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The use of lecture recordings in higher education: A review of institutional, student, and lecturer issues

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Abstract

Web-based lecture technologies are being used increasingly in higher education. One widely-used method is the recording of lectures delivered during face-to-face teaching of on-campus courses. The recordings are subsequently made available to students on-line and have been variously referred to as lecture capture, video podcasts, and Lectopia. We examined the literature on lecture recordings for on-campus courses from the perspective of students, lecturers, and the institution. Literature was drawn from major international electronic databases of Elsevier ScienceDirect, PsycInfo, SAGE Journals, SpringerLink, ERIC and Google Scholar. Searches were conducted using key terms of lecture capture, podcasts, vodcasts, video podcasts, video streaming, screencast, webcasts, and online video. The reference sections of each article were also searched and a citation search was conducted. Institutions receive pressure from a range of sources to implement web-based technologies, including from students and financial imperatives, but the selection of appropriate technologies must reflect the vision the institution holds. Students are positive about the availability of lecture recordings. They make significant use of the recordings, and the recordings have some demonstrated benefits to student learning outcomes. Lecturers recognise the benefits of lecture recordings for students and themselves, but also perceive several potential disadvantages, such as its negative effect on attendance and engagement, and restricting the style and structure of lectures. It is concluded that the positives of lecture recordings outweigh the negatives and its continued use in higher education is recommended. However, further research is needed to evaluate lecture recordings in different contexts and to develop approaches that enhance its effectiveness.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Mitchell Shepherd and Miriam Emad for database literature searches and/or manuscript formatting. This project was supported by strategic funding to the Teaching in Psychology Research Group, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University.

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  1. School of Applied Psychology, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia

    Frances V. O’Callaghan, David L. Neumann, Liz Jones & Peter A. Creed

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  1. Frances V. O’Callaghan
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Correspondence to Frances V. O’Callaghan.

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O’Callaghan, F.V., Neumann, D.L., Jones, L. et al. The use of lecture recordings in higher education: A review of institutional, student, and lecturer issues. Educ Inf Technol 22, 399–415 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-015-9451-z

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