Is “Lecture Capture System” a Blessing in Disguise for Teaching and Learning Anatomy?

Abstract

Background: Lecturing is a commonly used teaching method for communicating conceptual knowledge in a large group. However, students' attention span is limited. The introduction of a lecture capture system would, therefore, be advantageous in filling this void. Material and Methods: The study was conducted on 202 first-year Medical Undergraduate students (96 males & 106 females). The students were exposed to 'Impartus,' i.e., a lecture capture system for four months. In the end, the usage & perception of the students regarding the lecture capture system was documented using a validated questionnaire. Results: Results were expressed in frequency & percentage. The usage of the lecture capture system helps in understanding the concepts better as agreed by 76.83% of the student population. The majority of the students watch the lectures online as per convenience (79.30%). About 55.44% stated that the lecture capture system is easy to use. Students (62.87%) believed that watching lectures online would help to recall the points that they had failed to understand in the class. However, 70.78% of students preferred face to face classroom lecturing system. Topics on Embryology & Neuroanatomy were strongly favored by a majority of the students (72.38%) to be viewed in Impartus. Conclusion: The lecture capture system is beneficial as it favors the teaching-learning process and can supplement traditional lecturing. Face to face lecturing is, however, preferred over online lectures. Issues such as poor internet connectivity and other technical glitches should be taken care of to promote better use of the lecture capture system.