RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMISSION COVER SHEET

(MSC APPLIED E-LEARNING)

This sheet should be completed and signed and should accompany your research proposal
submission for the Research Methods module.

Module Title: Research Methods

ECTS credits: 10 ECTS
Participant name: TRACEY DALTON
Participant Student Number: D10120799
Programme of Study: MSc Applied eLearning
Date of Research Proposal Submission: 24TH JUNE 2014
Module Tutor Name(s): CLAIRE MC AVINIA & CLAIRE MC DONNELL

For reference, the programme learning outcomes are provided below.

Programme Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this programme, graduates will be able to:
Knowledge
1. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the theory of, and best practice in, eLearning in a
range of educational contexts;
2. Demonstrate an awareness and understanding of current eLearning technologies and the
challenges and opportunities associated with each.
Know-how and Skill
1. Identify instances and conditions where eLearning would be appropriate and evaluate its
potential, and use, within different contexts;
2. Apply a thorough grounding in the theory and practice of eLearning in a range of contexts;
3. Create and evaluate strategies for the effective use of eLearning in a range of Higher
Education learning environments;
4. Conduct critically focused literature reviews relevant to the use of eLearning within their
selected discipline area;
5. Design a constructively aligned module integrating the appropriate use of eLearning
technologies;
6. Design specific eLearning applications/resources and evaluate them to determine their value
according to specified criteria;
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7. Sustain from the research evidence obtained from the undertaking of an eLearning project, a
reasoned argument and draw consistent and coherent conclusions;
8. Reflect self-critically on the process and outcomes of a development and eLearning
implementation project.

Competence
1. Manage the design, development, implementation and evaluation of a number of appropriate
eLearning resources;
2. Engage in research to evaluate the effective use of eLearning resources within a Higher
Education environment.

Submission Checklist and Declaration

To ensure that the focus of the assessment of your assignment will be on the development of
the higher order skills and competences associated with a level 9 qualification, please complete
the checklist and declaration below. The checklist specifies the mechanical and lower order
concerns that need to have been met before you can submit your work.

I declare that the assignment I am submitting:

Has been proofread thoroughly for

Yes

typographical errors.

Meets the word count specification.

Yes

Follows the recommended structure

Yes

Word Count: 2757

and format.

Contains citations and references that

Yes

have been formatted according to the

guidelines provided.

I understand that my work can be

Yes

returned uncorrected if the criteria

above have not been fulfilled.

Signature:

Date: 24TH June 2014

The implementation of Post - Lecture Screencasts to Increase Understanding:

A Case Study for Third Level Interior Design
1. Introduction
i) Background
I am a lecturer on a BA Honours degree in Interior Design & Furniture in DIT. Over the last
two years I have produced over fifty screencasts to support my classroom teaching. These
screencasts firstly concentrated on perspective drawing and lead on to production of CAD
(computer aided design) tutorials with first years. I had been teaching these topics in a lab
(AutoCAD) and studio environment (perspective drawing) for four years. CAD is used by
students for 2D technical drawing and 3D visuals in their design projects, for several
modules in the course. It has been proven to be beneficial to learning to be given an
opportunity to revisit topics to strengthen retention by presenting material in more than
one form to facilitate transfer to long term memory (Carlile et al., 2004, p.18), hence the
introduction of CAD tutorials in an audio-visual medium, accompanied by written hand-outs,
thus reducing cognitive load (Sweller, 1988).
ii) Screencast Development
The term screencast was coined by Jon Udell (2004) and is defined as a digitally recorded
playback of a computer screen output which often contains audio narration, to visually
present procedural information (Sugar et al, 2010, p.2). The screencasts for this research
project were produced using free downloadable software called Hypercam, from
Hyperionics.com. It is a simple dialogue box (see appendix 1), with a series of tabs, which
can be opened from a shortcut on the computer desktop. It is a process of trial and error to
synchronize the audio recording with the image recording. It took several attempts to
perfect the tool, calculating frames per second correctly. Once this is realized the process is
straightforward. The file produced is in an AVI (audio video interleave) format and opened
with Windows Media Player or similar software. (See Appendix 2 and 3 for a visual
example of screencasts.) The recording cannot be edited, apart from the option to pause
mid-capture, so has to be produced in one take. There is also a requirement for a quiet
environment. The recording varied from two minutes to ten minutes, depending on the
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depth of topic, and was not scripted, resulting in an informal style. Recordings over ten
minutes had a tendency to cut off unexpectedly, so it is best to keep recording below ten
minutes. There is the option to use a microphone when recording, for better sound quality.
However, it worked sufficiently without one for its purpose, in this case. The screencasts
were e-mailed to the student group, so all files were compressed to a zipped folder to
reduce size to a maximum of 10 megabytes. They were also accessible in the computer lab,
in the lecturers folder on the student drive, through the college server. Due care was taken
to simplify the labelling and order of the files for ease of access and filing for students.
2. Context and Rationale
The decision to research the implementation of screencasts in a design setting stems from
my experience as a design student, lecturer and professional. To put the research in context,
I will discuss why students choose to study art and/or design at third level. There are various
reasons for making this decision, which usually include having artistic talent, a passion for
creative fields and a natural creative ability. Learners in art/design tend to prefer
conceptual, integrative and expressive modes of thinking, but overlook or avoid analytical,
critical and logical modes (Meneely, 2010, p.21). In first year, most interior design students
possess inherent skills. Students tend be confident in producing workbooks, research,
inspirational visual imagery, written work and sketches (see Appendix 4). They have usually
learned these skills previously through influences in their lives, in second level education, or
on post-secondary vocational courses. Students tend not to be confident with new learning
challenges i.e. technical drawing, model making, construction studies and CAD (see
Appendix 5). I intend to explore the reasons why these areas are challenges to design
students, through a literature search on left and right sided brain thinking in designers
(Torrance, 1975) and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Mackinnon, 1970). Lawson, (as cited
in Meneely, 2010, p.21) noted the importance of convergent and divergent thinking in
designers, stating it is probably the designer who needs these two skills in the most equal
proportions. Technical skills, in this case AutoCAD, are important to overcome because they
are essential for industry, designers need to be both creatively and technically competent,
and hand drawing alone will not suffice for progression in interior design at third level.

