We collect assessment data from periodic usability studies and through the ongoing analysis of YouTube statistics. The information we gather helps us identify problem areas, gauge the usage, reach and effectiveness of our videos and provides guidance for future direction.
Focus Groups - We have conducted two usability studies to evaluate the usefulness and effectiveness of our videos, one at the early stages of our project and one in July 2021. We invited a group of students to watch a selected series of screencasts and provide feedback. We obtained useful information from both studies that helped us refine and improve our videos.
YouTube Analytics - YouTube offers usage statistics and ways to manipulate that data fairly easily. In addition to views, YouTube also keeps track of "watch time," in other words, the amount of time which viewers spend watching each video. It is also possible within the YouTube site to analyze views and watch time over a specific period of time, allowing for semester-to-semester analysis of how videos are doing over time.
Video Maintenance
Video tutorials require ongoing maintenance since platforms, databases and technology change over time. To ensure that our video content is up-to-date, we have divided our tutorials among the reference staff who check the video content monthly for currency. We continually update videos as needed and remove those that have become obsolete. In those situations, all links to the videos must be updated or deleted. Creating widgets for each video in our Libguide assets makes this task much easier.
Periodic Project Assessment
In addition to keeping videos up to date, the reference team meets regularly to assess this project as a whole. In these meetings, we identify new topics for videos, discuss ways to promote our videos, and identify possible problem areas or areas of inquiry. These discussions are informed by outreach with students and faculty.