If You Post It, Will They Come? Lecture Availability in Introductory Psychology

Web-enhanced educational programs such as Blackboard (2003; http://www.blackboard.com/ ) provide opportunities for instructors to make supplemental course materials available to students. However, little research has investigated the effects of unlimited access to course lectures on achievement and attendance in traditional postsecondary classroom settings. Thus, we investigated the effect of lecture presentation availability on class attendance and academic performance in 2 sections of introductory psychology courses. Students with unlimited access to lecture presentations earned significantly higher grades than students who did not have similar access. Although we did not find significant differences in attendance between classes, attendance moderated the relation between class format and course grade. We discuss further implications and future research.