Show and Tell: An Evaluation of an Enhanced Online Instructional Video Using the Regression Point Displacement Design

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper evaluates the impact of a video versus text-based instructional method on student learning with an underutilized quasi-experimental research design. Using the regression point displacement design, one of nine online classrooms was randomly assigned to receive video instruction versus eight classrooms that were allocated to text-based instruction. Classroom average pre-and posttest scores were used to compare experimental conditions. Plots of pre- and posttest data points revealed an effect in a direction indicative of additional knowledge gained for the treatment condition. Empirical models for both classroom-level and individual-level data found the treatment group significantly benefited from the instructional video method above the text-based method by approximately three percentage points. For online courses, video-based instruction resulted in better academic performance than text-based instruction. This study demonstrates the utility of the regression point displacement design as a viable method to evaluate the impact of education interventions with relatively small sample sizes and provides policy makers and educators with a tool to make informed decisions.