Lecture Capture. Enhancing Learning Through Technology at the Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine

Abstract

Background: The intent of this research was to evaluate the Mediasite lecture capture system at the Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine (formerly the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine) to determine the acceptance, use and benefits to both students and faculty and to identify any concerns, limitations, and suggestions for expansion. There is extreme debate on the effect of lecture capture on student attendance included in the research. Methods: Two surveys were compiled, one each for students and faculty. These were distributed by email to the entire student body and all full-time and part-time faculty. Responses were voluntary. The questions sought to identify the priorities of the participant, reasons for viewing lectures compiled by course, to assess any effect on class attendance and to evaluate the ease and use of the technical function. There was also a section for subjective responses and suggestions. Results: The tabulations proved a very high use of the program with the most important reason being to prepare for exams. The question of class attendance is still open to interpretation. Technically, the Mediasite system was ranked easy to use by both groups. Conclusions: The results of this survey confirm the concept of lecture capture as an integral segment of advanced education. Though this system should not replace class attendance, it is a vital supplement to course work and study. By reviewing all of the components of the survey those who may have concerns on its effectiveness are also aware of the advantages. The results of this study met all the objectives to evaluate use and obtain viewpoints to improve and expand the program.

Lecture capture is an umbrella term describing a technology system that digitally records the audio and visual presentation of classroom lectures and PowerPoint slides (Microsoft Corp, Redmond, WA) to then be available for students to review online. The intent of lecture capture is to enhance and extend existing instructional activities. The Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine (KSUCPM), formerly the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine, a 4-year graduate-level medical college granting the degree of Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, has incorporated the Mediasite lecture capture system (LCS) produced by Sonic Foundry Inc (Madison, WI). The KSUCPM has embraced the concept of lecture capture and is committed to developing the system to its full potential for campus function. Responsibly, the commitment to this expense rests on the acceptance, use, and acknowledged benefits of the program by students and faculty.

The administration of KSUCPM will determine the future development and expanded capabilities of the Mediasite LCS using the results of a survey of students and faculty. The objectives of this project were 1) to determine whether students are fully aware of the program; 2) to evaluate the level of current use; 3) to identify the effect, if any, on class attendance; 4) to obtain faculty viewpoints and concerns about the program; and 5) to improve, expand, and adapt the LCS to meet the academic goals of KSUCPM.

The Importance

The LCS is not meant to replace the professor or a classroom interactive learning environment. However, it does expand the opportunities for study and review, thereby, strengthening the learning process. With the classroom presentations archived, there is always an opportunity for each student individually to watch a class that he or she did not attend, to review a class that requires greater in-depth study, to view a class to complete class notes, or to use the recording as a study guide for examinations. According to Isaac Segal, chief executive officer of Tegrity Technology Co, “the average professor speaks at 120 words per minute, but students write about 20 words per minute.”[1](p57) Students can, therefore, give full attention to the professor’s delivery knowing that listening again is an option rather than merely focusing on taking notes. Flexible e-learning enables student access to recorded materials any time, reinforces course content, can improve in-class discussion, and, most important, allows students to review difficult concepts.

Satisfaction propels student achievement. Lecture capture is a lifestyle-matching tool bringing academia full circle into the world of technology. The introduction of computers in most teaching environments has led to the widespread use of PowerPoint to deliver lectures. Technology is changing both the way the teacher instructs and the way students learn. The video-on-demand of any LCS provides real-time tutorials that students can adapt to their personal schedules. This flexible availability of instructional material as offered by an LCS provides the maximum opportunity for learning. Some specific situations that support the importance of such a program particularly in a medical educational institution are 1) missing class because of an illness or a family emergency as lecture capture offers the same real-time participation in the lesson off-site, 2) providing confidence and certainty in the performance of a specific clinical or surgical procedure by reviewing the instructional video, and 3) using archived lectures as research when studying for board examinations or residency interviews.

Lecture capture technology adapts to multiple input locations so that instructors or guest speakers can present from any location that has the appropriate recording equipment. At the same time, it conforms easily to a variety of content delivery models, ie, any electronic access to the Internet. These systems provide convenience for students to manage and coordinate work and study schedules.