3. Aim and Objectives

The main questions I want to address with my research are as follows:

What are the benefits of screencasts for students learning of AutoCAD?

Can a blended learning approach help to overcome new learning challenges in first
year?

How do students feel about a blended approach to learning?

Would students welcome more blended approaches to learning?

What is the students user experience of the screencasts?

4. Literature Review
The literature search on screencasting and blended learning came from DIT library and
library database searches, Google Scholar and Arrow@DIT, with most results on
screencasting coming from the journals accessed from the databases.
As mentioned previously Jon Udell (2004, 2005, 2006), an analyst at Microsoft, coined the
phrase and has written many papers and articles on screencasting. Common strands in the
literature on screencasting in education focus on the technology itself (Sugar et al. 2010;
Winterbottom, 2007; Kopel, 2010), research with large lectures groups (Pinder-Grover et al.
2011), assessing student creation of screencasts (Farkas, 2013), student access and
perception of screencasts (Rose, 2009), optional usage and subsequent effect (PinderGrover et al. 2012; Grabe et al. 2008), talking with students through screencasting (Lee et al.
2012), and implementation to scaffold learning and reduce cognitive load (Dalgarno et al.,
2008). The literature search found that disciplines researching the use of screencasts in
education tend to be science, technology, engineering and instructional design focussed.
There was also a prevalence of the use of quantitative, rather than qualitative methods,
which may correlate with the disciplines.
In my discipline, Hardaker and Rushin (2012) have written on the use of screencasts as a
supplement to CAD teaching in fashion and textiles (see Appendix 6), which is most similar
to my research project, with use of similar software and research methods. However, there
are shortcomings to this paper, (acknowledged by the authors) in that it focusses too much
on the software creation. The student experience could be explored further and the
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methods used are mainly quantitative reporting. There are also no learning theories aligned
to research. The research was unfinished at time of publishing and further work was to be
carried out with students, including an exit questionnaire, profiling, workshops,
presentations and published paper.
My research can add new knowledge and/or solve a problem, in relation to screencast use
because there is not a lot of research on their use with arts based disciplines, especially
interior design. Also, it is carried out with a small class size, giving a more personalized oneto-one experience. The research can take a mixed methods approach, concentrating more
on qualitative methods. It will focus more on the user experience, than the artefact design.
It could examine whether screencasts help to reduce anxiety in interior design students
around the learning of CAD by aligning with cognitive learning theory (Sweller, 1998).
Through the literature search, there is a necessity to explore blended learning and cognivist
theory in more detail. I have reviewed previous modules in the MSc. and student papers on
the topics i.e. Russell et al.(2013), Stuart(2013) and Seery et al. (2011) and recognized the
predominantly cited authors such as Mayer(2001), Sweller (1988), Littlejohn(2007), Juwah
(2006), Carlile et al. (2004) among others. This will be an ongoing process of discovery in the
course of the project.
5. Research Design
i) Theoretical Perspective
Ontology: My ontology comes more from a constructivist viewpoint (Creswell, 2014, pp.5-9)
as I believe that the question proposes to solve a problem for students. There is no one
reality (Badevi, 2013) to the benefit of the screencasts as the learners perception has
many variables. Grix (2002) states that all research necessarily starts from a persons view
of the world, which itself is shaped by the experience one brings to the research process.
This reinforces my constructivist approach because, in the context of my research question,
the CAD learning challenges for students have been experienced in my own professional
career, as a student, in industry and as a lecturer. However, my ontology is not purely
constructivist, as there are some elements of the research which can be assessed
statistically.
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Epistemology: My epistemological position is therefore, leaning towards interpretivism.

