Running Head: ASSESSMENT OF CAMTASIA FOR SCREENCASTING

A Critical Assessment of Camtasia Studio 8 as an Effective

Multimedia Learning Tool for Screencasting
EDUC 5405G Digital Technologies in Adult Education, Dr. Carolyn Guertin
Alissa Bigelow
University of Ontario Institute of Technology

ASSESSMENT OF CAMTASIA FOR SCREENCASTING

Abstract
Screencasting has become a popular teaching method used to communicate concepts, procedures
and processes because it enables students to experience multimodal (auditory and visual)
learning in ways that best suit their personal learning styles. This paper will examine ways in
which screencasting can be used as a learning tool to lessen the personalization gap that is
common within asynchronous online course environments. It will provide a brief overview of
the tools and features found within Camtasia Studio 8 and describe how they can be used to
enhance the screencasts and the learning experience for the student. It will also examine the
ways in which screencasts created using the available tools and features align with the Learning
Object Review Instrument (LORI) to determine the quality of screencasts as learning tools and
finally, it will address the limitations found within the software.
Keywords: screencasting, learning tool, asynchronous, LORI

ASSESSMENT OF CAMTASIA FOR SCREENCASTING

A Critical Assessment of Camtasia Studio 8 as an Effective

Multimedia Learning Tool for Screencasting
Many educational institutions are increasing online course delivery options in order to
offer more flexible learning options for students (Colleges Ontario, 2012; Ontario Government,
2014). This shift in delivery method has introduced many new challenges for educators, however
one of the most significant challenges online teachers currently face is how to maintain the same
level of personalized communication with the student as if it were a face to face classroom. One
option that has shown promise in closing the personalization gap created from teaching and
learning in an asynchronous online learning environment is screencasting.
Screencasting is defined as a digital movie in which the setting is partly or wholly a
computer screen, and in this audio narration describes the on-screen action (Udell, 2005).
Screencasting has become a popular teaching method used to communicate concepts,
procedures, and processes with an audience because it allows students to experience multimodal
(auditory and visual) learning in ways that best suit their personal learning style (Goldman, 2003;
Sankey, Birch, & Gardiner, 2010).
To stay within the scope of the learning tool assessment outline, this paper will examine
ways in which screencasting can be used as a learning tool to lessen the personalization gap that
is common within asynchronous online course environments. It will provide a brief overview of
the tools and features found within Camtasia Studio 8 and describe how they can be used to
enhance the screencasts and the learning experience for the student. It will also examine the
ways in which screencasts created using the available tools and features align with the Learning
Object Review Instrument (LORI) to determine the quality of screencasts as learning tools.
Finally, it will address the limitations found within the software.

ASSESSMENT OF CAMTASIA FOR SCREENCASTING

Screencasting as a Learning Tool

In my role as an Instructional Design Technologist I am involved in the development of
asynchronous online courses and work with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to ensure the content
that is being delivered is pedagogically supported by the appropriate technology. In an
asynchronous learning environment students generally progress through the material at their own
pace and do not have the same opportunities to ask questions and receive an immediate response
as they would in a traditional classroom environment. When designing an online course for
asynchronous delivery, careful consideration must be made to navigation instructions and action
items need to be clearly communicated to ensure students are guided through the course
materials. Screencasts have proven to be an instrumental communication tool between the
instructor and the student for this type of course (Sugar, Brown, & Luterbach, 2010). They can
provide the student with personalized tutorials and just in time access to information to ensure
each student receives clear, concise, and consistent directions. Screencasts are also being used to
provide the student with personalized video feedback in response to assessments throughout the
course (Sugar, Brown, & Luterbach, 2010; Thompson, & Lee, 2012).
In addition to being used as a communication tool, many instructors I work with are now
creating assignments that require the students to create their own screencasts to demonstrate their
learning and explain how they achieved the outcomes for a given assessment. Using screencasts
as a learning tool in this manner aligns with the constructivist learning theory wherein the
student creates their own meaning and representations of information based on prior and new
forms of knowledge (Learning Theories, 2007; Jonassen, Davidson, Collins, Campbell, & Haag,
2009).