The Objections

One concern in the academic community is the pedagogical benefit from covering the same ground twice. The argument is that if the lecture delivery is only to provide content, then there is no need for an audience, and the school should merely provide video lectures. Herein lies the debate. This opposition also suggests that if the system becomes a tool to evaluate the educational effectiveness of a professor or a means to monitor behavior in a classroom, then lectures will eventually become as bland and proper as commercially produced textbooks. Such an outcome of this development would be a great loss to the spontaneity and the interactive, intellectual exchange within the student body. This concern does not seem to be apparent at KSUCPM as the goal of the medical student is not only to pass but to be knowledgeable and competent. Students at KSUCPM actively pursue faculty input and explanation.

Another academic issue with many faculty members is ownership and indiscriminate access, not only to the individual presentations but also to specific course material. Does the captured lecture become the property of the university because this is work completed in exchange for a salary, or is the content of the lecture the professor’s “intellectual property”? Whatever determination, this issue will undoubtedly become part of any educational contract. These decisions are necessary to the future development of each individual educational institution.

Currently, the greatest concern of faculty in each of the studies referenced is the effect on class attendance. At the 2009 Educause Conference held in Denver, Colorado, Jennifer Stringer, Director of Educational Technology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, stated, “Well-attended lectures were well-watched; poorly attended lectures were not watched.”[2] This finding supports the hypothesis that there is no correlation between skipping classes merely because they are available later online. It seems that the rate of absence is directly related to the style and content of the delivering professor. “Engagement is an important factor impacting learning.”[3](p581)

In agreement with that concept, KSUCPM does not intend to promote lecture capture to replace the classroom environment as the primary format of instruction but rather to support the need to augment the learning process. The administration is also investigating an online, distance learning course option and an international institutional exchange program that can be developed in the current Mediasite LCS.

The past decade has seen a fundamental shift in the nature of teaching and learning in higher education. Institutions recognize an increasingly diverse student cohort facing greater lifestyle pressures with a need for flexibility in time and space to integrate educational demands with work and family commitments.

The Technology

Sonic Foundry Inc, established in 2003, is recognized as a global leader in media webcasting and knowledge management. Mediasite is the patented webcasting platform that automates the capture, management, delivery, and search of lectures. According to the Sloan Consortium Web site, “Sonic Foundry helps customers connect to a dynamic, evolving world of shared knowledge and envisions a future where learners and workers around the globe use webcasting to bridge time and distance, accelerate research and improve performance.”[4]

The LCS as implemented at KSUCPM uses a combination of audio and video recording with a camera and recorder in each classroom. The system is monitored by support staff (selected students) and is manually activated by the classroom presenter. The camera is recording the PowerPoint slide as projected on the classroom screen, but it is actually being taped or captured from the podium recorder or smart board.

As the slides are advanced, so is the capture process. If the presenter underlines an important phrase or draws a diagram on the recorder screen to further explain the slide, this manual change is captured. The video is fixed on the recorder box screen and does not follow the professor. The microphone, however, is portable, and the audio is continually recorded. This process does not capture any action or demonstration in the front of the class and does not reveal the use of a laser pointer by the presenter. This missing feature was a concern for many students. The information technology department is instituting a second video capture to also display the projected classroom screen. This screen appears side-by-side with the slide presentation. One can now view actual class activity along with the PowerPoint delivery or, if preferred, just the slides with the audio.

Function

All of the students and faculty have access to the recordings via any Internet connection with an individual password, but the information cannot be downloaded. None of the content is available outside of the institution-approved membership. One can pause, fast forward, select specific content, take notes, and review but not copy. There is great flexibility in using Mediasite as a study tool. First, one can review the entire class as presented in real time. However, one can also use the accelerated or variable speed to move through the lecture in less time but still with understandable audio. At any time, the student can pause, fast forward or rewind, and enlarge the screen image with a magnifier to precisely view a diagram or technique.

