Lecture capture refers to the recording of live lectures. Lecture capture is widely used throughout higher education and importantly is intended to be a supplementary learning resource, not a replacement for lecture attendance. Many people worry that providing lecture recordings discourage students from attending live lectures, however the evidence for this is very inconsistent. So, if lecture capture is not about replacing live lectures, what is the point?
In fact, it there are many reasons for students using lecture recordings to support their studies and this may change depending on the year of study, whether English is a first or second language, and students’ home circumstances to name a few. For many students it appears the lecture recordings can provide a “second chance” at learning.
The School of Psychology’s Dr Jacqui Hutchison alongside colleagues from Glasgow and Edinburgh universities were interested in how lecture recordings might support students from a widening participation background (students from groups who are underrepresented in Higher Education) and received funding from the Quality Assurance Agency in Scotland to use focus groups to explore this. They found that lecture capture opened up possibilities for these students, allowing them to study at their own pace without feeling inferior or silly if they wanted to ask “can you say that again?”
Lecture capture helped students catch up on learning when circumstances such as chronic health issues of their own or those they were caring for meant they couldn't come to class or the cost of long journeys to campus became problematic. Importantly, this wasn’t about missing lectures through laziness, poor study strategies, or a lack of commitment, this was about having access to resources that provided a more inclusive learning environment helping to level the playing field for people who might not otherwise been able to attend or continue in Higher Education. The School of Psychology at the University of Aberdeen is committed to lecture capture for all our lectures.
While our findings relate to widening participation students, lecture capture is a support resource for all students. Useful guidance on how students can use lecture recordings to supplement their learning have been developed by academics elsewhere and can be found here https://osf.io/e9cqu
Dr Jacqui Hutchison, School of Psychology
