Effect of lecture recording on lecture attendance and student performance in science

Foteini Hassiotou and Patrick Finnegan

Lectopia is an online lecture-recording tool that gives learners access to lecture material at their own time and pace. Although Lectopia has been designed as a tool that complements rather than replaces classroom teaching, a decrease in lecture attendance by students is often reported by teachers in units where Lectopia is available.

At the same time, it is not clear whether Lectopia achieves its purpose, which is to provide a framework for deeper learning and thus, improve student performance. This study set out to determine the impact of Lectopia on lecture attendance and whether the tool enhances the learning outcomes for science students.

A group of 276 students who were enrolled in a Level 1 biology unit was surveyed. 75% of respondents indicated that they use Lectopia, with 53% of respondents using the facility one or two times a week. Their primary reason for using Lectopia was to cover missed lectures, while secondary reasons included extracting, revising and assimilating the lecture material. The use of Lectopia to replace attendance at live lectures was reinforced by the fact that those students who never used the tool indicated that they attended all lectures and therefore considered using Lectopia unnecessary. Most students even stated that they would have missed fewer lectures if Lectopia was not available.

Lectopia usage did not seem to improve the performance of those students who missed only a few lectures, but did improve the performance of the students who missed 40% or more of the lectures. These results indicate that Level 1 biology students use Lectopia as an alternative way of learning; thus the objective that Lectopia be used as a supplement to live lectures that enhances student learning outside the classroom has only been partially met.