Dr. Kuldeep Nagi CIDE Assumption University , Bangkok, Thailand 10240

1. Dr. Kuldeep Nagi CIDE Assumption University, Bangkok, Thailand 10240 http://www.elearning .au.edu Phone- 2723-2945 knagi@au.edu

2. About CIDE @ Assumption University C A M P U S P I C T U R E S

3. About Me- - Born in India, US citizen - Lived and worked in Seattle, WA, USA for +25 Years - Fulbright Fellowship Award and now work at Assumption University

4. Agenda • Introduction • Objectives & Methodology • Results & Discussion • Conclusions • Q & A

5. 1. Introduction “Multimedia is defined as “a method for VDO and narration (audio content)” and emphasizes that multimedia material can reduce extraneous cognitive load on the learner while studying.

6. 1. Introduction • Today the Internet VDO is something we use to call the “television" and the people in the entertainment sector are obsessed with how the internet has changed the way we consume VDO- downloads instead of DVDs, on-demand rather than on a schedule. • VDOs have a special place in eLearning and eTraining programs. They are being used extensively by academicians and practitioners to teach concepts and skills to a generation of visually oriented learners

7. 1. Introduction • There have been lots of studies indicating harmful effects of television. Jokingly the T.V. is also called as an “idiot Box”. Actually T.V. is not the idiot box but, the people who are watching are sometimes called as the idiots. • Research indicates that people watching become idiots because the TV makes their intelligence and creativity sub normal. • It is passivity and long exposure to junk content the media brings. • There is plenty of evidence about harmful effects of T.V.[1]. But so far research efforts comparing on-line pre-recorded VDO and print media as teaching tools have not focused on their effectiveness.

8. 1. Introduction Fig. 3 • These days on any internet VDO site, the vendors give you a status bar (Fig. 3) at the bottom of the VDO that tells you how long you have been watching, how much is in the buffer, and how much longer until the end of the VDO. • Sometimes with the commercials there's a number counting down the seconds left in the advertisement. • Among so many other Web 2.0 technologies You-Tube has changed the world of on-line VDOs and their role in knowledge acquisition, education and training. Duration Status Bar

9. 1. Introduction • Learning is mostly an active process conducted in a self-directed fashion. eLearning provides many opportunities for constructivist learning by supporting resource-rich, student-centered, and interactive learning. • Most on-line courses present synchronized multimedia materials on the Internet in an interactive and cohesive manner. • Among other things the study materials include (Fig.1- Fig.4 given on left) lecture notes, graphics, diagrams, podcasts and VDOs.

10. 2. Objectives & Methodology • The main objective of this paper is to analyze the usability of pre-recorded VDO materials and their role in learning in on-line courses. • In the context of this paper, this author prefers to use the definition of usability as specified by ISO 9241-11 [2]: “The extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use”.

11. 2. Objectives & Methodology • VDO and audio components are integral part of an on-line course. Therefore, this paper would survey, analyze and report effectiveness of only one component- Study Online VDOs with regard to their: 1. Learner Experiences: Determining usabilitylevel of VDO eLectures using system logs provided through the report of an LMS 2. Duration: Examining total time spent on watching on-line VDOs in a virtual learning environment (VLE)

12. 2. Objectives & Methodology • For the purposes of this work system “Reports” a tool provided in the LMS were used as instruments. • Reports contain activity logs and other pertinent data sets that can be used for examining events is virtual session. Table-1 given next contains very important piece of information about over all usage of the chapters or units in a given eLearning courseware.

13. Reports 2. Objectives & Methodology

14. 2. Objectives & Methodology The last column shows the percentage of units used on-line VDOs for learning. Course 3 shows the maximum usage of on-line VDOs. The second on the list is Course 2 with 81.80% of usage. In all other courses the usage was 50% or less, lowest being 28.57% % for Course 8.

15. 3. Results & Discussion • Continuing our discussion on the main issue of usability of VDOs let us briefly examine the significance of Table-2. • Table-2 shows that due to repeat access of of a VDO url for a particular unit the % usage as shown in the last column may range from a minimum (25%) to a maximum (170%). • For full determination data about total instances of a VDO session for each unit by each student will have to be calculated. • Such calculations were avoided because of insignificance of repeat instances of a VDO session. The study is focused on minimum instances of usage.

16. 3. Results & Discussion

17. 3. Results & Discussion • Data given in Table-1 clearly indicates that 75% of courses which is 6 out of 10 showed usage of VDO in the range of 50% and below. • Naturally, this should be a cause for concern because lots of money and time is spent in recording the VDO eLectures. The information given in Table-1 is graphed below in Fig. 5. • A comparison of the total chapters or units versus actual number of units used is shown in brown color.

18. 3. Results & Discussion Fig.5

19. 3. Results & Discussion • It is remarkable that even though only one component Study online VDO is selected for this study the results are convincingly clear that in 6 out of 8 courses the VDOs were not used as expected. • From Fig. 7 it is quite clear that the total time spent during the semester watching VDOs was also very low. • The maximum time spent on accessing Study-Online VDOs was 105 minutes during the whole semester. • The minimum time was 10 minutes which is almost negligible when you calculate the number of hours available for study during the whole semester.

20. 3. Results & Discussion Fig.7 Total time spend in a semester on VDOs

21. 3. Results & Discussion • Overall success of a eLearning program is not measured by numbers of courses delivered, but by the achievement of key performance benchmarks and their bottom line usage. • It is nothing less than a paradigm shift from rote learning to performance, made possible largely by advances in Web 2.0 technologies for teaching and learning • Study online VDO alone cannot help in meeting these benchmarks [9].

22. 4. Conclusions • The greatest challenge for on-line educators who are trying to use VDO and audio to their best advantage seems to be harnessing the motivating impact of these media without falling prey to its failings, shallow comprehension, trivialization, passivity and lowered mental effort. • More specifically, addition of books, articles, activities and projects can bring learners from basic to moderate levels of comprehension, where VDOs can cognitively engage them. • Because of VDO's capabilities to generate interest in a subject area, motivation to explore in greater depth can be expected. One approach to meshing VDO and other components for optimal educational outcomes is the development of a set of learning activities, called the VDO learning sequence (VLS). Consistent with research findings and suggestions put forth below, the VLS offers a promising approach to raising student interest, effort, duration of usage and content comprehension. • So in a nutshell, the issue is how can we make on-line learning engaging for student? Many instructors struggle to engage students in a face-to-face (F2F) environment. • Can the VDO and other resources provided in a courseware engage students in a VLE? The results indicate that in the given situation VDOs were not fully utilized. The reasons for low usage of VDOs range for their low quality, long duration, language errors, lack of appeal and other defects such as lacking relevance in the overall learning process [10].

23. 4. Conclusions • Based on these preliminary findings this author proposes the following two suggestions: Suggestion 1: VDO should be used optimally for highlighting key concepts and increasing responsiveness to the main content. Suggestion 2: The transient quality of the VDO requires that the content comprehension should be followed by Q & A. Comprehension from VDO can be increased when learners are instructed to view a VDO clip with an objective in mind. A follow up set of questions in the form of audio inputs or review questions is always helpful in meeting the objectives of the VDOs [11].

24. 4. Conclusions • There is an ongoing surge in eLearning, but only if we put the right components with adequate quality in place, which is something, most educational institutions do not do a very good job with. • Success of You-Tube indicates that quality of VDOs can be very instrumental in knowledge acquisition, learning and training.

25. Thank You College of Internet Distance Education (CIDE) Assumption University Thailand, Bangkok www.eLearning.au.edu knagi@au.edu