1. Screencasts in Media Studies
‘Screencasts in Media Studies’ is
a research project, funded by the
University of Leicester’s Teaching
Enhancement Fund, that examines
the use of screencasts in the
teaching and learning of Media
and Communication studies. The
project is a collaboration between
the Department of Media and
Communication and the Institute of
Learning Innovation.
Screencasts are a combination of
PowerPoint slides and audio
narration that can be used by
students as a learning resource.
A sum of £1336.40 was awarded to the
project from the University of
Leicester’s Teaching Enhancement
Fund in January 2013.
Background
Previous research conducted by the PI
found that screencasts had unanticipated
educational value for international students.
The study found that 79.6% of participants
felt that the screencasts had helped them
catch up on their dissertation lectures in a
previous module and learn about key
issues such as research ethics. Focus
group results indicated that students had
used this content not only to deepen their
learning but also to improve their English
language skills (Reilly, in press). This study
sought to build on this work and provide
further evidence of the role of screencasts
in supporting the teaching and learning of
media studies.
Aims of the project
1) To demonstrate the potential role of
screencasts in addressing the learning
needs of students in the Department of
Media and Communication
2) To enhance existing provision of
learning resources for media and
communication undergraduate students
3) To empower students to take greater
ownership of their learning and provide
resources that aid their preparation for
assessed work such as essays and
examinations.
The project approach
Four members of the Department of Media
and Communication attended a workshop
on how to create screencasts for their
modules in March 2013. They created and
made available for students a series of
screencasts related to their modules.
Data on students’ use of screencasts
Data will be collected from students via
focus groups and questionnaires in order to
investigate the value of using screencasts
in media studies. The project is due to
finish in July 2014.
What are screencasts?
Screencasts are short summaries of key
points and concepts discussed during a
particular class. They may be substitutional
(e.g. to allow more time for discussion in
class) or supplemental (to provide more in-
depth coverage of an issue raised in the
face-to-face sessions). They can be
produced using in-browser recording
software packages such as Screenr and
Screencast-o-matic. Screencasts can be
downloaded as MP4s or streamed on
mobile devices such as smart phones.
For further information on the
project please contact one of the
research team:
Dr Paul Reilly
pr93@le.ac.uk
@PaulJReilly
Dr Palitha Edirisingha
pe27@le.ac.uk
@palithed
Project assistants
Caitlin Shadya Jones
Miruna Virtopeanu
Visit our project blog:
www.screencastsinmediastudies.wordpres
s.com