The Impact of Vodcast Use on the Performance of Undergraduate Students in Computer Programming

Abstract

With the growing number of university students currently taking introductory computer programming courses in Nigerian universities, sizable amounts of lecturers’ time is spent on course development and instruction. This puts a strain on the already limited supply of lecturers and resource and also preventing individualized attention to students and hands-on practical. This has led to a decline in the performance of undergraduate students in computer programming. To improve the quality of computer programming education, appropriate computer-based technologies must be engaged. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of vodcasting as a supplementary tool on the performance of undergraduate students in computer programming. A post-test control-group quantitative design of experiments was used to determine if there was a statistically significant difference between the performance measured by assessment scores of second year university students enrolled in computer programming II course who received supplementary content-specific vodcasts in addition to lectures (VL group) and those who received conventional lectures only (L group). The population of the study was drawn from the 272 students who enrolled for computer programming II course (CMP 212) during the 2018-2019 academic session at Federal University Dutsinma, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests and Spearman’s correlation were used to analyze the data in answer to the research questions posed. While exploring the socio-economic characteristics of the sample population, a test on the scores of both genders showed no statistically significant difference in the VL scores between the female and the male learners at 95% confidence level and a p value of .805. Both males and females have the intellectual capacity to equally excel if given the right treatment. The second finding revealed a weak positive relationship between the students’ performance and their program of study. Though the relationship is weak, the variables can be further investigated. A t-test equality of means showed that the use of vodcasts as a supplementary material yielded positive outcome with a value of t=14.546, p<.0001 and a mean difference of 21.772. Students’ perception on the use of vodcasts was also obtained through a qualitative survey which revealed that 70% of the students agree that vodcasts are useful in enhancing their performance and learning of computer programming. Therefore, it can be concluded that vodcasts are valuable teaching tools for students undertaking undergraduate programming courses. It is recommended that universities and other tertiary institutions should adopt the use of vodcasts not just in teaching programming but also in the teaching of other courses.