Where are audio recordings of lectures in the new educational technology landscape?

Abstract

The increasing availability of audio recordings of lectures is having an impact on the role of the traditional lecture in universities. The reasons why students use lecture recordings have been well documented, however, less is known about the impact of listening to recorded lectures on the quality of the learning experience. Undergraduate psychology students were asked to rate how well attending lectures and listening to audio recordings of lectures met a range of learning objectives. The results show that, compared to attending lectures, listening to recorded lectures was at least as effective in meeting the learning objectives, and even rated significantly higher than attendance in relation to acquiring information and clarifying what needs to be learned. Notwithstanding the limitations of the study, the results are encouraging in terms of the usefulness of lecture recordings in meeting the lecture needs of today’s students, that is, if information transmission is the primary goal.