Assessing The Effect of Self-recorded Video Assignments on Students’ Critical Thinking Skills

TILT program: Teaching and Learning Development Grant (TLDG)

Principal Investigator: Mina Xu, lecturer, School of Sustainable Energy Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences

Project team: Mariana Toniolo Barrios, TILT research assistant; Yalda Saedi, research assistant, Sustainable Energy Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences

Timeframe: April 2022 and May 2023

TILT Support: $2500 and up to 100 hours of TILT research assistant hours

Course addressed: SEE 402 -- Professional Engineering Ethics and Practice

Final Report: View Mina Xu's final report (PDF)

Description:

This project investigated whether self-recorded video assignments combined with structured peer feedback could enhance students’ critical thinking skills and learning in a fourth-year engineering ethics course. Grounded in literature defining critical thinking as purposeful, self-regulatory judgment involving analysis, evaluation, and reflection, the project sought to supplement traditional written assignments and in-class discussions with reflective video-based assessments. Video assignments were expected to promote deeper engagement with ethical dilemmas by requiring students to articulate problems, analyze facts, consider alternatives, and propose solutions. Peer feedback was designed to foster engagement, open-mindedness, and constructive critique.

A mixed-methods approach was employed, including grades from rubric-based evaluations of the two videos, analysis of peer feedback comments, and survey data. Results showed a statistically significant improvement in performance, with average scores increasing from 7.38/8 (92%) on video 1 to 7.72/8 (96%) on video 2 (p < 0.01). Students who received constructive peer feedback were more likely to improve in the second video, highlighting the importance of actionable critique. Analysis of peer comments indicated that all feedback included positive elements, while constructive feedback was more prevalent in video 1 (75%) than video 2 (59%), consistent with assignment requirements. Survey results demonstrated strong student agreement that video recording and peer feedback supported critical thinking, engagement, and respectful consideration of diverse perspectives. 

Qualitative responses reinforced these findings. Students reported that recording videos encouraged careful reflection, concise reasoning, self-review, and comparison with peers’ perspectives. Many preferred video assignments to written work, noting improved focus on ideas and real-world relevance. Overall, the project demonstrates that self-recorded video assignments with peer feedback are an effective strategy for enhancing critical thinking in engineering ethics education.

Questions addressed:

• Does self-recorded video assignment improve students' critical thinking skills from first video to second video?
• Is improvement in critical thinking related to type of feedback comments received from peer students?
• What is the nature of feedback comments students provide to peers (constructive versus positive)?
• How do students assess their own critical thinking skills and learning of course material through self-recorded video assignments and peer feedback?
• What are students' preferences for self-recorded video assignments compared to other assessment methods?

Knowledge sharing: Preliminary findings were shared at SFU Teaching Matters Seminar Series in Fall 2022. Project findings were also shared with colleagues during faculty check-in meetings with plans to share findings in near future. Plans to write journal paper using project findings and consider presenting research at CEEA conference.

Keywords: Professional Engineering Ethics, Critical Thinking Skills, Ethical Dilemmas, Self-recorded Video assignments, Peer feedback, active learning, student engagement, formative assessment, reflection, engineering education