WHY DO STUDENTS ACCESS BIOSCIENCE LECTURE RECORDINGS? IS ACCESSING RECORDINGS ASSOCIATED WITH ACADEMIC OUTCOMES?

Abstract

When face-to-face lectures are available, there have been limited studies of why students access lecture recordings, and even fewer studies of any association between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes. In a bioscience course, a survey was used (i) to determine why the students use lecture recordings and (ii) to test whether there was any association between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes. Consenting students undertook an online survey about accessing lecture recordings. Of 288 enrolled students, 131 consented to undertake the survey. For the 84 students who accessed lecture recordings, they were used to clarify, revise or catch up on content, or as an alternative to attending lectures. One-third of students provided additional feedback on accessing lecture recordings, and the most common themes were ‘flexibility’ and ‘useful’. Academic outcomes and accessing lecture recordings were higher for nursing than for non-nursing students. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated to determine whether there was an association between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes. There were no associations between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes. In conclusion, although many students were accessing lecture recordings, accessing recordings alone does not seem to be a major determinant of academic outcomes.