Alissa-Bigelow-CamtasiaAssessment-final.pdf

Running Head: ASSESSMENT OF CAMTASIA FOR SCREENCASTING 1

A Critical Assessment of Camtasia Studio 8 as an Effective

Multimedia Learning Tool for Screencasting

EDUC 5405G Digital Technologies in Adult Education, Dr. Carolyn Guertin

Alissa Bigelow

University of Ontario Institute of Technology

ASSESSMENT OF CAMTASIA FOR SCREENCASTING 2

Abstract

Screencasting has become a popular teaching method used to communicate concepts, procedures

and processes because it enables students to experience multimodal (auditory and visual)

learning in ways that best suit their personal learning styles. This paper will examine ways in

which screencasting can be used as a learning tool to lessen the personalization gap that is

common within asynchronous online course environments. It will provide a brief overview of

the tools and features found within Camtasia Studio 8 and describe how they can be used to

enhance the screencasts and the learning experience for the student. It will also examine the

ways in which screencasts created using the available tools and features align with the Learning

Object Review Instrument (LORI) to determine the quality of screencasts as learning tools and

finally, it will address the limitations found within the software.

Keywords: screencasting, learning tool, asynchronous, LORI


A Critical Assessment of Camtasia Studio 8 as an Effective

Multimedia Learning Tool for Screencasting

Many educational institutions are increasing online course delivery options in order to

offer more flexible learning options for students (Colleges Ontario, 2012; Ontario Government,

2014). This shift in delivery method has introduced many new challenges for educators, however

one of the most significant challenges online teachers currently face is how to maintain the same

level of personalized communication with the student as if it were a face to face classroom. One

option that has shown promise in closing the personalization gap created from teaching and

learning in an asynchronous online learning environment is screencasting.

Screencasting is defined as a digital movie in which the setting is partly or wholly a

computer screen, and in this audio narration describes the on-screen action (Udell, 2005).

Screencasting has become a popular teaching method used to communicate concepts,

procedures, and processes with an audience because it allows students to experience multimodal

(auditory and visual) learning in ways that best suit their personal learning style (Goldman, 2003;

Sankey, Birch, & Gardiner, 2010).

To stay within the scope of the learning tool assessment outline, this paper will examine

ways in which screencasting can be used as a learning tool to lessen the personalization gap that

is common within asynchronous online course environments. It will provide a brief overview of

the tools and features found within Camtasia Studio 8 and describe how they can be used to

enhance the screencasts and the learning experience for the student. It will also examine the

ways in which screencasts created using the available tools and features align with the Learning

Object Review Instrument (LORI) to determine the quality of screencasts as learning tools.

Finally, it will address the limitations found within the software.


Screencasting as a Learning Tool

In my role as an Instructional Design Technologist I am involved in the development of

asynchronous online courses and work with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to ensure the content

that is being delivered is pedagogically supported by the appropriate technology. In an

asynchronous learning environment students generally progress through the material at their own

pace and do not have the same opportunities to ask questions and receive an immediate response

as they would in a traditional classroom environment. When designing an online course for

asynchronous delivery, careful consideration must be made to navigation instructions and action

items need to be clearly communicated to ensure students are guided through the course

materials. Screencasts have proven to be an instrumental communication tool between the

instructor and the student for this type of course (Sugar, Brown, & Luterbach, 2010). They can

provide the student with personalized tutorials and just in time access to information to ensure

each student receives clear, concise, and consistent directions. Screencasts are also being used to

provide the student with personalized video feedback in response to assessments throughout the

course (Sugar, Brown, & Luterbach, 2010; Thompson, & Lee, 2012).

In addition to being used as a communication tool, many instructors I work with are now

creating assignments that require the students to create their own screencasts to demonstrate their

learning and explain how they achieved the outcomes for a given assessment. Using screencasts

as a learning tool in this manner aligns with the constructivist learning theory wherein the

student creates their own meaning and representations of information based on prior and new

forms of knowledge (Learning Theories, 2007; Jonassen, Davidson, Collins, Campbell, & Haag,

2009).


Camtasia Studio 8 Tools and Features

Camtasia Studio 8 is a robust screen recording application that easily enables new users

to create professional quality screencasts. The Camtasia Studio 8 interface is separated into three

main working areas for the creation, editing and publishing processes as seen in Figure 1.

The Clip Bin and Tool Control area of the screen contains all of the video audio and

image files used in the project as well as a variety of features that can be added to the screencast

to enhance the production and add emphasis to the screencast such as call outs (ie: the arrows

and red boxes in Figure 1), zoom controls, clickable hotspot areas, highlighting, captioning,

quizzing and more.

The canvas preview area allows the user to view the screencast during the editing phase

to ensure the events that happen within the screencast appear as desired. Canvas control buttons

Figure 1: Camtasia Studio 8 Interface


are available to enable user to skip through the screencast and quickly advance to a specific point

within the production during the editing process.

