What is it in a nutshell?
Screencasting is the process of capturing whatever appears on your computer monitor, with a view to turning it into a shareable video. Typically, screencasting also records accompanying audio (such as explanatory narration), and can also capture and incorporate video from a device such as a webcam.
Background
Applications that facilitated screencasting date back to 1994 (with Lotus ScreenCam), but these early programs had minimal ability to edit the captured video and the large size of the resulting file was unwieldy. More recent screencasting programs make it easy to capture and edit video and audio. New compression techniques result in much smaller file sizes, and the faster Internet connections make it much more feasible to disseminate these files. Screencasting's original raison d'etre was to show users how to use the features of given software program. Its wider applicability, however, pertains to anything that can be shown on a computer monitor, including educational materials.
Specific types or brands
For most university instructors, Camtasia is probably the best application for making screencasts, but there are many alternatives:
| PC-based | Web-based | |
| Free | CamStudio, Wink, XVidCap (for Linux and Unix) | Jing, Screentoaster,Screencast-o-Matic |
| Commercial | Camtasia, Adobe Captivate,AllCapture, HyperCam, ScreenRecord, ViewletCam, iShowU(for Mac), ScreenMimic (for Mac),Snapz Pro (for Mac), | Jing Pro |
Additionally, SnagIt and Profcast (for Mac) can capture "still images" (as opposed to screen activity), which can be accompanied by audio narration for for making enhanced podcasts).
Functionality
Typically, a screencast application guides the person making the screencast through three stages: recording, editing, and converting. The recording stage is where you capture your video and audio; the video you record can be your entire computer screen, or it can be a smaller rectangular section of your computer screen; the narration you record can be highly scripted, off-the-cuff, or something in between. The editing stage is where you have the option of combining several audio-video clips into one screencast, deleting an unneeded section of a clip, adding captions or “call-outs” (arrows or text that highlight a particular item on the screen), or even adding a musical soundtrack. The converting stage is where you render your screencast into a form that can be shared with your audience. Typically, you can convert your screencast into various popular formats (such as Windows Media, Flash, and MPEG) and you can control variables such as resolution and frame-speed (if you are sharing your screencast via a CD you might choose a high resolution and frame-speed, but if you are sharing it via the web you might choose a lower resolution and frame-speed).
Impact on teaching
Engaging students through active learning is generally acknowledged to be an effective teaching strategy. Still, even the most “active” course usually contains some material that is best delivered via an old fashioned “transmission” or “sage on the stage” approach. Such material might well be delivered as a screencast or series of screencasts that the students view outside of class. By doing so, the instructor potentially frees up more class time for more active learning strategies. For example, when I teach a course in Shakespeare, I deliver the historical background pertaining to Richard II by means of a screencast so that I have more time to devote to discussion of the play itself in class. Additionally, screencasts can potentially be re-used from year to year: my screencast on the historical background of Richard II will probably remain relevant for many years. I need only update it when new background material comes to light (or when the discrepancy between the appearance of my my younger screencast self and my older actual self becomes disconcertingly great!).
Impact on learning
Because screencasts can can be paused or watched several times, they can potentially help students to learn at their own pace and to master material before they move on to the next unit of material. Screencasts can also lend themselves to mobile learning: they can be viewed on a laptop or portable device wherever and whenever a student prefers. Most importantly, as noted above, they can free up class time for active or collaborative learning activities.
Accessibility issues
Screencasts can especially benefit students who have cognitive or auditory processing issues: they can pause the screencast in order to take notes; they can replay a section of a screencast before proceeding to the rest of the screencast; and they can review the entire screencast at a later date. On the other hand, for students with visual disabilities, screencasts may present a new problem: a screen reader will probably not be able to read to them any text that appears in the screencast (because text in a screencast is converted from code to image).
