Media effects accompanying the use of recorded lecture videos in undergraduate mathematics instruction

Abstract

A review of related research found the use of recorded lecture videos (RLVs) in undergraduate mathematics to be negatively correlated with academic performance. To investigate this correlation, an initial study found students’ regular RLV use to be linked to surface approaches to learning. The present study continued this investigation and was informed by cognitive research on the use of television which suggested framing learning using RLVs as a dual process system operating within a framework of self-regulated learning. Interviews were conducted with some initial study participants focusing on students’ judgements of their learning when using RLVs. A dual-process theoretical lens was used to analyse interview transcripts and determine the nature of student thinking processes. Overall, regular RLV users were found significantly more likely to exhibit judgements of learning associated with achieving ‘feelings of rightness’. Across both studies, evidence suggests regular RLV use, overall, is depressing student learning.