Use of Screencast in Distance Education GIS Lessons: Students' Views

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the views of geography teacher students on the GIS course conducted with screencasts during the distance education process. Furthermore, the study reveals, along with the reasons, how the process of capturing and sharing screencasts with students can assist instructors. At the end of the term, 27 students studying in the second year of the geography teaching undergraduate program were asked about their opinions of the lesson. The data were collected through a structured evaluation form consisting of open-ended questions to evaluate the course. In the analysis of the comments obtained, MAXQDA software, which is frequently used in qualitative data analysis, was applied. The expressions in the answers were analyzed using the content analysis technique. Overall, the results prove that the beneficial aspects of the GIS course, which consists of applications and is conducted with screencast, outweigh the theory. Thanks to the screencast model, students can use their time efficiently and watch the videos repeatedly whenever and wherever they want. Nevertheless, the results reveal that extra methods are required to motivate students to transfer theoretical information and that screencasts have some disadvantages.