Relationship Between Student Viewing of Recorded Lectures and Course Success in a Flipped Undergraduate Physiology Course

Abstract

Robust evidence supports student‐centered learning, particularly in science courses. In a “flipped” classroom model, “traditional lecture” material is often presented online for students to review in preparation for class sessions. Specifically, videos of a slide set with narration are common. Providing the bulk of the content outside of formal class time creates increased opportunities for student‐centered and active learning during class sessions. While the flipped approach can improve student learning, little data exists regarding the extent to which students engage with online video materials, and whether this engagement corresponds to success in the course. To test the hypothesis that students who watched a greater percentage of video lectures scored higher on chapter quizzes, unit exams, final exam, and in the course, a 300‐level, majors‐only, human physiology course was examined. Three sections, over two academic semesters yielded data for 83 students. All recorded lectures were accessed by students via the online learning management system (Isidore, custom Sakai platform). Most chapters in the course (17/20) utilized a video provider (Warpwire) that provides the percentage of a given video watched by each student during user‐specified time frames. However three chapters utilized YouTube and thus were excluded from data collection. For each chapter, students were assigned to watch the online lecture video(s), read the related textbook chapter, and take an online, open‐book quiz, prior to coming to class. Multiple chapters were assessed via unit exams (n=5) and students also completed a cumulative final exam at the end of the semester. The percentage of each lecture video watched was recorded at three distinct time intervals: pre‐quiz, pre‐exam, and pre‐final. Correspondingly, scores on chapter quizzes, unit exams, and the final exam were also obtained. For some chapters (4/17), there were multiple videos for which viewing percentage was averaged. Average length of recorded videos was 19:30 ± 7:25 (mm:ss; mean ± s.d; range: 8:15–33:20). Overall, the percentage watched at the assigned time (prior to chapter quiz and covering content in class session) was 57.5 ± 31.0%. The percentage watched was significantly increased prior to unit exams (73.6 ± 27.4%; p<0.001) and there was a small, but statistically significant increase prior to the final exam (74.4 ± 27.7%; p=0.012). When the average percentage watched for each unit was compared to the score on the unit exams, there was a modest, but significant correlation (R2=0.16, p<0.001). When the average percentage watched over all chapters, at any point in the semester was compared to the score on the final exam, there was a similar relationship (R2=0.19, p<0.001) that was unchanged if course grade vs final exam grade was the dependent variable. While watching the provided lecture videos is not requisite for success on unit and final exams or in the course, there is evidence to suggest that increased viewing is associated with increased performance in the course. Therefore, instructors should continue to encourage students to watch online lecture videos but must also be aware that some students may be able to successfully acquire the content in other ways (i.e. through textbook alone).