Why record lectures

Why would I do that?

Opinions are divided on this. However, there are some benefits to having these recordings even if you wouldn't make them available to students.

Useful for yourself:

• You can use your own recordings to review and evaluate your own lecture
• You can use your colleagues' recordings to see what was discussed in previous lectures and build on that
• You can use the recordings of other courses to see what prior knowledge your students have
• You can use last year's recordings if you as a teacher unexpectedly become ill
• You can use previous recordings of guest teachers to provide a broader range of experiences to students
  • In the last two cases, you can of course also show the lecture in the lecture hall with a lecturer present to answer any questions
• You can use them as an archive to make sure you know what you have and have not told the students so that you can use that in the assessment

Useful for students:

• Sick/absent students can still watch the lecture
• Students who later find something unclear can look at the relevant parts again
• Students can try to supplement/improve their notes with this
  • Remember that students with dyslexia, for example, often cannot take notes while listening: either they pay attention to the lecture, or they write notes, but not at the same time. Others with a disability may also have problems with this: on average 1 in 10 students has to deal with this! (WUR research)
• Students can get an impression of the course they want to take

Arguments against:

1. Promotes difference between good and bad students. The good students simply come to lectures and use the recording to improve their notes or hear unclear topics again, thus helping them to study. More unmotivated students use it as an excuse not to go to class, but don't get around to watching the lecture at home. Also, watching an hour and a half of lecture online is not always very motivating.
2. Fewer students come to lectures. Lectures can be valuable as a moment to see the teacher and fellow students. It can lower the threshold for asking the teacher or each other for help.

See also the page Experiences with e-lectures under Biology from 2015.

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