ORIGINAL PAPER Graduate Students’ Readiness and Perceptions of the Pedagogical Application of Collaborative Video Logs Heather L. Fox 1 & Christopher Cayari 2 # Association for Educational Communications & Technology 2016 Abstract Group work projects are common components of graduate course curricula. Instructors often try to mitigate the benefits of group work projects for students while avoiding negative effects. Informal learning and participatory culture practices like video logs can enhance learning environments. Video logs that promote both informal learning and participa- tory culture practices have captured the interest of researchers as a popular way to disclose observations, reflections and thoughts about people’ s lives and experiences. This study pro- vides insight on how graduate students may respond to partic- ipation in a Collaborative Video Logs (CVL) in lieu of group work projects or asynchronous text-based discussion boards. A CVL is a series of videos created by a small group of students addressing a topic and engages students through asynchronous video conversation while promoting owner- ship, reflection, and academic and social outcomes. This study summarizes students’ past experiences and perceptions of group work projects, technological readiness, and affective responses to participating in a CVL as a course assignment. Keywords Collaborative video log . YouTube . Group work . Group projects . Video blogs . Collaborative learning . Asynchronous learning Introduction Group work projects, where students are charged with collab- orating in small groups with the shared responsibility of com- pleting course tasks or projects, are common components of graduate course curriculum (Rafferty 2013). Researchers and educators have found that group work projects result in a) the enhancement of student learning through constructive educa- tive processes, b) the development of students’ critical think- ing and problem solving abilities, and c) an interdependence among group members that facilitates learning of collabora- tive work skills (Alden 2011; Cameron et al. 2009; Isaac 2012; Jensen et al. 2012; Payne et al. 2006; Rafferty 2013; Scherling 2011). However, participation in group-work can include both negative cognitive and affective consequences for students (Isaac 2012; Neu 2012; Yamane 1996). Two root causes are often cited by researchers as negative effects of group work. First, students frequently lack the skills to manage a collaborative learning process and may not value the social aspects of group work (Cameron et al. 2009; Morgan et al. 2009). Subsequently group work can cause anx- iety amongst students because of a) interpersonal conflicts with other students, b) ineffective communications, and c) disparate levels of participation among group members (Dommeyer 2012; Isaac 2012; Scherling 2011; Thompson and Ku 2006). Secondly, grading policies are often viewed as unfair by students (Rafferty 2013). Instructors commonly provide all member of a group the same grade regardless of individual group members’ contribution to the project. This is in part because instructors often lack adequate information to provide the individuals in group projects a grade that accurate- ly reflects their participation (Alden 2011; Dommeyer 2012). Alternatively, some instructors elect to use peer evaluation process, where input from students is used to adjust individual students’ grades (Rafferty 2013). This shifts the burden of * Heather L. Fox hlfox2@illinois.edu 1 Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 51 Gerty Dr., 125 CRC, Champaign, IL 61820, USA 2 Wisconsin Singers, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1320 Humanities, 455 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53706, USA TechTrends DOI 10.1007/s11528-016-0084-x