Usable and Useful Help in Literature Database Search? A Pedagogical Implementation and the Evaluation of an Interactive Screencast for Iraqi University Students

Abstract

While university students in developing countries welcome digital learning tools, they frequently lack Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills which enable them to successfully carry out activities linked to information and communication technologies. This, in turn, means that they struggle to meet practical academic and professional requirements. This study pursues two goals. First, it suggests how this problem can be encountered, presenting the process of pedagogically developing and implementing an interactive screencast teaching ICT skills for literature search with the PubMed database. Secondly, it evaluates the acceptance of the screencast among M.A. students in Iraq, focusing on the questions of how easily the screencast can be used (usability) and how helpful the screencast is for the students ‘ to meet academic requirements (usefulness). The evaluation design is based on the Technology Acceptance Model and LORI. An online-questionnaire using a Likert Scale was used to collect data. Data (n = 29) was analyzed through a quantitative approach and descriptive statistics. Overall, usefulness was rated higher than usability. Findings suggest that easiness of use is increased particularly through a clear overview of the topics covered in the screencast and through a targeted selection of the topics. With regards to the usefulness of the screencast, students appreciate the use of an authentic way of how skills can be acquired and practiced. Additionally, students experienced control over their learning process, refering to screencast features which allow them control over learning pace. Future studies should make use of inferential statistics and qualitative approaches to reveal details about the causality between different factors.