Video Supports the Lecturing Star

This paper examines the potential of pedagogically designed video demonstrations in supporting lecture and tutorial notes in the Spatial Information Sciences. In the Department of Spatial Information Sciences (DSIS) in the Technological University Dublin (DIT) Land Surveying is taught across a wide variety of disciplines. Typically such modules have an equal weighting between written examination and field based project learning. To accommodate this highly practical subject area, 50 % of contact time is normally dedicated to field exercises whereby students, in groups of no more than five, receive demonstration on diverse surveying instrumentation and subsequently complete practical project work as part of their formative assessment. To enhance the students’ practical learning experience in the Land Surveying module and provide a mobile (m-) learning resource a number of short videos with voice over instruction have been developed. These u-tube clips, of approximately three minutes in duration each, show the correct use of automatic levels and digital theodolites. The videos are intended as an enhancement rather than a replacement to the more traditional forms of demonstration and notes based instruction and combined provide an easily accessible multi-media approach to learning. This study highlights the effectiveness of designing high quality m-learning resource material for use in a wide range of disciplines by undergraduate students during their basic Land Surveying modules. Furthermore, it evaluates the effectiveness this student-centric approach to practical learning.