Introduction
Literature review
Research methodology
Class description
The lecture videos
Research design and sample
Data analysis
Findings
General perception of videos
“I think it is actually useful. There was this time that I missed class and I had to fall on the video to make up for that missed class. It was like watching a [television] series; and it was good.” (Female student, 20 years)“They [videos] are actually helpful because you get the opportunity to go over the video, over and over again.” (Female student, 22 years)
“With the video it is like you are relearning everything. You are able to take notice of something new that you may have missed in class.” (Male student, 23 years)
“I am drawn to such things like movies and other clips. So video makes learning fun and exciting.” (Female student, 23 years)“I think it is innovative and exciting compared to the long hours spent in a classroom or sitting behind a book.” (Male student, 21 years)
“Video helps me to understand whatever is being taught much better.” (Female student, 21 years)
“…without one-on-one learning, you can’t achieve much [with videos].” (Female student, 21 years)
“It is easy to watch. I can watch it on my phone. I can watch it anywhere.” (Female student, 22 years)“With videos I can watch again and again in the comfort of my room or home.” (Female student, 21 years)“I think that they are convenient. They make your life as a student easy. You can use these videos at your time even in the absence of the lecturer. It’s a convenient thing.” (Female student, 21 years)
“With videos if you don’t have a laptop you can’t watch. With the energy crisis in the country too, you would have to go to some place with power before you are able to watch the video lectures.” (Female student, 21 years)
“I am not particularly enthused about videos in general. When I watch videos I usually fall asleep so I actually don’t appreciate it. I would prefer to read than to watch the videos because it is almost the same thing. If I read, I may take a minute to understand but with the videos I have to watch for about 30 minutes to understand a topic or issue.” (Female student, 21 years)
Perceptions of the nature of videos
“The video environment needs not to be a dull environment but should be an interactive environment.” (Male student, 23 years)“My problem was that it was really long. People don’t like it when things are very long. So in as much as the lecturers want to explain into detail they should not make the videos very long.” (Female student, 20 years)“What they teach in class is the same as what you have in the videos. So the content is the same as that of the usual class. It is just that you may not be in the video because you were not part of the students who shot the video.” (Female student, 23 years)
“…the sizes are very large so it makes it very difficult to get the videos onto your laptop.” (Female student, 21 years)“Sometimes the editing of the videos wasn’t done properly because you see some mistakes the lecturer made that should have been edited but are still in the video. Some of these lapses should be avoided.” (Male student, 21 years)
Perceived learning outcomes
“It [videos] makes me understand the topic being taught in detail. For example, during our end of semester examinations, I could not understand some of the PowerPoint slides and notes given to us but I could revisit the videos and that really helped me to understand certain topics better. There are times that after the normal class session I sit to learn but I realize I do not understand one thing or the other. When that happens, I go back to the videos and this helps me a lot. (Male student, 23 years)
“It [videos] made learning easy. It made it fun and much easier. Sometimes when I am in class I may be tired or cannot concentrate but with the video, I can watch at my own time.” (Male student, 21 years)
“…because it is something I watch at my leisure time, there is a tendency to be lazy. If I was going for a lecture, I know I have to be there but with the video because I watch at my own pace I can actually get lazy doing that.” (Female student, 21 years)
“It [videos] didn’t have any great impact on my learning. It was normal.” (Female student, 22 years)
Attitudes–learning approach
“I can wake up at any time and watch the videos. I can also watch them on the go like if I am in a bus, and this enables me grasp things perfectly. In non-video lectures, if you miss a topic or lecture or you are distracted momentarily in class, you may not get the opportunity to get what you have missed. The video lectures really helps me to recap what has been taught.” (Male student, 23 years)
“It [videos] made me learn more without noticing because I like watching. So instead of going to a group discussion, I would rather watch the videos because I will get things or topics better clarified.” (Female student, 23 years)“With videos I am always able to refer to something I did not get correctly in class. I cannot have that advantage with the traditional classroom lectures.” (Female student, 21 years)“…with the videos I am able to watch everything and then make my own notes later. Instead of trying to get everything understood or written in the classroom, videos made it easy for me to absorb whatever was taught.” (Female student, 21 years)
“It [videos] didn’t really change much [my learning approach] because after watching the videos I still went back to my notes to learn. Maybe it is because I didn’t watch the full length of the videos so I had to come back to my books.” (Female student, 21 years)