The document reports on a study that examined students' perceptions of different uses of online video and its impact on social presence. The study found that students generally perceive video as the most effective medium for establishing social presence compared to audio and text. Specifically, students rated one-on-one synchronous video the highest while group asynchronous text-based discussions the lowest. Additionally, students agreed that video announcements, instructional videos, and video feedback helped establish instructor presence and they enjoyed when instructors incorporated these uses of video into their online courses.

1. Is online video really
worth the work?
Perceptions of online asynchronous video and social presence
slides @ www.patricklowenthal.com

2. educator
researcher
designer
developer
Patrick Lowenthal
patricklowenthal.com
Twitter @plowenthal

3. Background Method Results Discussion
Overview

4. BACKGROUND

5. Social presence is the
degree of salience (i.e.,
quality or state of
being there) between
two communicators
using a communication
medium.
Social Presence

6. METHOD

7. Video Announcements
Instructional Videos (screencasts)
Video Feedback
1
2
3
Regular Video Use

9. General Questions
Questions about Video Announcements
Questions about Instructional Videos
Questions about Video Feedback
Survey

10. Summer
2013
Fall
2013
Spring
2014
Data Collection
Summer
2014

11. Internet for Educators
Graphic Design for
Learning
Online Course Design
Sample
101
students

12. preliminary
RESULTS

13. Females 57%
Males 43%
Experienced Online Learners (9.78 avg)
Satisfied (4.59)
Perceived learning (4.58)
General Background

14. Important to
perceive
instructor as
“real” & “there”
Strongly Agree 4.36
Importance to
perceive
classmates as
“real” & “there”
Agree 3.82
[1 Strongly Disagree --- Strongly Agree 5]
Importance of Presence

15. Video: 4.23
Audio: 3.55
Text: 3.45
Rate video, audio, & text in
their ability to establish a
communicator as a “real”
person and being “there”
(i.e., social presence)
[1 Poor --- Excellent 5]
Communication Media

16. Sometimes feel alone or
isolated when taking online
courses
[1 Strongly Disagree --- Strongly Agree 5]
Neither Agree or Disagree 2.97
Lonely

17. I like it when instructors
use videos in online
courses.
Agree 4.37
Preference

18. VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENTS

19. I read every
announcement
instructor posts
I watched all
announcements
Agree 4.16 Agree 4.08
Video Announcements

20. When / given a video
announcement and a text
transcription, which are
you more likely to do:
Only read; don’t watch
Read and watch video
Watch but don’t read
Video Announcements
31%
46%
23%

21. What reasons influence you to watch a
video announcement?
“If I have time”
“If there is instruction I watch. If it is simply an announcement
I will not watch”
“Internet connection speed”
“I always watch the video announcements because they are
critical to success in the class”
“Much can be determined from the post's title or subject”
Video Announcements

22. INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS

23. Like it when my
instructor uses
instructional
videos
Instructional
videos are a good
way to learn
Strongly Agree 4.51 Strongly Agree 4.46
Instructional Videos

24. I watched most of the
instructional videos
created by my instructor
this semester?
Strongly / Agree 4.51
Instructional Videos

25. Prefer
instructors use
videos they
created
Instructional
videos created
by others add
value
Agree 3.57 Agree 3.97
Instructional Videos

26. VIDEO FEEDBACK

27. I like video feedback
Agree 3.99
Preference

28. I watched the
video feedback
Watch video
feedback more
than once?
Agree 4.39
Yes 67%
Instructional Videos

29. Helpful to view
feedback others
receive
Agree 3.12
I think I would
watch video
feedback
instructors gave
others
Public Feedback
Agree 2.97

30. OTHER RESULTS

31. Prefer
Asynchronous
Video 87%
Sync. vs. Async.

32. Most Valued
Video Feedback
Video Announcements
9% Instructional Videos
19%
72%

33. Situational Factors

34.  One-on-one two-way synchronous video 4.22
 Group two-way synchronous video 3.83
 Personal asynchronous video 4.12
 General asynchronous video 3.76
 One-on-one synchronous audio 3.64
 Group synchronous audio 3.18
 One-on-one asynchronous audio 3.27
 Group asynchronous audio 3.10
 One-on-one synchronous text-based 3.61
 Group synchronous text-based 3.00
 One-on-one asynchronous text-based 3.48
 Group asynchronous text-based 3.10
Media Compared

35.  One-on-one two-way synchronous video 4.22
 Group two-way synchronous video 3.83
 Personal asynchronous video 4.12
 General asynchronous video 3.76
 One-on-one synchronous audio 3.64
 Group synchronous audio 3.18
 One-on-one asynchronous audio 3.27
 Group asynchronous audio 3.10
 One-on-one synchronous text-based 3.61
 Group synchronous text-based 3.00
 One-on-one asynchronous text-based 3.48
 Group asynchronous text-based 3.10
Media Compared

36.  One-on-one two-way synchronous video 4.22
 Group two-way synchronous video 3.83
 Personal asynchronous video 4.12
 General asynchronous video 3.76
 One-on-one synchronous audio 3.64
 Group synchronous audio 3.18
 One-on-one asynchronous audio 3.27
 Group asynchronous audio 3.10
 One-on-one synchronous text-based 3.61
 Group synchronous text-based 3.00
 One-on-one asynchronous text-based 3.48
 Group asynchronous text-based 3.10
Media Compared

