Evaluating the Effectiveness of Self-Created Student Screencasts as a Tool to Increase Student Learning Outcomes in a Hands-On Computer Programming Course

Computer programming is challenging to teach and difficult for students to learn. Instructors have searched for ways to improve student learning in programming courses. In an attempt to foster hands-on learning and to increase student learning outcomes in a programming course, the authors conducted an exploratory study to examine student created screencasts and their impact on students’ performance regarding specific learning outcomes in a hands-on programming course. This study was conducted over four semesters when an instructor taught two sections of the course per semester; one section generated self created student screencasts in-class and the other section did not. The subjects were undergraduate business students enrolled in an upper level applications/programming course at a university in Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education system. The experimental method was used to compare the differences in graded classroom activities, theory assessments, lab assessments, and final exam scores between the classes. Results showed that students who created screencasts while following along with the instructors step by step programming instructions as well as created screencast while independently working significantly (p<.05) performed more successful on theory assessments, lab assessments, and the final exam scores verses those students that did not.