JISC has recently published the “Student digital experience insights survey 2020” report that not only evaluates the current situation but also offers great insights on which to build. The survey was conducted between October 2019 and May 2020, with the majority (90%) of respondents submitting the survey before the national lockdown in the UK. In total, 39,712 students from 64 organizations (both further and higher education institutions) took part in this survey, 44 of these were based in England, 8 in Wales, 8 in Scotland, and 4 in Northern Ireland. Due to the scope of this report, in this article, we will focus mainly on the use of video in education.
Without further ado, here are our 6 key takeaways:
#1 Importance of making lecture recordings available
While most students consult course-related videos to help them with their learning, only 13% of students in further education indicated that they have access to lecture recordings at their organisation whenever they need them, compared to 51% of learners in higher education institutions. Moreover, over half of further education learners indicated that they never accessed recorded lectures (51%).
It is probably more important than ever to make lecture recordings available in order to unleash the potential of students. Surveyed learners were particularly vocal about the importance of video material for revision and not only in these unprecedented times: “Start recording the lectures (especially now) but for also when this coronavirus situation calms down as it is useful to reflect on some points you wouldn’t get simply reading their notes.” (student quote)
#2 Course-related videos to support learning
Students were asked to pick one option that is most useful to them as learners from: interactive polls or quizzes in class, time working online with other students, practice questions available online, references and readings, and course-related videos. 1 in 4 respondents indicated that online videos and resources supported them most.
Moreover, the accessibility issue, that could be partially solved with video, was also addressed by students: “Do recorded videos of the skills workshops instead of doing them on live and only for limited spaces.” (student quote)
#3 Growing importance of Youtube for learning
When asked to nominate a digital tool or app (free text question) students find really useful for learning, 11.3% of further and 15.3% of higher education learners named Youtube. Last year only 4% further and 3% higher education students nominated this platform.
#4 Collaborations online
Even though social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Snapchat are the go-to platforms for instant communication, 1 in 10 students in higher education indicated that they use video conferencing apps to collaborate and discuss coursework with their peers, compared to 1 in 5 learners in further education.
It is rather alarming that a significant number of students indicated that they have never worked online with other learners, namely 33% in further and 44% in higher education. (although these numbers might be different if this survey had been done during lockdown).
The report suggests that very few learners collaborate online. Even though, according to the report, this could help emulate workplace practices, help students connect with each other, maintain motivation to study, and mitigate feelings of isolation.
#5 Repurposing video content
In order to accommodate different learning preferences, it was suggested that videos could be repurposed: “The previous system allowed you to separate audio and video so that you could save the audio for offline listening” (student quote)
#6 Lack of information
Though applicable to different aspects of online learning, one of the issues addressed by students was the lack of information about available tools and software: “Keep me informed of the digital technologies that the university pays for as often I don’t know what I am missing.” (student quote)
Without a doubt, this year has been extremely challenging for all educational institutions. Though many organisations were offering different online resources to enhance students’ learning experience prior to the pandemic, the importance of making them available to students grew exponentially after the lockdown measures were imposed across the globe.
Without a doubt, this year has been extremely challenging for all educational institutions. Though many organisations were offering different online resources to enhance students’ learning experience prior to the pandemic, the importance of making them available to students grew exponentially after the lockdown measures were imposed across the globe.
Read the full report here.
Author
Dovile Dudenaite,
Media & Learning Association
