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The above comment was made by an MSc student after watching two screencasts on undergraduate calculus. They were produced as part of an MSOR Network funded mini-project to develop and evaluate screencasts on advanced calculus topics. The sentiment expressed was reflected in many other students' comments. This paper reports the outcomes of this project. Screencasts Screencasts are video recordings of activity on a computer screen which can include narrator audio. They can be watched on a computer or on a mobile device with video playback capabilities. The video component is what distinguishes screencasts from audio podcasts. For mathematics learning, when created using tablet technology, screencasts enable the real-time recording of handwritten step-by-step solutions of problems including specialist mathematical notation. One of the strengths of screencasts is that, like live lectures, they "allow communication through multiple channels: writing, visual aids and speech" [1]. For this reason, screencasting has been especially popular for recording mathematics lectures [2, 3]. Screencasts may be accessed whenever a student likes, from wherever they are, and can be downloaded for later use offline. An analysis of student perceptions of the effective use of such recordings has been undertaken by Yoon & Sneddon [4]. Some universities have produced screencasts exclusively for their students. In addition others, including some mathematics support centres, have also produced videos and screencasts which are available to all, for example, Mathcentre [5] and MathsCasts [6]. The Khan Academy [7] provides an extensive range of screencasts supporting mainly school mathematics. The project Many tertiary mathematics students struggle with the algebra and calculus skills required for advanced study. Students often have difficulty with the techniques that are assumed prerequisite knowledge of a particular module of study rather than the content of the module per se. This is particularly the case for part-time and distance students, for whom the prerequisite topics may have been studied some years previously. The aim of the project was to investigate and evaluate the value and effectiveness of short screencasts as educational support resources for such students.

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