The Importance of Video Tutorials for Higher Education - The Example of Business Information Systems

The main purpose of this paper is to explain the arguments that stand for video content presentation, as a teaching method with high results especially for some technical disciplines related to Business Information Systems (BIS).Our previous work was based on a "so called" practice of image management in order to conceive tutorials as documents containing suggestive static screen captures and their corresponding explanatory text. Some tests made few years ago with screen recording software failed mainly because of technical inconveniences: cursor movement recording errors, huge data space needed to post the results on the faculty portal, or low encoding power. Our present approach involved a logical sequence of steps composed by: content creation (recording, filtering, encoding/archiving, suggestive renaming), usability testing in a teaching class, impact testing based on questionnaires about the teaching method and testing specific requirements assumed to be learned using this kind of teaching in an evaluation class. The obvious results of the whole experiment that is the prime matter of this paper are related to the increased test performance of students. Another gain is the great amount of time available for additional activities as repetition. This kind of teaching offers more than ease of use and time efficiency. An example is the possibility to integrate learning and teaching activities with software testing. The idea of video tutorials is not new. The unusual came from continuous experiments for almost two university semesters and for three distinct disciplines related to BIS. That provided us data, feedback and a certain motivation to find a proper evaluation method for this kind of teaching using video tutorials