Video Recorded Presentations (VRP) and their impact on students’ learning : a mixed method research on blended mode programs at MNU

Abstract

Accommodating technology and flexibility in distance education have been part of higher education in the last decade at several higher education institutions of the Maldives. Blending technology in teaching and learning has increased higher education opportunities across the Maldives. This study was conducted to explore the impact of Video Recorded Presentations (VRP) on students’ learning when used as an assessment tool for blended learning students of the Maldives National University(MNU). Adopting a mixed method approach, the study was conducted among students involved in blended learning, who had submitted assessments using VRP. Lecturers from MNU who assessed the VRP contributed to the study by adding their observation on students’ learning from the videos. The students were chosen among learners who submitted assessments using VRP from July 2017 to the end of 2018. Both groups, students and lecturers, expressed that the use of VRP as an assessment tool increased student’s confidence in their presentation skills and provided the opportunity to self-evaluate and submit the best performances. Although there were challenges in VRP recording and submission, students and lecturers found it as a convenient alternative method for in-class presentations that allow useful learning opportunities for blended learners.