Bryman (as cited in Grix, 2002, pp. 177-8), states that interpretivism is predicated upon the
view that a strategy is required that respects the differences between people and the objects
of the natural sciences and therefore requires the social scientist to grasp the subjective
meaning of social action. Through my literature review, I see many aspects on
screencasting have been covered, but none discuss the problems interior design students
face with understanding the CAD software and whether the screencasts help to level the
playing field in ability to execute design projects. Through my methods, mentioned below, I
will endeavour to get an in-depth description of the student experience, which does respect
the differences between people in this specific case.
ii) Methodology
Case Study: Stake (as cited in Cousin, 2005, p.422) used categories for case study research. I
will use what he refers to as an intrinsic case study, which will focus on the use of the
screencasts for education over one academic year. I will be focussing on one group of
students who have used the screencasts. This is not a large group, with a total of 15
students from DIT 1st year BA Honours in interior design and furniture, from the academic
year 2013/14. The reason for choosing an intrinsic case study is that I want to understand
the case in hand and generalise within it, thus learning from its interpretations through
student feedback. The research question and sub questions (see aims and objectives above)
are what Stake (as cited in Cousin, 2005, p.423) refers to as load bearing issue questions,
aimed at obtaining what Geerz, (as cited in Cousin, 2005, p.424) refers to as a thick
description through the triangulated methods used.
iii) Research Methods
The implementation of screencasts in an arts based discipline could be thought of as what
Bassey (as cited in Cousin, 2005, p.425) called the fusion of artist and scientist. This
intrinsic case study will use both qualitative and quantitative methods to correlate with this
fusion (Cousin, 2005, p.425). Therefore, a mixed methods approach will be taken. The most
fruitful results will be achieved through triangulation of three methods adding validity to the
research (Creswell, 2014, p.201).

Method A: The first method is a quantitative survey, consisting of ten questions with
answers given on a Likert Scale model of 1 to 4. This is an on-line anonymous/de-identified
survey using Survey Monkey. Each question has a comment box to allow for further
feedback. Sample questions are listed below:
1. On a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being most in agreement
- How useful do you find video tutorials in your learning?
2. On a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being most in agreement
- Are they a useful aid to learning - blended with face to face lectures?
Method B: The second survey analysis will look at feedback from the academic year. The
survey in semester 1 is a DIT Q6A form, which uses mainly qualitative methods. The survey
in semester 2 is a series of qualitative questions using an on-line anonymous/de-identified
Survey Monkey survey. This gives no option to simply tick a box, allowing for descriptive
responses.
Sample Questions for the semester 2 survey are listed below:
1. What did you like about the CAD semester 2 module?
2. What aspects of the CAD semester 2 module did you find difficult?
3. Did you find the use of video tutorials useful in the CAD 2 module?
Method C: Audio recorded interviews will be carried out with a purposeful sample (Punch,
2006, pp.54-6) from the group. This will result in-depth descriptions of learners
experiences. The questions will have more depth, hopefully uncovering learning preferences
and learning challenges. Through prior research on left and right brain thinking, intrinsic and
extrinsic motivation, and convergent and divergent thinking, as mentioned previously in
context and rationale, I hope to gain insight into whether the students benefit from the
screencasts. It will also explore whether screencasts do help to reduce cognitive load and
reduce anxiety in understanding a more technical element of the curriculum. This will
preferably be a focus group of at least three students, but will depend on response and
availability.

