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College Students on Streaming Video: Get Me Outta Class!

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 09/15/10

Nearly a third of college students reported that their parents or guardians would be "very upset" to know how little they actually attend classes in person. The reason: They're watching the courses through streaming video instead. Almost half reported that they'd prefer to join classes online than interact with classmates and professors in person. These results came out of a survey of 504 college students sponsored by InterCall, which sells conferencing and collaboration services.

Eight in 10 students (78 percent) reported that professors have made lectures available either by live video feed or by posting a videotaped lecture for students to access online. The majority of respondents said streaming allows them to "attend" classes even when they're out of town or when they want to attend versus when the university has the class scheduled. Nearly half said that one advantage of streaming video is that it would enable them to take multiple classes scheduled for the same time slot. A solid 64 percent reported that viewing their classes through video online lets them fast-forward through the parts they don't find useful.

The majority of respondents indicated they believe that video streaming helps improve the educational experience by helping them prepare better for exams (74 percent), improving their grades (54 percent), and learning more effectively than sitting in class (53 percent).

"The research clearly shows how new technologies--specifically streaming--are changing college experiences," said Ben Chodor, senior vice president of InterCall Streaming. "It does not surprise us that students are seeing the benefits of technologies such as ours. By streaming course content, professors and universities are providing students with the flexibility and interactivity that helps them excel and creates the educational experience that benefits them most."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and business for a number of publications. Contact her at dian@dischaffhauser.com.

Comments

Thu, Sep 16, 2010 Bruce Metzler Carthage College

Apple reps have told me that studies indicate that lecture (dirty word) capture and streaming has little effect on attendance. The students who cut class will continue to cut class -- and probably not watch the stream. Those who regularly attend class will continue to attend -- and may watch the stream as a review. Bottom line: Good students act well; poor students act poorly. Some professors stream ONLY the portion of class that occurs BEFORE the end of class Q/A, making attendance more meaningful than simply watching the stream.

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 Frank J. Fedel Michigan

I've had the same experience as Don (a school of pharmacy) in terms of the effect of providing recordings of presentations on student attendance. In my Human Anatomy and Physiology classes for nursing students, I saw no change in attendance when my lessons were streamed live AND posted for review afterward, but I also expected students to be active learners while in class. On occasions when one could not attend due to illness, transportation issues (we're a commuter university) or unforeseen circumstances, it allowed them to at least access the proceedings. And let's face it - in a lecture-type format class, how much difference would lack of attendance make if students were able to see & hear the information presented clearly? When you consider the potential problems associated with acoustics and visual acuity at a distance issues that exist in some classrooms, the students who watch on a computer monitor, iPad or HDTV at home might have a better experience. I would find it interesting to see what level of interaction was expected in the sample group in the above cited article. Perhaps the results would be different if the "desire for engagement" factor was considered.

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 carl

What if we called the recorded lecture a course "resource"? Would that change the conversation? Take it in a new direction? Make a difference? Make it acceptable?

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 carl

What if we called the recorded lecture a course "resource"? Would that change the conversation? Take it in a new direction? Make a difference? Make it acceptable?

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 Justin Texas

I think what we really should get out of this article is that technology is changing education and it's everyones responsibility to make sure that we keep up with it. Like it or not todays students grew up with technology and it is a format that they are comfortable with. Isnt it the goal of educators to effectively get through to their students in whatever format is best for them?

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 JT univ. of science and technology

The students in my large, junior-level engineering classes with this option have done at least as well on the common final exams as those in the more traditional sections. I am still available during class time, but instead of lecturing I walk around the room and answer questions from those that opt to attend and work on their assignments. The effort I pour into videos, other resources, and communication far exceeds that of my traditional lecture format...and I regularly received teaching awards for that format. As student expectations continue to change and my skill with the new format matures, I expect students to show continued improvement as well as like this style of education.

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 Janice Jones Buffalo, NY

Lecturing "at" students is the lowest form of effective (if I can even call it that) teaching. There is no interactivity, critical thinking, or creative insight - all attributes in what makes an effective teacher. And how boring! Sitting or walking and listening to someone talk ZZZZZ. Why not just have canned lectures and faculty wouldn't have to teach at all. Colleges and universities could save tons of money on utilities. I have had students tell me that they like podcasting for 1 or 2 classess but not the entire course. This technology would work nicely if you were going to a conference or would not be available for a class. But this study was conducted by a company with tremendous bias. It's value is zero.

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 Paul Michigan

It would be helpful to know more about the sample -- who was given the opportunity to participate in the survey, who actually participated, the response RATE, and how representative the sample is of the total set of "college students" the article wants to use as the base for the conclusions. Absent this information, the report should be considered nothing more than a conversation starter.

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 Time

Appalling? Not in the least. This is merely another option in how students can attend class. There are a few factors the article did not detail. If this is a face-to-face (FTF) class and videos are offered as supplemental information, they should be treated as such – to help students review material, study for exams, etc., but not to replace the benefits of being IN the classroom. However, if these are distance classes, the videos offer another way to receive information and one more level of personalization for the class above that offered by purely text-based distance learning.

