Using summary videos in online classes for nursing students: A mixed methods study

Abstract Online courses need strategies to engage students, especially after a learning module is over. We made a series of summary videos for students' assignments and investigated their impact on students' learning. This study investigated whether, from the students' perspective, summary videos made by teachers for each learning module in asynchronized online courses led to students' engagement and feeling of being helped. We used exploratory sequential mixed methods research design, which started with a qualitative phase. After collecting students' feedback from an open-ended question administered to 47 nursing students from 3 online courses, we conducted qualitative data analysis. The analysis identified 2 themes: engagement and helpfulness. We used these themes to find 2 validated surveys from the literature to quantitatively measure students' engagement levels and perceived helpfulness of the summary videos. In the quantitative phase, we surveyed 78 nursing students from 4 online courses 3 times. The results indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in students' perceived engagement level among the 3 time points, and that students did not believe the helpful impact of the summary videos on their learning increased significantly. In the mixed methods phase, we compared and contrasted the teaching strategies, quotes from the qualitative strand, and results from the statistical analyses of survey data. The results indicated that the summary videos were helpful in facilitating students' achievement of learning new knowledge and reinforcing previous knowledge; engaging students cognitively, emotionally, and socially; and motivating students intrinsically. However, the videos did not help with students' behavioral engagement and did not help students have a fun learning experience. We concluded that the teaching presence in the summary videos created the positive and supportive learning environment necessary for giving students the opportunity to engage with learning contents.