Data Analysis:
The following data analysis methods will be used:
Visual Representations: These will be used in the form of bar charts or graphs for results
from Method A. This will give instant recognition of learner preferences and opinions.
Coding: This method will be used for qualitative analysis of written feedback and audio
interview recordings from Method B and C. Software such as NVivo may be used, but this
will depend on the sample size.
Group Profiling: The groups age, gender and cultural background/nationality will be
triangulated with other results. However, as the surveys are anonymous this only allows for
group analysis. The audio recorded focus group may allow for greater depth.
Attendance: Assess attendance records and triangulate with other results.
Assessment grades: Assess group grades and triangulate with other results.
6. Ethical Considerations
There will not be many ethical issues in my research project. However, the following points
cover the main ethical issues:

The research proposal, including relevant forms and appendices was submitted for
review to the DIT Research ethics board on 11th June 2014. (See Appendix 7)

The relevant consent forms will be provided for surveys and interviews for data
collection.

7. Delimitations, Limitations and Timescale

i) Delimitations

The interviews will take place in the college building to avoid ethical issues.

The research methods will have to conclude end of 2014 to allow for write up of
results.

I am not going to observe students viewing a screencast, as this is not the natural
process for use, and may make students feel uneasy.

I wont be revising the screencasts as it is unnecessary to improve them for their

purpose. I will assess student satisfaction through surveys and interviews.

I will not divide a group, giving half of them the use of screencasts, for ethical
reasons.

I will not use action research as a methodology, as it would involve two cycles or
more, which I dont have time for with use of this artefact.

I will avoid using inferential statistics in quantitative analysis, as I have no experience

with their use. However, if necessary, I will educate myself on their application.

ii) Limitations

I am a parttime lecturer, on a yearly contract. Therefore, in the event of not being

re-appointed to DIT I will have to arrange contact with students for interview, using
the necessary protocols advised by the DIT ethics board and relevant school
regulations.

iii) Timescale
Survey Issue: Method A & B: December 2013 and April/May 2014
Presentation of Research Proposal: June 10th 2014
Submission to DIT Ethics Board: June 11th 2014
Research Proposal Submission: June 24th 2014
Review Surveys: July/August 2014
Commence Year 2 of MSc: September 2014
Feedback from DIT Ethics Board: September 2014
Audio Interview Questionnaire Design & Implementation: Sept to Nov 2014
Data Analysis/Triangulation of Results: December/January 2014/15
Commence Paper - Abstract - moving on sequentially to Conclusions: February 2015