Respectfully, that you “don't believe in asking students their opinions about these issues.” is frankly what’s surprising (appalling?) to me. The students are the ones attending and therefore most well-placed to determine what works for them. The heavy-handed approach of not including students in this decision or banning children from a college that offers video lectures is more befitting of a communist regime. In truth, I am not aware of a university that does not offer some type of distance learning, so the goal would be to improve that method to the greatest extent. Colleges need to actively include students in determining what works best and offer options. The student perception equate to reality (if they feel they are receiving more from a certain delivery method, they are). This point ties directly to your inquiry of student engagement.

I fully concur that this will not work for all students, but no method does. That is why our age of new media is so wonderful: it is about offering options. My own doctoral research is on the use of online video as a communication method within the asynchronous online distance classroom. That is, as a two-way, conversational device between instructor-student and student-student. There are many advantages to this, such as an added sense of social presence (over other distance learning methods). Granted, video (particularly asynchronous) cannot fully replace the social presence of a live person. However, it offers other benefits beyond the FtF classroom. In the FtF classroom, students do have the benefit of immediacy (asking a question as it arises), but when they leave the room they have only their own memory and any notes they’ve jotted down. Conversely, videos are archived in a set location, so students can review them as needed. Also, certain tools allow one to comment (with video or text) within a video to address a topic at a given point. In this way, a threaded conversation can ensue between many students (or others outside the class if the site is made public) and the instructor. There truly are many benefits of this delivery method including the fact that temporal and distance factors are not a concern, introverted individuals could potentially engage in class discussions in ways they may not have been previously able to do, etc.

Feel free to peruse my research:
http://timebarrow.com

Wed, Sep 15, 2010

Judging by the quality of writing in these responses, or lack thereof, I'd say of few of these folks weren't all that attentive in their 'traditional' classroom environments! A few more are still trying to figure out how to program their VCR’s, yes? When discussing educational innovations, it helps to distinguish ‘content’ issues from ‘delivery’ issues. This looks like a promising delivery solution that can entice ‘light-learners’ while offering some great logistical help for managing, and perhaps embellishing, complex educational content.

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 Richard Rupp Pullman, WA

I've been using course conferencing software for several weeks, and I am impressed. I have one distance student and the software allows them to participate to same degree as the students in the room. They can see everything the other students see and ask questions just as readily. I can also record lectures by clicking a button which has been popular with students who have to miss class. I leave the recorded lectures available for a week and then remove them. This has been a minimal disruption to my teaching style, and the only hardware I need is a modest laptop and a digital projector. What I find appalling is instructors who teach the same way they were taught in spite of numerous studies that show how ineffective those "traditional" modes of teaching are.

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 Joey

Well you are right, I asked myself how student would clarify doubts and questions? How do they participate? Well if said "Streaming" means that is live and if they could use some sort of ShoutBox to messages students to teacher, like a "ShoutBox" But also that Teacher could make private sections with one student or may be more, this way there would be interactivity and answers and doubts could be answered... Also video conference streaming would be same thing... But all this is just modern and good, still traditional Student to Classroom Approach is the most used and accepted by society. It would be awesome for many students to used this "Streaming" approach but only if there is a way to communicate interactively from both sides. be fr33 joey

Wed, Sep 15, 2010

Let me make sure I understand this: "let's them fast-forward through the parts they don't find useful"? No wonder parents would be upset so, too, will be employers in the future. How in the world can a student determine what is "useful" from "unuseful" information in a class they have never had before? It may be the future of education but its not the future of knowledge.

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 MPW

In reply to "appalling": while you raise some excellent questions, and I agree with your point about looking at data rather than relying on surveys, I think you're throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Your children may find it useful if they are involved in athletics and need to miss a class to participate in a road game. Or they might find it helpful to review material for an exam. And the list goes on.

Wed, Sep 15, 2010

No, no one else finds it "appalling" - just you? Go back to 1985 now please.

Wed, Sep 15, 2010

I raised my hand, but no one would answer my questions...

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 Rick Henderson Waterloo

The research is only one sided for sure. What really needs to be looked at is their level of achievement. Are the students who view streaming video doing as well as those who are not? Also, a survey on streaming video by a tele-conference company. Seriously... exactly WHO did they survey? Try it at a commuter campus and let us see those results.

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 Don a school of pharmacy

We record all lectures. Attendance seems to be effected a little. Seems the students that cut class would do it anyway and get notes from someone. The recordings allow students to review lectures for various reasons (remember carrying a tape recorder to class). Acedemic performance is also improved because of this access to the recordings.

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 JM Miinnesota

It's great for some people but not all. During the life or learning process, I believe that, especially for traditional students, social networking is important. My observation on home-study or online students indicates that they are lack of social skills in general.

Wed, Sep 15, 2010

Does anyone else find this as appalling as I do? Students may "see benefits" but I do not. What is the impact on student learning -- not their perceptions about their learning? Student engagement? This may work for some students but not for others. I don't believe in asking students their opinions about these issues. Look at the data. No chance to clarify concepts in class. No chance to participate in discussion. I would not send my own kids to a college or university that employed this technology.

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