Abstract
The learning effectiveness of video lectures has been extensively studied by the scientific community, but research on their cost-effectiveness and sustainable production is still very scarce. To shed light on these aspects, this study has measured the useful life span and cost-effectiveness of a large catalog of video lectures produced for undergraduate courses at a Spanish university. A Kaplan–Meier survival analysis has been performed to identify factors linked to video longevity. The analysis accounted for variables such as the video production style (screencast, slideshow, chalk and talk, talking head, and on-location film) and others such as the instructional purpose and field of knowledge. The teachers involved in video production and integration have been surveyed to discover causes of video obsolescence. In addition, using life span and production cost data, the cost-effectiveness of each production style over time was estimated. The results suggest that production style affects video longevity, and in particular, dynamic visuals are more related to longer life spans compared with static contents. Screencast stands out as the most cost-effective production style, having the best ratio of life span to production effort. Some practical suggestions are provided for producing video lectures with higher longevity expectations.
Highlights
Video is a resource that is increasingly used in higher education, both in online activities and as a complement to face-to-face instruction
The present observational study has the goal of contributing to this knowledge by assessing the useful life span of instructional videos used in higher education and identifying factors that are correlated to sustainability
The main goals of this study are to assess the useful life span of instructional videos and to identify factors linked to video longevity
Summary
Video is a resource that is increasingly used in higher education, both in online activities and as a complement to face-to-face instruction. Traditional expository instruction has been steadily leveraging on streamed video lectures and tutorials (Crook & Schofield, 2017), which have become a key resource in distance and distributed learning environments, as well as in hybrid modalities. The scientific community has paid much attention to research on how video can benefit learning within several contexts (Kay, 2012; Poquet et al, 2018). Research about the sustainable production and cost-effectiveness of instructional videos accounts for a relatively small number of contributions. The present observational study has the goal of contributing to this knowledge by assessing the useful life span of instructional videos used in higher education and identifying factors that are correlated to sustainability.
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