Understanding students’ views on the efficacy of video technology to promote engagement in higher education.

Abstract

This article examines student engagement with video technology in a large undergraduate university subject. Drawing on a mixed methods study that included a survey and focus groups with students, we analyse students’ experiences with and perspectives on the videos to gain insights into their effectiveness in supporting student engagement and learning. By analysing engagement along three distinct, yet interconnected, dimensions – cognitive, behavioural and affective – our study highlights differences in the ways in which students engage with videos as one key form of technology enhanced learning. We find that videos can promote cognitive engagement by helping students to understand key concepts and making them more relatable, and that they can foster affective engagement, especially by creating an increased sense of teacher presence. However, while the students in our study largely perceived the videos to be engaging and beneficial to their learning, behavioural engagement was inconsistent across the cohort and often lacking. Student concerns about investing time in engaging with video resources suggest that communication from educators on their role in the curriculum is especially important. These findings contribute important insights into students’ video technology use which in turn can inform the pedagogical use of technology in teaching and learning.