Study of the effectiveness of interactive videos in applied electronics courses

Abstract

The use of interactive engineering videos as an instructional technology tool is increasing in engineering education to provide a versatile and attractive learning environment for students and to interest them in course content to increase student engagement. This study assessed the effects of using interactive engineering videos in undergraduate electrical engineering courses to enhance student understanding and engagement with electronics. To test the impact on learning outcomes with the interactive video methodology, we set up six controlled groups of students. The experimental groups were sections “A1”, “B1”, and “C1”, in which a set of 13 customized short, interactive videos (15 min or less) were available through the course. In the controlled group sections “A”, “B”, and “C”, the instruction was applied without videos. The final exam and overall grades were compared in all the sections to obtain an indication of the impact of the interactive videos. Also, we applied an exit survey to the students in the experimental sections to collect their opinions about their engagement, motivation, and commitment during the semester. In the experimental sections, a reasonable impact on the student final grades was found, with averages of 84, 80, and 83. The students’ opinions about the interactive videos were very positive: from the standpoints of motivation, 90.4%; and understanding of class materials, 91.6%. Later, an additional section, “D”, was studied and performed well in their video scores. The students having video scores above the class average had much better performance in their overall grade, with an average of 81.8%. Students from section “D” who did perform lower than the class average in their videos had lower overall performance, with an average grade of 76.5%. Moreover, additional interactive videos were provided in the special “i-Week” activity during the fall semesters. The challenge activity put to the students during that week was “Emergency First Response”, which allowed them to generate some technology proposals for first responders in the community; the students performed very well in the challenge proposed to them. Some insights about this project and the video methodology used in their instruction are described as part of the semester-long activity for the students. Finally, the students suggested additional interactive engineering videos with more example problems to consolidate the hybrid interactive video learning methodology. The interactive engineering video technology is fully considered in the TEC21 Educative Model that governs the new degree programs beginning in 2019 at Tecnologico de Monterrey.