Student-Created Screencasts: A Constructivist Response to the Challenges of Generative AI in Education

Abstract

Screencasts, which are screen-capture videos, have been created by teachers delivering instruction or feedback, reflecting a teacher-centered model of learning. Based on the constructivist principle, this study explores an innovative attempt to position students as screencast creators, who must demonstrate their knowledge by and explain their work in the screencast. This innovative approach has the potential to promote authentic learning and reduce dependence on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools for completing assignments. However, it is uncertain whether students will have positive attitudes towards this new form of assessment. From 2022 to 2025, the authors used screencasts as assessments in computer programming and English language subjects. Survey results were obtained from 203 university students and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that students generally hold positive attitudes toward creating screencasts, with perceived usefulness for future applications exerting the strongest influence on acceptance, followed by perceived performance benefits and ease of use. It is also found that gender, discipline, and study mode did not significantly alter these relationships, although senior students perceived screencast production as more effortful. These findings suggest that student-created screencasts can serve as an effective, student-centered alternative to traditional written assessments. The research results imply that student-created screencasts have the potential to help students develop their skills in an increasingly GenAI-pervasive academic environment.