Student Post-Pandemic Perceptions of Supplemental Instructional Videos

ABSTRACT

With the structural shift in education due to the pandemic, worldwide educators adapted by a variety of methods, including a change to the course delivery method. Many universities closed and/or moved to wholly online delivery. With the online video formats, either synchronous or asynchronous, faculty were able to create a library of videos which could be later used as a tool. This new collection of videos could be used for asynchronous delivery or online courses, or as supplemental instructional videos. A survey was conducted to determine student perceptions of supplemental instructional videos. Supplemental instructional videos were available pre-pandemic by individual instructors and publishers. Instructors may have offered videos through a Learning Management System (LMS) or a streaming platform. These types of videos vary from general topic overviews to course specific content. Certain types of courses and content have long been identified as appropriate for online delivery, like software-based courses. However, instructors have been slow to adopt online delivery for hands-on laboratory exercises or architectural studios. Because of this post-pandemic paradigm shift, there is an opportunity to identify the associated shift in student perceptions. A survey instrument was developed to assess student perceptions about supplemental instructional videos. All of the students surveyed are enrolled in courses which provide supplemental instructional videos through their LMS. The survey was not limited to perceptions about current courses. Students across engineering, engineering technology, and architecture disciplines were asked about their perceptions of supplemental instructional videos made available through LMS. The LMS collects analytical data about usage, and depending on the LMS, precisely how much and which portions of a video were viewed by students. The survey included demographic questions in addition to questions about experience with online learning and supplemental instructional videos. Students surveyed included all levels of undergraduate students and graduate students from two universities in different states. Students are generally split in their preference for online or face-to-face delivery methods. About two-thirds of the respondents had been exposed to supplemental instructional videos. Similar to completely online courses, respondents identified reasons that supplemental instructional videos were a good resource, which included the lack of time constraints and the ability to watch and re-watch the videos. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.