New generations of students have bathed from an early age in the digital, they are “digital natives”. This YouTube generation, which has always seen video as an ubiquitous communication tool, expects education to adapt to these new uses and behaviors.
According to a study conducted by Zogby Analytics for Laureate International Universities among 21,000 students worldwide, aged 18 to 24, 66% of them believe that it is essential to digitize higher education institutions. They consider it normal to make online courses accessible to consult them anytime, anywhere. Thus for nearly 43% of students, these contents must be free of access. In 2016, 58% of the French panel are equipped with a smartphone and 35% of a tablet. Considering that this figure is only growing, students naturally expect that all content is available from these mobile devices. They want to lighten their binders and facilitate their daily organizations to focus on the essential: the assimilation of knowledge.
According to the 2014 report of the Department of Evaluation, Foresight and Performance (DEFP), 92% of schools were connected to Internet in 2014. And the digital equipment of schools (video projectors, computers, tablets, digital boards) has doubled in the space of ten years.
Digital tools are therefore a real priority for schools. And for the students then? Why use video to study?
The possibility to adapt the pace of learning for each individual and therefore ensure equal opportunities of success
For students with geographic, physical, or language constraints, videos are a real support for revisions. The possibility to watch again parts of the lesson that have been misunderstood, can really be a plus in student revisions. Some tools can even slow down the pace of the video (for international student it can be a great help, for example), speed up (for those who want to make a quick recap), or transcribe the text (perfect for revisions in transportations, for example.) In this way, the video offers an equal opportunity to study, it’s a learning tool accessible to all.
The collaborative, an unavoidable trend
We all want to be part of a group, whether it’s a neighborhood, a family or a community. It’s no secret that we naturally want to connect to others. And science proves it! Many studies show that our needs and desires to connect have helped us evolve and survive in the course of history. The means to connect have multiplied with the appearance of digital communication tools. Now the community aspect also exists online.
It’s one of the obvious reasons why students say they can feel lonely when they take online classes without human intervention. This potential problem is enhanced in MOOCs where there are hundreds, if not thousands, of learners. Here, the most effective solution to this problem is collaboration. Many tools of “Social Learning” exist to ensure the collaboration between the learners and with the teachers. It’s a great way to enhance learning and to offer the students the opportunity to communicate with each other through comments, to enrich content by adding a link or attachment, to report a problem or misunderstanding … these are all ways to make learning collaborative and thus create a community. Students will have more enthusiasm to join a study area where they feel active and involved.
Videos in addition to classes
This need was quickly felt, and a lot of revisions video creation initiatives have emerged. For example Partner Particulier offers mathematics classes for preparatory classes in video and is very popular with students. There are also teachers whose videos are highly appreciated by students but also by a wider audience eager to learn. For example, mathematics teachers Sophie Guichard and Mickaël Launay have more and more subscribers loyal to their video maths classes.
Some key figures
How do the students of the Radboud* University work with video?
To prepare to exams
To better understand parts of their course
To check their notes
*Radboud University: one of the largest universities in the Netherlands (Nijmegen)
Et à l’université de Rouen ?
Videos seen over a year
of continuous viewing
The modernization of teaching devices with digital technology tends to retain students is definitely engaged. Using tools with which they are familiar helps to attract their attention and make them more involved in their curriculum. It would be a shame for students and teachers to miss this revolution, and the benefits of video.