Time Compression Effects of Videotapes on Students

Abstract

A study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of using timecompressed videotapes in engineering education. Students in Junior level engineering economy classes were divided into groups and instructed for five consecutive classes either by regular speed videotape, 30% time‐compressed videotape, or conventional live lecture. Student performance was evaluated through five‐minute quizzes administered immediately after the videotapes were shown and through test scores on one‐hour exams. An eight‐item questionnaire was also distributed to obtain student opinion of the instructional methods. The results of the quizzes and one‐hour exams showed that student performance in the time‐compressed sections was at least as good as that of the other sections. The results of the student questionnaire indicated considerable student satisfaction with the time‐compressed tapes. On the basis of these experimental results, it appears that a significant time saving from a learner's point of view can be achieved through time compression of videotaped lectures.