37.  One-on-one two-way synchronous video 4.22
 Group two-way synchronous video 3.83
 Personal asynchronous video 4.12
 General asynchronous video 3.76
 One-on-one synchronous audio 3.64
 Group synchronous audio 3.18
 One-on-one asynchronous audio 3.27
 Group asynchronous audio 3.10
 One-on-one synchronous text-based 3.61
 Group synchronous text-based 3.00
 One-on-one asynchronous text-based 3.48
 Group asynchronous text-based 3.10
Media Compared

38.  One-on-one two-way synchronous video 4.22
 Group two-way synchronous video 3.83
 Personal asynchronous video 4.12
 General asynchronous video 3.76
 One-on-one synchronous audio 3.64
 Group synchronous audio 3.18
 One-on-one asynchronous audio 3.27
 Group asynchronous audio 3.10
 One-on-one synchronous text-based 3.61
 Group synchronous text-based 3.00
 One-on-one asynchronous text-based 3.48
 Group asynchronous text-based 3.10
Media Compared

39.  One-on-one two-way synchronous video 4.22
 Group two-way synchronous video 3.83
 Personal asynchronous video 4.12
 General asynchronous video 3.76
 One-on-one synchronous audio 3.64
 Group synchronous audio 3.18
 One-on-one asynchronous audio 3.27
 Group asynchronous audio 3.10
 One-on-one synchronous text-based 3.61
 Group synchronous text-based 3.00
 One-on-one asynchronous text-based 3.48
 Group asynchronous text-based 3.10
Media Compared

40.  One-on-one two-way synchronous video 4.22
 Personal asynchronous video 4.12
 Group two-way synchronous video 3.83
 General asynchronous video 3.76
 One-on-one synchronous audio 3.64
 One-on-one synchronous text-based 3.61
 One-on-one asynchronous text-based 3.48
 One-on-one asynchronous audio 3.27
 Group synchronous audio 3.18
 Group asynchronous audio 3.10
 Group asynchronous text-based 3.10
 Group synchronous text-based 3.00
Media Ranked

41.  One-on-one two-way synchronous video 4.22
 Personal asynchronous video 4.12
 Group two-way synchronous video 3.83
 General asynchronous video 3.76
 One-on-one synchronous audio 3.64
 One-on-one synchronous text-based 3.61
 One-on-one asynchronous text-based 3.48
 One-on-one asynchronous audio 3.27
 Group synchronous audio 3.18
 Group asynchronous audio 3.10
 Group asynchronous text-based 3.10
 Group synchronous text-based 3.00
Media Ranked

42.  One-on-one two-way synchronous video 4.22
 Group two-way synchronous video 3.83
 Personal asynchronous video 4.12
 General asynchronous video 3.76
 One-on-one synchronous audio 3.64
 Group synchronous audio 3.18
 One-on-one asynchronous audio 3.27
 Group asynchronous audio 3.10
 One-on-one synchronous text-based 3.61
 Group synchronous text-based 3.00
 One-on-one asynchronous text-based 3.48
 Group asynchronous text-based 3.10
Media Compared

43. Videos can establish instructor presence 4.34
Video announcements can establish instructor
presence 4.22
Video feedback can establish instructor
presence 4.17
Instructional videos can establish instructor
presence 4.22
I know my instructor better as a result of his
use of video 4.05
Enjoyed the use of video in this course 4.45
Agree
Video & Social Presence

44. Videos can establish instructor presence 4.34
Video announcements can establish instructor
presence 4.22
Video feedback can establish instructor
presence 4.17
Instructional videos can establish instructor
presence 4.22
I know my instructor better as a result of his
use of video 4.05
Enjoyed the use of video in this course 4.45
Agree
Video & Social Presence

45. Videos can establish instructor presence 4.34
Video announcements can establish instructor
presence 4.22
Video feedback can establish instructor
presence 4.17
Instructional videos can establish instructor
presence 4.22
I know my instructor better as a result of his
use of video 4.05
Enjoyed the use of video in this course 4.45
Agree
Video & Social Presence

46. Video, audio, and text are all tools for
distance communications. Other factors
also contribute to the feeling of a real
person. Most critical for me is timeliness of
the communications. I'd rather have a more
immediate text reply that suffer digital
silence - even if the communication after the
delay is in a high quality video format.

47. When videos are kept short and focused they
can be a very effective tool for learning. Not
all information needs to be presented in a
video.

48. The courses where there was some element
of video communication, helped me to feel
more connected to the instructor (or in the
case of 502 not my instructor, but the video
instructor). This semester, I do not feel
connected to my instructors who have not
used any form of video communication.

49. DISCUSSION

50. One size
doesn’t fit all
Video
announcements
ROI
Subject Matter
Difference?
Accessibility
Final Thoughts

51. Patrick Lowenthal
patricklowenthal@boisestate.edu
www.patricklowenthal.com
CONTACT ME