Using YouTube to Enhance Student Class Preparation in an Introductory Java Course

We provided 21 short You Tube videos for an Introduction to Programming in Java course. Students were surveyed on how often they watched the videos and did the readings, and how much these activites contributed to their learning. When professors reduced lecture time and increased lab time, students watched videos and read significantly more. Their test scores were at least as high and they indicated they would prefer to not have more lecture. The You Tube videos also provided a source of outreach for the university, drawing a large number of views, including the 13-17 year-old demographic.