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8. Summary
In summary, this research proposal aims to assess and analyse the benefit of post-lecture
screencasts with first year students at third level. A review of literature on screencasting
and blended learning has taken place and will be explored further. A constructivist
ontological approach, and therefore, an interpretivist epistemological approach to the
research will explore the use of screencasts with interior design students, which has been
uncovered as a gap in the literature on this subject. An intrinsic case study will use mixed
methods, triangulating quantitative and qualitative surveys with qualitative audio recorded
interviews, using purposeful sampling. These interviews will be carried out using a focus
group of at least three students, preferably. Relevant ethics related consent will be sought
from participants during the data collection. After data collection and dissemination using
various appropriate methods, the final research paper will be written.
9. References
Badevi, A. (2013) Ontology, Epistemology, Methodology - How it could be reflected in your
research report? Retrieved on 8th June 2014 from www.youtube.com
Carlile, O. & Jordan, A., (2005), It works in practice but will it work in theory? The
theoretical underpinnings of pedagogy. G. ONeill, S.Moore & R.McMullan
(Eds.) Emerging issues in the practice of university teaching.
Cousin, G., (2005), Case Study Research, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 29:3,
pp.421-427
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design (4th ed.) Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.
Dalgarno, B., Pradhan, S. & Lee, M.J.W., (2008), The Effectiveness of Screencasts and
Cognitive Tools as Scaffolding for Novice Object-Oriented Programmers Journal of
Information Technology Education, Vol 7, pp.61-80.
Denscombe, M. (2012) Research Proposals - A Practical Guide. Berkshire: Open University
Farkas, M. (2013), Just-for-me Training Screencasting for personalized longterm learning.
Retrieved May 06, 2014 for www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org, In Practice, p.21
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Green, K., Pinder-Grover, T. & Millunchick, J., (2011), The efficacy of screencasts to address
the diverse academic needs of students in a large lecture course. Advances in
Engineering Education, Winter 2011, Vol 2 Issue 3, pp.1-28.
Green, K., Pinder-Grover, T. & Millunchick, J., (2012), Impact of Screencast Technology:
Connecting the Perception of Usefulness and the Reality of Performance. Journal of
Engineering Education, October 2012, Vol 101, No. 4, pp. 717-737
Grabe, M. and Christopherson, K., (2008): Optional student use of online lecture resources:
resource preferences, performance and lecture attendance. Journal of Computer
Assisted Learning 24:110.
Grix, J. (2002) Introducing Students to the Generic Terminology of Social Research. Politics:
2002 Vol 22(3), pp.175186
Hardaker,C. & Rushin, G., (2012), Development and Evaluation of the use of
Screencasts as a Supplement to Computer Aided Design Teaching in Fashion
and Textiles. Retrieved June 08, 2014 from www.brighton.ac.uk - BrightONLINE
student literary journal.
Juwah, C. (2006) (Ed) Interactions in Online Education. Implications for Theory and
Practice. London: Routledge.
Kopel, M. (2010) The Paradigm of Screencasting in E-Learning. N.-T. Nguyen et al. (Eds.):
Advances in Multimedia and Networking Information Systems Technology, AISC 80,
Ch. 28, 297-305
Lawson, B. (1997). How designers think: The design process demystified (3rd ed.). Oxford:
Architectural Press.
Lee, M. & Thompson, R. (2012) Talking with Students through Screencasting:
Experimentations with Video Feedback to Improve Student Learning. Retrieved June
08, 2014 from www.commons.gc.cuny.edu
Littlejohn,A. & Pegler,C. (2007). Preparing for blended e-learning. Oxon: Routledge Falmer.
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Mackinnon, D. (1962). The nature and nurture of creative talent. American Psychologist, 17,
484495.
Mayer, Richard E. (2009) Multimedia learning. Cambridge; New York : Cambridge
University Press.
Meneely, J. (2010). Educating Adaptable Minds: How diversified are the thinking
preferences of interior design students? Interior Design Educators Council, Journal
of Interior Design 35(3), 21-32
Punch, K. (2006). Developing Effective Research Proposals. London: Sage.
Rose, K. (2009). Student perceptions of the use of instructor-made videos in online and face
-to-face classes. Retrieved June 07, 2014 from www.jolt.merlot.org Journal of
Online Learning and Teaching, Vol 5, No.3.
Russell, P., Ryder, G., Kerins, G., Phelan, M., (2013.) Creating, sharing and reusing learning
objects to enhance information literacy. Retrieved May 06, 2014 from
www.arrow.dit.ie
Seery, M. and Donnelly, R. (2011), The implementation of pre-lecture resources to reduce inclass cognitive load: A case study for higher education chemistry. Retrieved May 16,
2014 from www.arrow.dit.ie
Stuart, A. (2013) Engaging Students Learning Through a Blended Learning Environment.
Retrieved April 21, 2014 from www.arrow.dit.ie
Sugar, W. , Brown, A. & Luterbach, K., (2010), Examining the Anatomy of a Screencast:
Uncovering Common Elements and Instructional Strategies. International Review of
Research in Open and Distance Learning. Vol 11, No.3.
Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive
Science, 12(2), 257-285.
Torrance, E.P. (1975). Socio-drama as a creative problem-solving approach to studying
the future. Journal of Creative Behavior, 9, 182-195.
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Udell, J. (2004), Name that genre: Screencast. Retrieved on May 06 from jonudell.net
Udell, J. (2005), What is Screencasting? Retrieved on May 24 from www.OReillyMedia.com
Udell, J. (2005), Secrets of Screencasting: Breathe new life into your IT training efforts with
the online equivalent of show-and-tell. Retrieved on May 06 from
www.Infoworld.com, May Issue, P.34.
Udell, J. (2006), A Casting Call: Getting involved with screencasting could have benefits for
InfoWorld readers like yourself. Retrieved on May 06 from www.Infoworld.com,
May Issue, P.61.
Winterbottom, S. (2007) Virtual lecturing: Delivering lectures using screencasting and
podcasting technology. Planet, Issue 18. Retrieved on April 21, 2014 from
www.hea.uk

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Appendix

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Appendix 1:
Image of the Hypercam dialogue box.

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Appendix 2:
Screenshot of a screencast on how to use Hypercam. This is accessible to watch from the
instructional design module tab in my ePortfolio on Wordpress. This was created with
accessibility for hearing impaired people in mind.

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Appendix 3:
Screenshot of one of the recorded tutorials in 3d cad on adding windows from cad design
tools.

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Appendix 4:
Examples of skills which most first year interior design students inherently possess from
experience and ability sketching, mood boards, compiling workbooks.

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Appendix 5:
Examples of skills which are new learning challenges to most first year interior design
students: technical drawing and using CAD to implement it.

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Appendix 6:
Screenshots of use of Adobe Illustrator screencasts, and a students finished drawing,
implemented in fashion & textile design at de Montfort University.
(Hardaker & Rushin, 2012)

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Appendix 7:

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