“VC/DC” - Video versus Domain Concepts in Commentsto Learner-generated Science Videos

Abstract

The recently finished EU project JuxtaLearn aimed at supporting students’ learning of STEM subjects through the creation, exchange and discussion of learner-made videos. The approach is based on an eight-stage activity cycle in the beginning of which teachers identify specific “stumbling blocks” for a given theme (or “tricky topic”). In JuxtaLearn, video comments were analyzed to extract information on the learners’ acquisition and understanding of domain concepts, especially to detect problems and misconceptions. These analyses were based on mapping texts to networks of concepts (“network-text analysis”) as a basis for further processing. In this article we use data collected from recent field trials to shed light on what is actually discussed when students share their own videos in science domains. Would the aspect of video-making dominate over activities related to a deepening of domain understanding? Our findings indicate that there are different ways of balancing both aspects and interventions will be needed to bring forth the desired blend.