A study exploring the impact of lecture capture availability and lecture capture usage on student attendance and attainment

Abstract

Lecture capture is widely used within higher education as a means of recording lecture material for online student viewing. However, there is some uncertainty around whether this is a uniformly positive development for students. The current study examines the impact of lecture capture introduction and usage in a compulsory second year research methods module in a undergraduate BSc degree. Data collected from a matched cohort before (N = 161) and after (N = 160) lecture capture introduction showed that attendance substantially dropped in three matched lectures after capture became available. Attendance, which predicts higher attainment (controlling for students' previous grade and gender), mediates a negative relationship between lecture capture availability and attainment. Lecture capture viewing shows no significant relationship with attainment whilst factoring in lecture attendance; capture viewing also fails to compensate for the impact that low attendance has on attainment. Thus, the net effect of lecture capture introduction on the cohort is generally negative; the study serves as a useful example (that can be communicated students) of the pitfalls of an overreliance on lecture capture as a replacement for lecture attendance.

A case study: Views on the practice of opting in and out of lecture capture

“…The reasons for the less positive perception are not well investigated but it is thought to be underpinned by staff perceiving a lack of clear benefit of capture to students, and concern that it will impact negatively on attendance (Chang 2007;Owston et al 2011a;Secker et al 2010). There is some evidence to suggest that the concern about attendance is valid with several, but not all, studies finding drops in attendance (Copley 2007;Edwards and Clinton 2018;Owston et al 2011b;Traphagan et al 2010). Staff also report feeling pressure from students and their university and a fear of poor module evaluations if they do not use lecture capture (O'Callaghan et al 2017).…”

“…Other research indicates that students believe lecture capture improves their performance because they are able to review difficult sections and revisit the material as often as needed (Al-Nashash and Gunn 2013; Groen et al 2016). However, studies using actual grades show a mixed picture, with some indicating a positive relationship between lecture capture availability/use and actual grades (Bollmeier et al 2010;Francom et al 2011; Wiese and Newton 2013;Yu et al 2015) and others reporting little or no relationship between the two (Abt and Barry 2007;Brotherton and Abowd 2004;Edwards and Clinton 2018;Hadgu et al 2016). Despite this mixed picture on performance, availability of lecture capture increases student satisfaction (Al-Nashash and Gunn 2013; Brecht and Ogilby 2008;Bryans Bongey et al 2006;Greenberg and Nilssen 2009;Secker et al 2010;Toppin 2011;Traphagan et al 2010;Veeramani and Bradley 2008;Woo et al 2008) and affects course choice such that modules with lecture capture are more likely to be selected (Vajoczki et al 2011;Watt et al 2014).…”

Student Perceptions and Grade Comparisons after Exposure to Instructor-Made Skills Videos in a Kinesiology Course

“…Studies have found that student attendance in face-to face instruction can significantly drop with the availability of recorded lectures. This decrease in attendance has been shown to correlate with decreased exam and final grades (Edwards & Clinton, 2018;Newman-Ford, Fitzgibbon, Lloyd, & Thomas, 2008).…”

“…Educators are now taking advantage of available classroom technology by recording their lectures and disseminating the recordings to students as a supplemental learning tool. Higher education institutions are investing in an array of available technologies to facilitate this lecture capture process (Edwards & Clinton, 2018). However, research has produced mixed results on the efficacy of this educational tool.…”

Orientations of Open Strategy: From Resistance to Transformation

“…Consider how Publish&Flourish applies technology in higher education to offer learning experiences to students via distant learning or via experiences in the field. Simple recordings of lectures made available online might have a negative impact on learning (Edwards and Clinton, 2018) whereas high quality and interactive materials may attract additional students to enrol. The orientation to share may prevent Publish&Flourish from collaborating with one institution when offering online learning programs in order to retain autonomy over offerings yet partner with another where the technology platform appears aligned with the identity, brand, and so forth.…”