All of the classroom lectures were recorded for the first 2 years, and in 2010 an anatomy laboratory application was installed. The third recorder is a portable unit that has already enhanced the scope of instruction by adding off-site clinical presentations, guest instructors, and supplemental topics proposed by faculty or students. All videos to date are archived, and because the system has significant capacity, nothing is expunged. However, each new lecture of the same course replaces the immediate past lecture with the new presentation.

The general consensus of a random group of students, first through third year, in a roundtable discussion confirmed that the Mediasite LCS is very easy to use. The flexibility of availability is the most important factor, combined with a two-times viewing speed. The sliding speed scale means that the lecture or class can be reviewed in half the time of actual class attendance. Print copies of the PowerPoint slides are available before class and as the professor is lecturing, the student can note an individual slide for further review and can then “buffer” or prompt the LCS to that exact slide number.

Mediasite technology captures the audio and video components of the presenter as a WMV (windows media video) file. The PowerPoint slides are captured individually as high-resolution JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) images but are synchronized with the lecturer’s voice. This also allows for extensive editing options. Mediasite capabilities, as explained by an educational technology engineer at KSUCPM, include cutting, trimming, fading, dissolving, removing, and replacing images. Additional slides are easily inserted if needed to clarify a topic or enhance a lecture. However, such modification is seldom performed in the normal streaming of courses at KSUCPM. Mediasite streaming is live as it records, and when complete it is archived. On any given day, the information technology department records 12 to 20 h as part of the educational process for KSUCPM. If a lecture or presentation is planned as a tutorial, to produce a marketable video, or to develop a course in conjunction with another company or institution with a requirement for a high-quality experience, editing and refinement are possible.

Academia Encounters Technology

It is evident that today’s students and faculty are currently working in an environment with instant access to all varieties of media. The challenge before institutions of higher learning is to be in concert with this evolving culture while maintaining the integrity of educational advancement.

There is considerable desire in the academic community to defend the importance of the lecture as an effective teaching method. In the scientific arena, states Bruce Charlton, PhD, editor of Medical Hypotheses, “lectures are probably the best teaching method in many circumstances and for many students, especially for communicating conceptual knowledge and where there is a significant knowledge gap between lecturer and audience.”[5](p1261) His observation concludes that many scientists continue to give well-attended lectures and that the lecture is still the best medium for teaching science to the point where the student begins to specialize or engage in training as a practicing scientist or physician. Dr. Charlton suggests that lectures are effective because humans have a natural aptitude to learn by hearing and in social situations, whereas “learning by solitary reading or from electronic media is a modern cultural artifact.”[5](p1262) Although he recognizes that some individuals can self-educate, many require personal interaction. Indeed, he states, “it is the taking of lecture notes which is a key factor in converting the potentially passive experience of listening to a lecture into the active experience of learning from a lecture.”[5](p1263) Accepting this hypothesis strengthens the argument for class attention, yet it also gives support to using the lecture capture option as a supplemental venue for learning.

Does Attendance Matter?

Nonattendance at lectures and tutorials seems to be a growing trend; the literature suggests that the most probable reasons are changing lifestyles and emerging technology. Although there are inherent positive benefits gained in the physical presence, changes in the way educators instruct will be critical to reverse any declining attendance trend as technology is considered for educational delivery.

However, the issue of student attendance is not a new phenomenon, but the virtual learning environment has added impetus for concern on the contemporary campus. There are two predominant reasons students will always attend class: if the lecturer is an entertaining and intelligent presenter or has outstanding interpersonal and presentation skills that can be summarized as “likeability.” Numerous studies have been published on student attitudes toward learning that cite the innate excitement of intellectual discovery and the desire for knowledge in its own right compared with merely viewing education as a means to an end. The following questions remain within academia: Are unmotivated students a reflection of an outdated pedagogy? Is there defensiveness from lecturers unwilling to change the way they teach?[6]

Teacher-centered instruction is facing direct competition from electronic educational resources. Those who choose not to participate in face-to-face teaching rely on textbooks, Web-based research, and PowerPoint slides to gather enough information to pass a subject, particularly if the assessment of that class merely measures fact recall. Yet, the reality is that most students will attend lectures if they perceive value in them; and value perceptions are generally based on the teaching technique and the presenter’s competence. The research offers varying conclusions when evaluating the relationship between attendance and performance.

