The Use of Video Lectures in an Online L2 Module: Insights from Basic IsiZulu

The Covid-19 pandemic changed the teaching modality from blended to fully online for Basic IsiZulu, a second language (L2) module at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In an attempt to compensate for the removal of face-to-face contact, seven video lectures were posted on the Moodle platform. While research into online video lectures reports that students perceive value in the tool, quantitative studies on engagement with online video lectures remain contentious. This study uses the Moodle learning analytics data to quantify student engagement with video lectures and obtain insight into usage. Additionally, survey feedback informs on student satisfaction and aspects of instructional design. The results reveal that for Basic IsiZulu, an average of 35% of the cohort engaged with the online video lectures. In terms of satisfaction, students record high levels of satisfaction and positive perceptions of the instructional design of video lectures. These findings reflect instructional design strategies and concomitant methods to enhance engagement with online video lectures.