The timeline area is used to assemble and edit the screencast. Video, audio and images

can be added to the timeline to add emphasis to key areas during the screencast and enhance the

final product. There are also editing tools that enable the user to make adjustments to the audio

and video recordings within the interface rather than employing another editing tool.

Evaluating the Quality of Screencasts using the LORI Model

The Learning Object Review Instrument (LORI) for quality assessment of multimedia

learning resources (Leacock & Nesbit, 2007) measures against nine criteria on a five point scale,

with 1 being low and 5 being high. The LORI scoring sheet found within the LORI User Manual

(Nesbit, Belfer, & Leacock, n.d.) was used to measure and assess the features in Camtasia Studio

8. The completed scoring sheet is included in the Appendix, however it should be noted that

some of the criteria were found to be out of the scope of this paper.

1. Content Quality (LORI Score NA)

The Content Quality score is derived from the validity and accuracy of the content being

presented. Since the content of a given screencasts is unique to the teaching it is not

within the context of this paper to pedagogically evaluate the content the screencast at

this time. Therefore, this category was scored as not applicable.

2. Learning Goal Alignment (LORI Score 4/5)

Screencasts can be used as an effective way to ensure that the learning goals and

expectations for a given topic are clearly and concisely articulated to the students

participating in the online course and that those learning goals are followed and


reinforced throughout the remainder of the screencast and learning activities. The ability

to create narrated video clips that describe key learning concepts and explain how pieces

of the lesson align to the learning goals is an important consideration. This multimodal

method of delivery also addresses differences in learning styles between students

(Sankey, Birch, & Gardiner, 2010).

3. Feedback and Adaptation (LORI Score 4/5)

Instructors can use screencasts to provide students with personalized video feedback

upon completion of an assignment or a learning activity. The quizzing utility found

within the Camtasia Studio 8 tools can be used to infuse the screencast with interactive

components that can personalize the students learning experience based on the way in

which a series of questions are answered. The scores from integrated quizzes can be used

to trigger adaptive release conditions on subsequent content within a course or redirected

the learner back to view the screencast again.

4. Motivation (LORI Score 3/5)

Interactivity and engagement opportunities allow the student to have some control over

their learning and encourage participation. These have been shown to be factors that can

increase intrinsic motivation and boost student learning. (Martens, Gulikers, & Bastiaens,

2004; Tsui, & Treagust, 2004). The ability for the screencast creator to add hotspot areas

and add quizzing can be used to engage the students when viewing the screencast.

5. Presentation Design (LORI Score 4/5)

The timeline feature within the Camtasia enables the creator to customize the

presentation design of each screencast and modify the timing of the audio and visual


components to produce comprehensive, multimedia rich screencasts that can guide the

learner through the screencast (Figure 2). The tools found within the Tool Selection

menu such as call outs, zoom

controls, and cursor highlighting all

contribute to the wide range of

presentation design options that are

available to the creator to enhance the quality of the screencast and learning experience

for the learner.

6. Interaction Usability (LORI Score 3/5)

When the screencasts are published they can be saved in a variety of formats. Allowing

the instructor to control how the learner

interacts with the screencast. The published

product could be an mp4 video file,

published to YouTube or published using its

own multimedia player (Figure 3) which can

be used to increase the usability of the

screencast for the learner. The ability for the instructor to narrate clear and concise

navigation instructions within the screencast reduces the potential for confusion and also

makes it easier for the student to use.

7. Accessibility (LORI Score 4/5)

The speech to text feature found within the Captions tool can be used to add a transcribed

script of the audio recording to the timeline within the screencast in order to address

accessibility concerns for the hearing impaired. In addition, the recorded audio narration

Figure 2: Timeline with additional media assets to enhance

Presentation Design

Figure 3: Published as mp4 with Multimedia Player


of the screencast provides access to the material within the screencast to those with visual

impairments.

8. Reusability (LORI score 4/5)

The ability of the screencasts to be published in a variety of formats enables the

screencast to be easily shared amongst instructors in similar disciplines. However, the

reusability of the actual content within the screencast will depend upon the context and

purpose of the lesson. For the purpose of this assessment the score is based on the ability

to share the screencast asset.

9. Standards Compliance (LORI score 4/5)

Screencasts can be published in a variety of standard audio and video formats such as

MP4 video, flash, HTML5, MOV, WMV, AVI, MP3 (audio only), M4V and GIF. They

can also be published in Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) for

integration with Learning Management Systems.

Limitations

Camtasia Studio 8 may be a highly valuable learning resource tool however it is not

without its weaknesses. The first identified weakness is the cost associated with purchase. There

is a 30 day free trial available for download from the TechSmith website, however after 30 days

the product will need to be purchased in full or access to the trial product will expire.

Educational and volume purchase discounts are available for a considerably lower price,

however a single use license for the software will cost approximately $365.00 CAD.

