1. Not An Exemplar: Using Low-Cost Video Lectures To Engage Students
John Bevacqua

2. Background – Not an Exemplar
LBA Prior to 2012:
Subject delivery - 2 one hour face-to-face lectures and a one hour face-to-face tutorial per week.
Student satisfaction ratings for the subject were below La Trobe University averages.
Worst ratings were for student understanding of the relevance of the subject and understanding of the subject learning outcomes.
Only one in three students could manage better than a bare pass in the subject.

3. The LBA Low-Cost Corporate Law Video Experiment
Key Challenges:
No previous video experience
Urgency - 4 weeks prior to semester start
No additional University resources

4. The LBA Low-Cost Corporate Law Video Experiment
The Low-Cost Video Approach
Commitment to brevity – 20 minute maximum.
Series of videos for each week. Intro (maximum 5 minutes) Two or three further videos covering the substantive topics for the week.
No more than an hour for the students to complete the videos for the week.
Software: ‘Camtasia Studio’ software - simple, support resources, compatible with a range of devices and platforms; and low cost.
Hardware: basic desktop camera with an inbuilt microphone. Small black portable projection screen backdrop. Total costs: approximately $300.
Subject content not closely aligned with core subject learning objectives was cut from the subject prior to commencing video production.
Intro - setting out learning objectives for the week and providing administrative notifications and reminders such as assessment item due dates as well as following up on issues raised from the previous week’s materials.

5. The LBA Low-Cost Corporate Law Video Experiment
The Low-Cost Video Approach cont..
First take recordings with minimal editing
No studio recordings
No story-boarding
No scripts
Picture in picture format – a full screen of the relevant lecture slide or other material (eg website, case or handout being discussed) with a small ‘talking head’ of the author in the right hand corner of the screen.
Subject content not closely aligned with core subject learning objectives was cut from the subject prior to commencing video production.
Intro - setting out learning objectives for the week and providing administrative notifications and reminders such as assessment item due dates as well as following up on issues raised from the previous week’s materials.

6. The LBA Low-Cost Video Experiment
Subject content not closely aligned with core subject learning objectives was cut from the subject prior to commencing video production.
Intro - setting out learning objectives for the week and providing administrative notifications and reminders such as assessment item due dates as well as following up on issues raised from the previous week’s materials.
Click on the link to view the video:

7. Formal Feedback
Feedback Item
2011
2012
2013
Interest in subject
3.6
3.9
4.09
Relevance of subject understood
3.5
4.14
Investment of time and effort in subject
3.7
4.16
Organisation of learning material
3.3
4.25
Clarity of learning objectives
4.32
Contribution of assigned work to learning
4.0
4.27
Connection of assessments to learning objectives
4.1
4.39
Clarity of marking and grading criteria
4.20
Contribution of feedback to learning
Amount of work required
Intellectual challenge of subject
Amount learned in subject
3.8
4.00
Value of learnings in subject
4.05
Overall quality of subject
4.02
To date these survey questions have generated over 300 anonymous weekly feedback reports containing 758 usable responses shown in the table below:

8. Embedded Feedback Feedback Item LST2LBA
Students who found the video resources helpful
98.7%
Students who thought the videos were interesting
92.2%
Students who thought the videos were the right length
91.4%
Students who were happy with video quality
98%
Students who saw the relevance of the topic covered in the video
93%

9. The LBA Low-Cost Corporate Law Video Experiment
The Results – Student Performance
Table 3: LBA Bundoora Campus Grade Distribution Results A B C D N
2011
2.2%
7.8%
26.7%
42.8%
20.6%
2012
3.3%
17.5%
38%
15%
26%
2013
2.6%
22%
37%
12%
2014
1.1%
10.9%
46.4%
14.6%
23.7%

10. Educational Purpose: Video Flexibility: User Interface:
In Search Of An Explanation: The LBA Videos And Student Learning And Satisfaction
Educational Purpose:
Video Flexibility:
User Interface:

11. Where to Now?
Evolve more creative videos…and have no shame. I now use videos like the following to form the basis for extended seminar discussion and assessable activities: