More and more universities are moving towards recording of lectures in large group teaching situations on an institutional basis. According to the THES (2015), 15 UK universities are thought to have some kind of institution wide recording system or related policy.
In terms of its effectiveness as a teaching strategy, the notion of recording lectures seems to divide the HE community. For example at Huddersfield University:
- Students seemed overwhelmingly in favour of a move towards recording lectutes – 84% of 758 students who responded to their SU’s poll
- However, staff are concerned about attendance and 75% of teaching and learning staff felt that it would lead to a less spontaneous and more self-conscious learning experience.
However, innovations such as MOOCs and improvements in apps available on handheld devices suggest that the general direction of flow is increasingly towards audio capture of lecture content. According to Professor Richard J Reece, Associate Vice-President at the University of Manchester:
“The almost ubiquitous nature of recording devices (dictaphones, mobile phones, etc.) means that, even in the absence of University-enabled lecture recording, teaching staff must assume that all group-based teaching activities are already being recorded.”