ASSESSMENT OF CAMTASIA FOR SCREENCASTING

Camtasia Studio 8 Tools and Features

Camtasia Studio 8 is a robust screen recording application that easily enables new users
to create professional quality screencasts. The Camtasia Studio 8 interface is separated into three
main working areas for the creation, editing and publishing processes as seen in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Camtasia Studio 8 Interface

The Clip Bin and Tool Control area of the screen contains all of the video audio and
image files used in the project as well as a variety of features that can be added to the screencast
to enhance the production and add emphasis to the screencast such as call outs (ie: the arrows
and red boxes in Figure 1), zoom controls, clickable hotspot areas, highlighting, captioning,
quizzing and more.
The canvas preview area allows the user to view the screencast during the editing phase
to ensure the events that happen within the screencast appear as desired. Canvas control buttons

ASSESSMENT OF CAMTASIA FOR SCREENCASTING

are available to enable user to skip through the screencast and quickly advance to a specific point
within the production during the editing process.
The timeline area is used to assemble and edit the screencast. Video, audio and images
can be added to the timeline to add emphasis to key areas during the screencast and enhance the
final product. There are also editing tools that enable the user to make adjustments to the audio
and video recordings within the interface rather than employing another editing tool.
Evaluating the Quality of Screencasts using the LORI Model
The Learning Object Review Instrument (LORI) for quality assessment of multimedia
learning resources (Leacock & Nesbit, 2007) measures against nine criteria on a five point scale,
with 1 being low and 5 being high. The LORI scoring sheet found within the LORI User Manual
(Nesbit, Belfer, & Leacock, n.d.) was used to measure and assess the features in Camtasia Studio
8. The completed scoring sheet is included in the Appendix, however it should be noted that
some of the criteria were found to be out of the scope of this paper.
1. Content Quality (LORI Score NA)
The Content Quality score is derived from the validity and accuracy of the content being
presented. Since the content of a given screencasts is unique to the teaching it is not
within the context of this paper to pedagogically evaluate the content the screencast at
this time. Therefore, this category was scored as not applicable.
2. Learning Goal Alignment (LORI Score 4/5)
Screencasts can be used as an effective way to ensure that the learning goals and
expectations for a given topic are clearly and concisely articulated to the students
participating in the online course and that those learning goals are followed and

ASSESSMENT OF CAMTASIA FOR SCREENCASTING

reinforced throughout the remainder of the screencast and learning activities. The ability
to create narrated video clips that describe key learning concepts and explain how pieces
of the lesson align to the learning goals is an important consideration. This multimodal
method of delivery also addresses differences in learning styles between students
(Sankey, Birch, & Gardiner, 2010).
3. Feedback and Adaptation (LORI Score 4/5)
Instructors can use screencasts to provide students with personalized video feedback
upon completion of an assignment or a learning activity. The quizzing utility found
within the Camtasia Studio 8 tools can be used to infuse the screencast with interactive
components that can personalize the students learning experience based on the way in
which a series of questions are answered. The scores from integrated quizzes can be used
to trigger adaptive release conditions on subsequent content within a course or redirected
the learner back to view the screencast again.
4. Motivation (LORI Score 3/5)
Interactivity and engagement opportunities allow the student to have some control over
their learning and encourage participation. These have been shown to be factors that can
increase intrinsic motivation and boost student learning. (Martens, Gulikers, & Bastiaens,
2004; Tsui, & Treagust, 2004). The ability for the screencast creator to add hotspot areas
and add quizzing can be used to engage the students when viewing the screencast.
5. Presentation Design (LORI Score 4/5)
The timeline feature within the Camtasia enables the creator to customize the
presentation design of each screencast and modify the timing of the audio and visual

ASSESSMENT OF CAMTASIA FOR SCREENCASTING

components to produce comprehensive, multimedia rich screencasts that can guide the
learner through the screencast (Figure 2). The tools found within the Tool Selection
menu such as call outs, zoom
controls, and cursor highlighting all
contribute to the wide range of
presentation design options that are