The conclusion of the Massingham-Herrington project, which examined student attitudes, participation, performance, and attendance, is that excluding health and lifestyle factors, the most important influence on attendance is student attitudes toward learning and their personal motivation. Considering learning as a social construct, the relationship between teacher and student is a significant factor in the learning process and in learning outcomes.[6]

Students may not share the same opinion as educators since they are not evaluating the inherent importance of the lecture but merely applying the concept of perceived value. The editorial staff of The Harvard Crimson posted the following comment when the school added its first podcasting lectures: “While recording lectures can be an expensive undertaking for a department, the benefits to students are high, even when weighed against the almost certain decrease in classroom attendance. . . Even the best students miss lectures for innocent reasons and should have access to course recordings. . .While recordings may lack some of the benefits of live lectures, they far surpass power point slides and borrowed notes as study guides. The real solution to poor attendance is simple: quality, interactive, and engaging lectures.”[7]

During the pilot year of its LCS in 2005, Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, recorded more than 200 lectures that were accessed 17,486 times. DukeCapture was adapted from an Australian-based system, Lectopia. This proof-of-concept trial was sufficient incentive for the University to move forward on lecture capture. The next year the school equipped the Fuqua School of Business and the Franklin Humanities Center with fixed recording units and added a portable unit to the library. Despite the availability of the lecture capture courses, students continued to attend class regularly. These data were not statistically documented but the simple observations of the involved faculty. In fact, the faculty noticed that students were not concentrating on taking notes, became more interactive, and were better prepared with questions from reviewing the recording of the material.[8]

A similar study conducted in 2009 at the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom, investigated the benefits and challenges of introducing an LCS on a scalable and affordable level for the school.

Despite some concerns from various members of the academic community, the research recognized that an LCS gives students an opportunity for greater and more active learning activities. Likewise, there was a consensus that such a program will undoubtedly necessitate a change in the way course information is delivered and received. However, the results also indicated that there was no negative effect on attendance because of the availability of captured content.[9]

The scheme, therefore, is not to merely increase attendance. Although there is some evidence to support a correlation between attendance and performance, incentive programs to guarantee attendance do not necessarily increase the performance ratio. Declining attendance occurs in varying degrees for different subjects at different levels of education. In addition, student ability is an independent variable when computing the effect of absence on performance.[10] One of the proposed outcomes of the KSUCPM student survey was to identify courses that students perceive as least necessary to attend. The same reference is accorded to the faculty to suggest lectures they conceive as transmittable to distance learning.

It is not that the trend toward nonattendance is inevitable, that face-to-face instruction is destined to be replaced by technology, or that the student no longer needs the personal interaction of the teacher but that the quality and presentation of the learning experience must change to complement and partner with educational technology. Pedagogical approaches to education require shifting from teacher centered to student centered, where knowledge is collaboratively constructed through engagement.

Methods

The intent of this project was to design a survey to compile a credible tabulation of the actual use and technical competence of Mediasite as an LCS for KSUCPM. In addition, it was the intent of the school to collate the perceptions and attitudes of the students and faculty toward an LCS.

The project was reviewed and approved by the institutional review board of KSUCPM. In accordance, each prospective participant was forwarded an informed consent form to participate in a research project. The participants were not required to identify themselves on the survey to ensure that responses were voluntary and honest.

Two questionnaires, one for students and another for faculty, were compiled using a software program (SurveyMonkey.com; SurveyMonkey Inc, Palo Alto, California) and were submitted to the participants via e-mail. From the links provided, each individual completed the survey online. There were 428 students and 15 full-time and 12 part-time faculty members at KSUCPM. The responses were collected in the Office of Student Records and were tabulated according to the assigned criteria. Although there were some open-ended questions giving the opportunity for individual, subjective responses, the greater portion of the survey provided data that rated the level of either agreeing or disagreeing with components of the program.

