Objective: The purpose of this presentation is to explore a model for using video podcasts effectively in online learning. Four key areas of use are discussed including administration, instruction, assessment, and community support. Description Three recent phenomena make it necessary to carefully examine the potential of video podcasts in online learning. The first phenomenon is the rapid increase in students who are participating in online learning. From 2002 to 2008, enrollment in distance education course grew by 180% from (Allen & Seaman, 2008). In 2008, 96% of large universities in the United States offer distance education and over 25% of students have taken at least one online course. The second phenomenon, is the meteoric rise in the use of video clips since 2005. YouTube alone has well over 120 million video clips and is visited over a billion times per day (Oct, 9, 2009 - Official YouTube© Blog). The final, phenomena is the relative ease with which any person can create and distribute video podcasts. With free, easy-to-use, screen-recording tools like Jing© almost anyone can create and post a video clip in 5 to 15 minutes. The intersection of these three phenomenon has created an very real opportunity for the use of video podcasts in online learning. The purpose of this paper is to investigate this opportunity by presenting a preliminary model for effectively integrating video podcasts in online learning. The four key areas where video podcasts appear to make the biggest difference are administration, instruction, assessment, and building community. Administrative Use of Video Podcasts (Sample Podcasts at : tinyurl.com/evc-admin1) Anyone who has taught an online course has experienced the constant flow of emails requesting information on a wide range of administrative issues. Two prominent areas where students ask for the most help are administrative and procedural (Harper et al., 2004). While it is standard practice to post the details and requirements of course assignments on a website or LMS, written instructions can be hard to decipher. In addition, a number of students require procedural guidance on how to complete a variety software or web-based tasks. It is very challenging and time consuming to provide this help using words and/or graphics alone. A detailed video podcast posted on a website explaining how to complete an assignment provides just-in-time assistance and reduces the deluge of last minute emails from desperate students. Furthermore, a quick video made using Jing can provide clear, easy to follow help for answering almost any technology "how-to" question. The evidence from a small study of 16 graduate students revealed that 100% of the students agreed or strongly agreed that administrative are helpful. A representative student "For many of us, the type of work we are doing is new, and simple written instructions may not be sufficient to understand the technical aspect of what we have to do." Instructional Use of Video Podcasts (Sample Podcasts at: tinyurl.com/evc-inst1) An instructional video podcast is a relatively short video clip of an instructor talking aloud while solving a worked-example. Viewing this clip is similar to watching an expert solve and explain a problem on a whiteboard, however, in video podcast you only see the whiteboard, not the person. A graphics tablet can be used to provide analog representations which are particularly useful in mathematics and science. There are several advantages to using video podcasts including (a)the ability to stop and start explanations, (b) quick access to a wide range of explanations at any time, and (c) an alternative to detailed, text-based instructions which can be cumbersome to follow and decode. In a recent large scale study, we just completed (Kay & Kletskin, 2010) higher education students reported that instructional video podcasts were clear, easy to use, well explained, providing useful visual supports and improved understanding. Students also noted that these videos were helpful because they could be viewed at the student's own time and were easier to follow than a textbook. Finally the use of video podcasts was significantly correlated with increased learning performance. Assessment and Video Podcasts (Sample podcast at: tinyurl.com/evc-as2) Video podcasts can be used to offer detailed feedback on student assignments ( Kay & Petrarca, 2009). Formative feedback can be offered for in-class work, participation, and home activities. Detailed summative assessment can be provided on student assignments. To date only one study has been done on the use of video podcasts and assessment (Kay & Petrarca, 2009). Kay and Petrarca noted that there are a number of challenges involved in giving effective feedback in distance education including time required, detail of feedback, clarity of message, student willingness to read feedback, and tone. Students in this study rated video feedback as being significantly more clearer, detailed, helpful in terms of learning, and personal than written feedback. Building Community and Video Podcasts Creating a sense of community in online courses can be a significant challenge (Fontaine & Chun, 2010). Video podcasts can be used in a number of ways to support classroom community including providing an overview of lesson, offering an opinion on an article, helping students be more prepared for class, giving friendly and personal reminders about upcoming tasks and assignments, getting feedback from peers, and answering idiosyncratic questions that are difficult or time consuming to explain in writing. These kind of video podcasts can set the tone and expectation of a classroom community. A recent small-scale study revealed that almost 80% of students thought video clips helped build community. Students commented that the podcasts added a level of personalization, connection, and warmth that might be otherwise missing in an online learning environment. Summary This paper explored a model for using of video podcasts in online learning. Four key areas were explored: administration, instruction, assessment, and community building. The preliminary evidence suggests that this model for using video podcasts has the potential to make the administration of online courses clearer and less time consuming, improve the quality of instructional explanations, augment the detail and tone of formative and summative assessment, and build a more personal, connected community.
