Maria Juul Hansen
Abstract
Does Quizzing during Asynchronous Video Lectures Improve Learning?
Worldwide universities were forced to move most teaching online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has increased the amount of asynchronous video lectures (AVL) which has removed an essential part of students’ learning, namely the chance to ask questions during the lecture and hence get instant feedback on their level of understanding.
This project investigates how use of online quiz tools during AVL as a substitute for this direct teacher feedback may affect learning. I study 1) the effect on actual learning compared to receiving a long quiz in the end of the AVL and 2) how quizzing (during or after AVL) influences students’ perceived learning.
I conducted a randomized control trial among students in my course. Each student was randomly assigned to one of three groups. All groups received a link to a group-specific playlist of 7 videos for the lecture. Group 1 would see links to quizzes related to the curriculum during the videos, group 2 would see one quiz link in the final video and group 3 would not see any quiz. After the AVL, all groups would answer a survey about their perceived learning and their attitudes to quizzes during and after AVL.
The results show that group 2 performed significantly better on the quiz than group 1, as they achieved 10-12.4% more points. This would imply a 1 grade difference in favor of group 2 students on the 7-point grading scale. Controlling for differences in time spent on the quiz, amount of preparation in advance of the lecture or the number of videos watched alone did not affect the results.
From the survey, there are no significant differences in answers across groups. However, for this specific sample, those in group 1 reported higher perceived learning than both group 2 and 3. The attitude towards use of quizzes in AVL is positive in all groups, but there is no clear preference for the placement of the quiz either during or after the videos. Group 1 who actually had quizzes during the AVL did report a perceived positive effect on their concentration though.
Consequently, lecturers are recommended to implement quizzes in their AVL, but to optimize actual learning it should be placed after the videos. However, since elements that break the passive “TV watching” may have a positive effect on concentration, lecturers should consider adding elements during the videos that encourage students to pause and reflect.