Title
Rethinking the "distance" in distance learning: the prospects and complexities of tutored
video instruction (TVI)
Objectives
This paper reports on tutored video instruction (TVI) as a hybrid instructional
method currently being employed in a pilot project between a large public university and
neighboring community colleges. Past studies have shown that TVI students achieve at
equal or higher levels than on-campus lecture-only students. We propose categories for
understanding the value added to distance education by TVI and make recommendations
as to enhancing the efficacy of future TVI iterations. Specifically addressed are the
critical aspects of: lecture didacticism, tutor expertise, student characteristics, subject
matter, and the technology of the presentation environment.
Distance education holds the promise of providing educational opportunities for
vast numbers of students from many different backgrounds. With higher education
institutions rushing to accommodate surges in enrollment, distance education has
emerged as a potential alternative for teaching introductory topics and skills before
students progress to courses with smaller enrollment, focused on their specific areas of
interest.
Distance education has struggled, however, with its image of impersonal and
incomplete instruction. Didactic instructional materials and limited scaffolding
techniques draw an undesirable, factory-model picture of what distance education has
become (Noble, 1997). However, choices can be made based on sound pedagogy and
educational rationale to drive the development of a richer, more satisfying distance
education experience.
Theoretical Framework
Tutored Video Instruction (TVI) is used to enhance distance learning with
interactive multimedia and small group discussion. First developed by James Gibbons in
the 1970's, TVI uses videotaped lectures as the primary source of instruction for small
groups of students outside the traditional lecture classroom. A tutor is present in order to
facilitate discussion of the content, thus making TVI a hybrid instructional method
intended to “combin[e] the positive features of lectures with those of small group
discussions” (Gibbons, et. al., 1977).
Tutor-facilitated classes take advantage of the affordances of the video artifact,
through pauses, stops, and seeks in the video stream. Students and tutors can use the
flexibility of video-based technologies to ask clarifying questions, make challenges to the
presentation, review unclear lecture segments, or interject other relevant data, such as
anecdotal evidence from personal experiences. Research by Gibbons and others
(Gibbons, et. al., 1977; Lewis & Blanksby, 1988) has shown that students learning in this
mode achieve at an equal or higher level than their on-campus lecture counterparts.
Gibbons lists several factors he believes are crucial to the success of TVI:
(a)
Attitude, personality, instructional style, and experience of tutor
(b)
Group size of 3-8 students is optimal for promoting tape stops and
discussion
(c)
Student commitment to degree program (or similar educational objective)
(d)
Active classroom participation of students in the lecture class
(e)
Organization of lecturer, including knowledge of subject and physical
presence
(f)
Reduction of outside pressures, such as scheduling and social conflicts
(g)
Ongoing evaluation as managed by a designated administrator
Our research critically examines these factors by analyzing observational data
from local implementations of TVI. We attempt to locate the points at which value is
added to learning in educational systems that employ TVI, and we explore the depth and
validity of Gibbons' original studies. We also suggest some important efficacy
considerations that TVI research to date may have overlooked and make
recommendations for effective applications of TVI in distance education.
Methods
The data collected in our research spans two phases of a pilot project between a
public university and neighboring community colleges.
In the first phase, researchers used discourse analysis methods to examine
transcripts of spoken interactions and notes on situated behaviors. The data consisted of
written descriptions of the educational system, including general descriptions of the
student populations, tutors, managers, and the technology employed.
In the second phase, we will videotape TVI classrooms, building an audiovisual
record of the instructional events. We will use interaction analysis methods to more
closely examine situated behaviors and video indexing to chronologically reconstruct
TVI classroom events. We will search for patterns in the classroom development of
critical discourse on lecture content, paying special attention to kinesthetic responses and
non-verbal interactions.
Data Sources
In this pilot project, the public university and area community colleges jointly
offered two courses in the TVI mode: Computer Programming for Engineers and
Scientists I & II. Graduate student researchers made field observations at participating
community colleges, conducted informal interviews with tutors, TVI students, and
administrators, and attended planning and evaluation meetings for the pilot project. Our
researchers collected data from three TVI implementation sites at two community
colleges in the first phase of the pilot project.
In the second phase, project administrators plan to redesign the TVI
implementations based on our initial findings, as described in the results section. We
will return to the community colleges to make additional observations, videotaping these
sessions in order to build a richer corpus of data and improve our analytical reliability.
Additionally, we will have access to academic performance data and attitudinal reports,
enhancing our examination of student achievement, preferences, and the impact of
knowledge domain characteristics in relation to TVI. Second phase observations are
currently in progress.
Results
First phase observations that demonstrated patterns across implementation sites
included but are not limited to:
 Tutors received inadequate training and support as noted in self-reports and
informal interviews with project managers.
 Tutors reported a sense of disconnectedness from the public university and project
administrators.
 Tutor-initiated stops accounted for most, if not all, of the video stops in the TVI
sessions observed.
 The pauses, intended for productive small group discussion, in most cases lasted
under two minutes each.
 The level of collaborative work participation, even with tutor insistence, was
minimal.
 Student participation overall increased as the quarter progressed.
From these initial findings, the following site and experimental redesign
recommendations were made and are in the process of being implemented:
 A program should be established to introduce and train prospective tutors in the
TVI pedagogy, informing them of the proposed and proven benefits of the
initiative.
 Project administration should be consistent with its intervention in order to
facilitate a sense of connectedness with TVI tutors.
 Closer attention should be paid to tutor styles, which can be differentiated into at
least three categories: patient perspective, the attempt-at-integration, and the
work-around.
 Absent from previous research, tracking kinesthetic cueing patterns for initiating
video stops may draw a clearer picture of the tutor's role in missing, recognizing,
or dismissing student-desired stops.
 Studies of TVI could be greatly enhanced by the inclusion of interaction analysis
or other video analysis strategies.
Notably, our research has determined that kinesthetic cueing and the emergent
patterns of tutor differentiation constitute important categories of analysis that have not
been the focus of earlier TVI studies. Our paper will report on these categories and the
impact that redesign decisions made on the second phase of the project. We will also
discuss in greater detail characteristics of the subject matter and the influence of those
attributes on the success of TVI.
Significance
Citing a large body of literature, Carol Twigg (1999) claims that “[t]he
overwhelming body of research tells us that students do not learn effectively from
lectures. Testimony from the field corroborates the literature. What’s wrong with the
lecture? The lecture method is a push technology.” As we study educational systems, we
should examine all co-present technologies.
One point in question is whether or not systemic use of the video artifact makes a
significant contribution to learning, such that TVI students outperform on-campus
students. We should endeavor to understand the significance of these technology
artifacts in educational systems and their transparency, or ability to be seamlessly,
systemically integrated.
By researching TVI, we may also gain a better understanding of the quality and
dynamics of in-class discussions and how facilitated small-group interaction adds value
to lecture-based instruction. In this way, TVI can enhance and bring new levels of
understanding to distance education.
References
Gibbons, J. F., Kincheloe, W. R., & Down, K. S. (1977). Tutored videotape
instruction: A new use of electronics media in education. Science, 195, 1139-1146.
Jordan, B. & Henderson, A. (1995). Interaction analysis: Foundations and
practice. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 4 (1), 39-103.
Lewis, J. L. & Blanksby, V. (1988). New look video in vocational education:
What factors contribute to its success? Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 4
(2), 109-117.
Noble, D. (1997). Digital diploma mills: The automation of higher education.
[online]. Available: http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue3_1/noble/index.html.
(August 1, 2000).
Twigg, C. A. (1999). Improving learning & reducing costs: Redesigning largeenrollment courses. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Center for Academic
Transformation.