Another limitation with the software is the level of knowledge and learning required by

the creator in order to utilize the tools to enhance their screencasts. There are a wide range of


tools and features available that werent assessed within the scope of this paper. The sheer

number of enhancement options can easily overwhelm a new user. Beginners are encouraged to

start with a basic screencast recording and use the tutorials available on the vendor website to

build on their knowledge and skills as they gain experience working with the program.

The final limitation found with the software is the way in which the recordings and

projects are saved when finished editing the screencast. When the initial recording process is

finished screencast creators are prompted to save a .TREC file and are then directed to the

editing interface (Figure 1). When finished the editing process, creators are again prompted to

save a .CAMPROJ file which holds all of the edits, media, timings and polished screencast

settings. If either of these files are not saved properly when prompted, the screencast cannot be

edited within Camtasia Studio 8 in the future. The process of saving multiple files for each part

of the screencast production can be confusing and there is potential for loss of work should the

creator not save one of the production files properly.

Conclusion

Screencasts are proving to be an effective way in which instructors can easily

communicate with students while maintaining a personal connection to an asynchronous online

course (Sugar, Brown, & Luterbach, 2010; Thompson, & Lee, 2012). The tools and features

found within Camtasia Studio 8 provide instructors and students with the ability to produce high

quality, professional screencasts to demonstrate key concepts and guided tutorials that have the

ability to align with the LORI quality assessment of multimedia learning resources scoring sheet

(Nesbit, Belfer, & Leacock, n.d.). Although there are some limitations with its use, Camtasia

Studio 8 is a robust tool that can be used to produce high quality learning objects to support

asynchronous online course delivery.


References

Colleges Ontario. Ontario must establish three-year degree programs at colleges. (2012,

October 4). Retrieved from http://collegesontario.org/news/news-

releases/2012/EmpoweringOntario.html

Constructivisim | Learning Theories. (2007, January 30). Retrieved from http://www.learning-

theories.com/constructivism.html

Goldman, S. (2003). Learning in complex domains: When and why do multiple representations

help? Learning Instruction, 13, 239-244. doi:10.1016/S0959-4752(02)00023-3

Jonassen, D., Davidson, M., Collins, M., Campbell, J., & Haag, B. (2009). Constructivism and

computermediated communication in distance education. American Journal of Distance

Education, 9(2), 7-26. doi:10.1080/08923649509526885

Leacock, T. L., & Nesbit, J. C. (2007). A framework for evaluating the quality of multimedia

learning resources. Educational Technology & Society, 10(2), 44-59. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/docview/61927521?accountid=14694

Martens, R. L. Gulikers, J. & Bastiaens, T. (2004). The impact on intrinsic motivation on e-

Learning in authentic computer tasks. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 20(5), 368

376. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.2004.00096.x

Nesbit, J., Belfer, K., & Leacock, T. (n.d.). Learning Object Review Instrument (LORI) User

Manual. Retrieved from http://www.transplantedgoose.net/gradstudies/educ892/LORI1.5.pdf

Ontario Government. Province Improving Online Learning. (2014, January 13). Retrieved from

http://news.ontario.ca/tcu/en/2014/01/province-improving-online-learning.html


Sankey, M., Birch, D. & Gardiner, M. (2010). Engaging students through multimodal learning

environments: The journey continues. Curriculum, technology & transformation for an

unknown future. Proceedings ascilite Sydney 2010 (pp.852-863). Retrieved from,

http://ascilite.org.au/conferences/sydney10/procs/Sankey-full.pdf

Sugar, W., Brown, A., & Luterbach, K. (2010). Examining the anatomy of a screencast:

Uncovering common elements and instructional strategies. The International Review of

Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 11(3), 1-20. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/docview/854552024?accountid=14694

Thompson, R., & Lee, M. J. (2012). Talking with students through screencasting:

Experimentations with video feedback to improve student learning. The Journal of

Interactive Technology and Pedagogy, 1(1). Retrieved from,

http://jitp.commons.gc.cuny.edu/talking-with-students-through-screencasting-

experimentations-with-video-feedback-to-improve-student-learning/

Traphagan, T., Kucsera, J., & Kishi, K. (2010). Impact of class lecture webcasting on attendance

and learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 58(1), 19-37.

doi:10.1007/s11423-009-9128-7

Tsui, C., & Treagust, D. F. (2004). Motivational aspects of learning genetics with interactive

multimedia. The American Biology Teacher, 66(4), 277-285. doi:10.1662/0002-

7685(2004)066[0277:MAOLGW]2.0.CO;2

Udell, J. (2005, November 16). What Is Screencasting? Retrieved from

http://archive.oreilly.com/pub/a/oreilly/digitalmedia/2005/11/16/what-is-screencasting.html


Appendix

Learning Object Review Instrument (LORI) Scoring Sheet

Documents

Alissa-Bigelow-CamtasiaAssessment-final.pdf