Digital literacy and online video: investigating students’ use of online video in assignments using a customised video retrieval system

This thesis investigates key digital literacy skills in practice by enabling undergraduate students’ use of online video for coursework using a customised video retrieval system (VRS). This study examines the key areas influencing the use of online video for assignments such as the learning value of video, strategies for its integration and the key features of online video systems. A key component of the integration process is video browsing and content retrieval which focuses on enabling users to locate and view relevant segments of video, using techniques such as content based analysis and video segmentation. This thesis examines how students source, share, comment on, integrate, reference and evaluate online video for assignment work.
By adopting an action research approach, this study gathers predominantly qualitative data over a number of cycles to examine the use of online video in assignments, the impact of this on students’ learning experience and the impact of the features of the VRS in supporting student work. This cyclical approach facilitated the investigation of a number of key research questions, while allowing results to inform future cycles of work.
Findings show that students display key elements of digital literacy with online video when the appropriate tools and strategies to complete tasks are provided. Over the course of the study, students demonstrated the ability to successfully integrate online video into individual and group assignments. Each stage of the study validates the positive impact of video content on the students’ learning experience, and the features of the VRS that support this. The study also presents a series of recommendations and considerations for enabling the use of online video in assignment work.