Do short screencasts improve student learning of mathematics

Screencasts are video recordings of activity on a computer screen which can include narrator audio. They can be watched on a computer or on a mobile device with video playback capabilities. The video component is what distinguishes screencasts from audio podcasts. For mathematics learning, when created using tablet technology, screencasts enable the real-time recording of handwritten step-by-step solutions of problems including specialist mathematical notation. One of the strengths of screencasts is that, like live lectures, they “allow communication through multiple channels: writing, visual aids and speech” [1]. For this reason, screencasting has been especially popular for recording mathematics lectures [2, 3]. Screencasts may be accessed whenever a student likes, from wherever they are, and can be downloaded for later use offline.