The benefit of student created videos in higher education

Abstract

Historically, discussions about the use of media in higher education has been conducted mainly on a technical level. Pedagogical concepts and the learning process itself have been neglected, which instead should have been assisted by the use of media. The growing use of technology opened a variety of potential learning environments. Lecturers therefore, have found it challenging to find their way through the ‹jungle of options› to mold a reasonable and customized learning setting for their learning groups. One indicator that can help finding a way is to look at the benefit of media use for the students Learning Outcomes. The debate – that started back in the 1960s – about the use of audio-visual media in teaching, criticized the absence of depth in medialized learning processes, as compared to a conventional book. This scepticism continues to exist while the use of media in teaching is increasing. This article illustrates that the use of audio-visual media can initiate deep learning processes, if it would be embedded into a reasonable didactical environment. It describes a learning setting supported through films created by students to argue the benefit of media use in specific situations.