and feedback from students from both Construction Management and Geospatial Surveying Undergraduate Programmes of TU Dublin, where and how it could be deployed for the surveying classes and fieldwork during the pandemic situation. This research occurred when all Irish third-level institutions lectures and tutorials moved online, and access to survey equipment for fieldwork was severely reduced. The paper concludes with a reflection on how some of the practices put in place due to the current pandemic situation would benefit when face to face classes resume.

During surveying projects, several steps were identified during which students encountered a “bottleneck” in their learning. As screencasts provide unsupervised access to teaching materials, a series of screencasts was created as online support and incorporated into our VLE (Virtual Learning Environment); this included video tutorials on how to set up and use surveying equipment, as well as screencasts showing how to process and perform calculations of recorded survey data. Results from students being subsequently surveyed through an online questionnaire showed that the vast majority found the videos helpful or very helpful in explaining how much they knew or did not know about the material and liked the format as a complement to the weekly recorded lectures. The survey also revealed a variety of learning habits and styles within the class. Those findings are consistent with previous research, which highlight that screencasting facilitates learning for the diversity of learners.

Veedbacks, or video feedback, were used as a complement when providing feedback for students on various assignments, such as fieldwork projects and online examinations. A series of semi-structured interviews revealed that students found the veedbacks a valuable complement to the feedback process by better understanding how they could improve their subsequent assignments.

Grades for both undergraduate classes were compared with those from previous pre-Covid classes and found to be statistically different, with a significantly higher mark for students who used screencasts as an online tool. Moreover, several students surveyed suggested that screencast videos, particularly those involving calculations, should be incorporated as online support when face-to-face classes resume. Based on these findings and their own experience in creating screencasts, lecturers in this study believe that screencasting provides a means to build support material relatively quickly for feedback, tutorials, and teaching material and is a helpful complement to both online and face to face classes.

Keywords:

Online learning, online teaching, feedback, geospatial surveying, collaborative.