Student Survey

For the students, the questions centered on the when, where, and for what purpose they chose to view the Mediasite classroom presentations. After determining the student demographics of class, age, and grade point average, section 2 queried for any previous exposure to LCSs, the need for an introductory workshop for maximum function, and the frequency of viewing the lectures. Next, to obtain an overview of the classes that were most often viewed and why, a cross-section of courses were listed to match each participant to the reasons for viewing the identified lectures on Mediasite.

Since attendance is an ongoing concern of faculty, the first choice is to check missing a particular class. This specific question is asked and the survey can calculate a total number of students who “chose not to attend” as opposed to were “unable to attend.” The response may indicate an increase in elective nonattendance or may calculate a minimum percentage of students who elect to study primarily online. A trend and preference regarding attendance may then be identified for administration.

Finally, considering that one does attend the lecture, the student is asked to check the reasons to view that same lecture on Mediasite, such as completing class notes, reviewing for examinations, or learning a clinical procedure. These indicators will be logged by course description to identify the most popular classes to miss and the courses that are viewed more frequently.

Section 5 uses a 5-point Likert scale for the students to specify their level of agreement with statements regarding the effect that Mediasite has on their individual approach to study from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” Section 6 then rates the user-friendly components of the Mediasite audio-video display, the individual preferred technical features, and the overall technical quality of the system. The final set of questions seeks suggestions on advancing online courses and improving student-teacher interaction in distance learning situations. These responses, although subjective, will be keenly reviewed by the curriculum department when considering the future adaptation of course material on Mediasite at KSUCPM.

Faculty Survey

The faculty survey differs in that there is little evaluation of the technology but rather definition of the personal experience and comfort level of the presenter with lecture capture in the classroom. The faculty demographics identify the type of presentation, the academic department of the presenter, and the number of lectures recorded using Mediasite. The faculty survey concentrates on the concern for class attendance and the individual interest of the professor in moving forward with distance learning. Specific questions are directed toward adapting current coursework as exclusive online subjects and in developing continuing medical education courses to be offered by KSUCPM through Mediasite. Again, the personal, subjective review is recruited, as is the simple tabulation of use.

Results

Of the 428 students, 147 participated, for a 34% response rate. The information obtained in the survey supports that the students have embraced the Mediasite LCS with great satisfaction. In many cases, the program is integral for students meeting performance requirements. The following are typical of such comments submitted:

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“My grades went up once I started using Mediasite during exam week.”

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“Mediasite has been invaluable when I was too sick to attend school.”

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“Overall this is an invaluable tool for capturing every detail of a lecture.”

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“There are times that I choose not to attend class knowing it will be recorded, but I think having this technology available is more of a necessary positive than a negative.”

On average, 47.9% of students (67 of 140) stated that they watched a Mediasite presentation four or more times per week, with another 39.3% (55 of 140) viewing one to three lectures weekly and 12.9% (18 of 140) not viewing any lectures. That is significant use. Even 20.0% of students (28 of 140) indicated that they would review a lecture more than once, although most (53.6%; 75 of 140) responded that the amount of use depended on the specific course. The remaining 26.4% of students (37 of 140) infrequently watched a specific lecture more than once.

On the questions in section 5 regarding any effect on the student’s approach to studying, the 134 respondents used a 5-point positive scale (5 = strongly agree; 4 = agree; 3 = neutral; 2 = disagree; and 1 = strongly disagree). An average rating of 4.13 was scored for Mediasite being an invaluable tool, 4.33 for Mediasite having a positive effect on grades, and 4.10 for Mediasite better preparing students for examinations. Using the same 5-point scale, 133 students evaluated the technology and function also very positive, with a 4.68 rating for ease of use, 4.64 for the pause feature being significant, and 4.74 for the variable speed option being an important feature.

