Lecture capture:making the most of face-to-face learning

The deployment of a new virtual learning environment (VLE), Blackboard, at the University of Leeds came with a vision of ‘the use of technology enabling better use of … contact time’. This paper describes how a programme of lecture capture (in which the audio of lectures, video of the presenter and on-screen projected content were recorded) impacted on the delivery and student perception of face-to-face teaching and associated pedagogies in the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering.Two modules were involved in the pilot study: one at level 1 (on which 74 students were enrolled) and the other at level 2 (45 students). Approximately 30 lectures were captured in total, the majority of these in the level 1 module. Students were regularly polled about their interactions with the captures and their experiences were overwhelmingly positive. In addition to the teaching resources that were created and evaluation that was conducted, the project also produced a series of guides to support the use of the hardware and software used in the process.This paper describes how the project has informed attitudes to lecture capture and practices of lecture delivery within the School against a background of current interest within higher education in this area. The paper discusses the benefits of the approach taken (using simple lecture capture technology) and some of the challenges of the project (including cost, support, training, reliability and scalability). Finally, the paper considers the reaction to calls for wider use of this technology and the implementation of a more scalable, automated lecture capture system.