Best practices
Use screencasts to deliver course material that is content-based (i.e. material that lends itself to a transmission or “sage on the stage” approach); use the resulting free class time to engage in active learning activities. Don’t use screencasts as a way of merely delivering more content or you will overload your students. Devise means to ensure that students actually watch the screencasts so that they are prepared to engage in active learning activities when they come to class. You might, for example, begin each class with a quiz on the content of a given screencast; such a quiz might even be done with clickers, so that the results for each student are immediately and fairly effortlessly tabulated. Create screencasts that help students to overcome the specific challenges or “bottlenecks” that they tend have with the course material. This kind of screencast should perhaps be no longer than about eight minutes. Have students create a screencast as an alternative to an essay or other traditional assignment. Prepare a storyboard or outline before you being making your screencast. Use a good microphone, and practice till you discover its best placement. Keep the filesize of your screencast small by rendering it at the smallest screensize that your users will find comfortable. YouTube videos, for example, are sized at 320x240; 640x480 is probably fine for most screencasts.
Hardware and software requirements
To make a screencast you need to either install a screencast program on your computer (pc-based) or use an application that resides on the Internet (web-based). The pc-based option typically requires a minimum hardware profile such as the following: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista Microsoft DirectX 9 or later version 1.0 GHz processor minimum 500 MB RAM minimum ~ Recommended: 2.0 GB 115 MB of hard-disk space for program installation The web-based option generally requires nothing more than a connection to the Internet. With both options you will, of course, need some place on the web to put your screencast so that your students can access it. Typically, it can be uploaded into your university’s online course environment, but free repositories such as YouTube are also an option.
Impact on support and training
Unlike the nightly news where the news anchor is supported by a large crew (camera operators, sound crew, switchers, etc), making a screencast requires no onsite technical support: an instructor is well able to make an effective screencast on his or her own. Indeed, making the screencast by yourself means that you have complete control over the final product. On the other hand, learning how to make a screencast for the first time does perhaps take some coaching: a brief one-on-one tutorial, or an hour-long workshop, should suffice to get most users up and running.
Financial cost
Costs of screencasting options vary widely, as indicated in the chart below. An instructor may want to experiment with one of the free web-based options (such as Jing) before making purchasing an installation.
Product |
Platform |
Price |
Wink |
Windows |
Free |
Jing |
Web-based |
Free |
CamStudio |
Windows |
Free |
XVidCap |
Unix and Linux |
Free |
Jing Pro |
Web-based |
$15 |
IShowU |
Mac |
$20 |
ScreenRecord |
Windows |
$25 |
iShowU |
Mac |
$20 |
HyperCam |
Windows |
$40 |
ScreenMimic |
Mac |
$65 |
SnapZ Pro |
Mac |
$69 |
Camtasia |
Windows |
$179 |
Adobe Captivate |
Windows |
$199 |
AllCapture |
Windows |
$220 |
Current usage at UW
Numerous instructors at the University of Waterloo are incorporating screencasts into their courses (for example, in 2008, UW’s CHIP sold over 50 licenses for Camtasia, a popular screencast software). Typically, these instructors upload their screencasts into the LEARN, the university’s online course management system (screencasts could, however, be posted elsewhere, including on YouTube or in iTunesU). Certain programs such as the Masters of Public Heath, are especially making significant use of screencasts. Additionally, the university’s library system is making good use of screencasts to assist students in learning how to use information resources.
Current usage elsewhere
Distance education programs at most universities are making use of screencasting as a method of delivering course content. Uptake within traditional departments appears to be more sporadic and dependent upon the interest and initiative of individual faculty members.
Current support at UW
The screencasting software that has been site-licensed by UW is Camtasia, and accordingly UW support staff in ITMS, CTE, and Distance Education have developed some expertise in using that particular screencasting software. Carrie Howells, the Instructional Support Coordinator for the Mathematics Faculty Computing Facility, is especially well-versed in using Camtasia and welcomes queries from instructors who are using that product.
More information
- Tutorials 2.0: Teaching the Public and Training Staff with Online Screencasts
- Screencasting Strategies
- Screencasting Tips for Beginners
- An overview of making a screencast using Camtasia.
- Just for fun: the ancestors of screencasts: educational films like this one.
The bottom line
Screencasts can be an effective way of delivering those components of a course that are best suited to a transmission or “sage on the stage” teaching approach. Doing so can open up more time in class for more active and collaborative learning activities. Screencasts can also benefit students by allowing them to access components of the course where and when they want, and at a pace that suits them. Getting students to make a screencast can also be an interesting alternative to more traditional assignments. In terms of choosing a program for making screencasts, Camtasia is probably the best option for most university instructors.
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