Examining the anatomy of a screencast: Uncovering common elements and instructional strategies

Authors

  • William Sugar East Carolina University
  • Abbie Brown East Carolina University
  • Kenneth Luterbach East Carolina University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v11i3.851

Keywords:

Screencasting, screencasts, instructional media production, online learning, instructional strategies, online tutorials

Abstract

The researchers engaged in cooperative inquiry in order to explore screencasts as online instructional tools. In total, each researcher analyzed 37 screencasts, which provided over two hours of instruction. The content area of these screencasts concentrated on teaching specific computing procedures (e.g., how to install web server software or how to add a table in a word processor). The researchers analyzed their own self-produced screencasts as well as those that were professionally produced. Analyses of the screencasts led the researchers to discover common structural components (i.e., bumpers, screen movement, and narration) and common instructional strategies (i.e., provide overview, describe procedure, present concept, focus attention, and elaborate content). By synthesizing the common structure and common instructional strategies, the researchers offer a framework for considering the role of screencasts as online instructional tools. To introduce a practical application of the framework, the researchers created a screencasting checklist, which may be used by online instructors and instructional designers to develop and assess their own screencasts. This initial work invites additional research and development in order to refine the screencasting framework and checklist.

Author Biographies

William Sugar, East Carolina University

William Sugar is an associate professor in the department of Mathematics, Science and Instructional Technology Education at East Carolina University. His current research interests are developing effective and alternative computer-based instruction strategies, as well as examining the interrelationship between human computer interface design principles and instructional design principles.

Abbie Brown, East Carolina University

Dr. Abbie Brown is an Associate Professor in the Instructional Technology program at East Carolina University.

Kenneth Luterbach, East Carolina University

Dr. Luterbach is an Assistant Professor in the Instructional Technology program at East Carolina University.

Downloads

Published

2010-10-15

How to Cite

Sugar, W., Brown, A., & Luterbach, K. (2010). Examining the anatomy of a screencast: Uncovering common elements and instructional strategies. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 11(3), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v11i3.851

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 3 (2010)

Section

Research Articles

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. The copyright of all content published in IRRODL is retained by the authors.

This copyright agreement and use license ensures, among other things, that an article will be as widely distributed as possible and that the article can be included in any scientific and/or scholarly archive.

You are free to

  • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms below:

  • No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.