Figure 2: Timeline with additional media assets to enhance

Presentation Design

available to the creator to enhance the quality of the screencast and learning experience
for the learner.
6. Interaction Usability (LORI Score 3/5)
When the screencasts are published they can be saved in a variety of formats. Allowing
the instructor to control how the learner
interacts with the screencast. The published
product could be an mp4 video file,
published to YouTube or published using its
own multimedia player (Figure 3) which can
be used to increase the usability of the

Figure 3: Published as mp4 with Multimedia Player

screencast for the learner. The ability for the instructor to narrate clear and concise
navigation instructions within the screencast reduces the potential for confusion and also
makes it easier for the student to use.
7. Accessibility (LORI Score 4/5)
The speech to text feature found within the Captions tool can be used to add a transcribed
script of the audio recording to the timeline within the screencast in order to address
accessibility concerns for the hearing impaired. In addition, the recorded audio narration

ASSESSMENT OF CAMTASIA FOR SCREENCASTING

of the screencast provides access to the material within the screencast to those with visual
impairments.
8. Reusability (LORI score 4/5)
The ability of the screencasts to be published in a variety of formats enables the
screencast to be easily shared amongst instructors in similar disciplines. However, the
reusability of the actual content within the screencast will depend upon the context and
purpose of the lesson. For the purpose of this assessment the score is based on the ability
to share the screencast asset.
9. Standards Compliance (LORI score 4/5)
Screencasts can be published in a variety of standard audio and video formats such as
MP4 video, flash, HTML5, MOV, WMV, AVI, MP3 (audio only), M4V and GIF. They
can also be published in Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) for
integration with Learning Management Systems.
Limitations
Camtasia Studio 8 may be a highly valuable learning resource tool however it is not
without its weaknesses. The first identified weakness is the cost associated with purchase. There
is a 30 day free trial available for download from the TechSmith website, however after 30 days
the product will need to be purchased in full or access to the trial product will expire.
Educational and volume purchase discounts are available for a considerably lower price,
however a single use license for the software will cost approximately $365.00 CAD.
Another limitation with the software is the level of knowledge and learning required by
the creator in order to utilize the tools to enhance their screencasts. There are a wide range of

ASSESSMENT OF CAMTASIA FOR SCREENCASTING

10

tools and features available that werent assessed within the scope of this paper. The sheer
number of enhancement options can easily overwhelm a new user. Beginners are encouraged to
start with a basic screencast recording and use the tutorials available on the vendor website to
build on their knowledge and skills as they gain experience working with the program.
The final limitation found with the software is the way in which the recordings and
projects are saved when finished editing the screencast. When the initial recording process is
finished screencast creators are prompted to save a .TREC file and are then directed to the
editing interface (Figure 1). When finished the editing process, creators are again prompted to
save a .CAMPROJ file which holds all of the edits, media, timings and polished screencast
settings. If either of these files are not saved properly when prompted, the screencast cannot be
edited within Camtasia Studio 8 in the future. The process of saving multiple files for each part
of the screencast production can be confusing and there is potential for loss of work should the
creator not save one of the production files properly.
Conclusion
Screencasts are proving to be an effective way in which instructors can easily
communicate with students while maintaining a personal connection to an asynchronous online
course (Sugar, Brown, & Luterbach, 2010; Thompson, & Lee, 2012). The tools and features
found within Camtasia Studio 8 provide instructors and students with the ability to produce high
quality, professional screencasts to demonstrate key concepts and guided tutorials that have the
ability to align with the LORI quality assessment of multimedia learning resources scoring sheet
(Nesbit, Belfer, & Leacock, n.d.). Although there are some limitations with its use, Camtasia
Studio 8 is a robust tool that can be used to produce high quality learning objects to support
asynchronous online course delivery.

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Appendix
Learning Object Review Instrument (LORI) Scoring Sheet

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