Studying the process and impact of site-produced peer-to-peer video tutorials: A case study approach

Rapidly advancing technology offers educators new tools to help increase student achievement. Through one such technology—digital video authoring—students can readily create video tutorials for use by their peers. This study reports on attempts by students to produce peer-to-peer video tutorials on an urban campus. It explored student and teacher attitudes towards the practical aspects of production and collaboration, and the potential to impact student achievement and engagement. The study found that digital authoring is a technically feasible and effective way of engaging students in the core curriculum. Even with students in leadership roles, teacher-student collaboration can succeed, and both teachers and students displayed keen insights into why and how such video tutorials can be utilized. It is recommended that teachers not fear video technology or technically savvy students. Schools and administrators should understand that professional development in project-based learning might help unlock the potential of this powerful tool