The faculty had a 55.5% response rate (n=15). Although generally accepting of lecture capture, the faculty continues to struggle with the inevitable implication on class attendance. The faculty suggest a notable change (71.4%, 10 out of 14) in class attendance, strongly believing that Mediasite has adversely affected attendance. However, 38.9% of student participants (52 out of 134) state that Mediasite has not had an effect on their likelihood to attend class.

The faculty is evenly divided on whether to require a minimum class attendance. Yet, 92.8% (13 out of 14) agreed that some courses should not be offered on Mediasite. However, no consensus on which courses was determined.

Regardless of this debate, most faculty members agreed that they were more comfortable with the technology each year. The faculty acknowledged the importance of this program and the necessity of expanding long-distance learning, with 64.3% (9 out of 14) indicating that their course material could be adapted as a continuing medical education presentation. In addition, 21.4% of the faculty (3 out of 14) felt that although their course materials could be adapted, it would not be easy, and 14.3% (2 out of 14) stated that their course material could not be adapted. In addition, 85.7% of the faculty (12 out of 14) were interested or possibly interested (n =10) in pursuing such a program for KSUCPM.

Discussion

The surveys provided nominal measurements of frequency of use and technical competence. An analysis was compiled on program acceptance, adaptability, and future considerations. The information technology department is sufficiently satisfied with the Mediasite capabilities and is enthusiastic about further development. Each year, they have increased the supplemental lectures using studio presentations and have now traveled off-site with the portable unit. Expanding technology assuredly depends on a cost valuation and the survey provided support for the program.

Scholastic research has suggested great variation in successful learning patterns, and now the impact of lecture capture on student retention is also being explored. Faculty and students recognize a distinct pedagogical advantage to the use of the Mediasite LCS, with the student responses being the most positive. Both groups agreed that Mediasite is basically easy to use. Students and faculty agree that all or parts of some courses could be offered exclusively on Mediasite, although the specific courses suggested varied.

The issue of attendance, although thoroughly reviewed, will not be a concern for advancing the lecture capture options. The students overwhelmingly stated that Mediasite has had a positive effect on their performance and in their preparation for National Boards.

To date, most of the applications of the LCS are presentations that provide required and supplemental course material to students; however, there is an unexplored media world to apply lecture capture to enhance the instructional delivery. A professor can provide class previews, study guides, or concise reviews in response to numerous inquiries to further explain a topic. Live discussion sessions or conference times could be scheduled. Student presentations could be captured in the studio rather than during the class period. All of the enrolled KSUCPM students have access to the library and archives of captured lectures, allowing for review of material at any time at any location. Students also have the option to review material before scheduled lectures. Captured lectures are replaced with new lectures annually, and the previous year’s lectures are archived.

In addition to lectures, case presentations and demonstrations are recorded in either a studio setting or a laboratory setting and are then archived, providing versatility for the use of lecture capture technology.

The use of lecture capture lends itself to the concept of “blended learning” in which information can be made available to students in advance of scheduled classroom or laboratory instruction, allowing for greater interaction between faculty and students. This has the effect of reducing the passive learning associated with lecture to a more interactive and challenging experience for students and faculty.

Bertsch et al[11] in 2007 noted that effectiveness was not affected by either videoconferencing or the traditional classroom setting. Billings-Gagliardi and Mazor[12] concluded that the increasing availability of technology did not have a negative effect on lecture attendance, and that access to electronic media did not influence student choices. They concluded that attendance was influenced by previous experience with a lecturer, the perceived value of the lecture, and personal learning style.[12]

Cardell et al[13] found that live attendance remained the predominant method of viewing lectures. They also concluded that students find accelerated video recordings such as lectures equally or more valuable and that students’ decisions to attend lectures or view recorded lectures are motivated primarily by a desire to satisfy their professional goals. They expressed that the challenge remains for educators to incorporate technologies that students find useful while creating an interactive learning culture.[13] Davis et al,[14] in a randomized controlled trial, found that computer-based sessions versus traditional lecture sections have similar educational gains for the student.

The KSUCPM stands at the forefront of its profession as an educational facility, and the Mediasite LCS is an integral part of the academic advancement.

Financial Disclosure: None reported.

Conflict of Interest: None reported.