Teaching with lecture capture

[email protected]@leonie_learning

Teaching with lecture capture

[email protected]@leonie_learning

@leonie_learning

Contents

1. Background: project scope, aims, previous studies & data sources.

2. Lecturers’ general levels of enthusiasm for lecture capture

3. Issues that may affect their enthusiasm: exploring contrasting attitudes, system introduction & management, university's motivation, perceived driving factors

4. Common concerns: (1) System reliability & student complaints, (2) Pressure not to opt-out, (3) Changes to teaching practice & experience, (4) Copyright material, (5) Permanence of recordings and access to them, (6) Confusion and control, (7) Recordings replacing live lectures

5. Technical features lecturers value

6. Using lecture capture to support staff development

@leonie_learning

Background

@leonie_learning

Project scope

•Research undertaken as part of King’s College London,

Technology-Enhanced Learning funded project

•Focused on recordings of lectures for Year 1 and 2

Medicine, and for Year 1 Biomedical Sciences, approx

400 students in each cohort

•122 members of staff involved in lectures (excluding

those involved in the project committee)

@leonie_learning

Project aims

•To understand how Year 1 & 2 medical students and

Year 1 biomedical science students are using recorded

lectures to support their studying and revision.

•To understand how lecture capture affects lecturers’

teaching practice and experience

@leonie_learning

Relatively few studies have focused on lecturers’ experience

Particularly recommended: •Gosper et al. (2008): large study including survey of 155 lectures across four Australian universities (Macquarie, Murdoch, Flinders, Newcastle)

•Bond & Grussendorf: interviewed 23 lecturers at London School of Economics in 2010

•Bramble & Singh (2011) / McDonnell (2011) : survey of 83 lecturers at Queen Mary University London, 20 of whom were using lecture capture.

Previous studies

@leonie_learning

Data sources (2012-13)

1 week pop up survey

Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May

Lecturer self-report

mini poll

focus groups

survey

Student logs (medicine)

Student self-report

survey 1

focus groups

survey 2

@leonie_learning

What are lecturers’ general attitudes to lecture capture?

@leonie_learning

Lecturers’ general enthusiasmPlease rate your general feelings about lectures being recorded on a scale of 0 to 10*

* 84 respondents (mini-poll, Nov 2012)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 100

5

10

15

20

25

very unenthusiastic neutral very enthusiastic

@leonie_learning

• 39% enthusiastic (rated 7 to 10)

• 45% neutral (rated 4 to 6)

• 16% unenthusiastic (rated 0 to 3) i.e.

sizeable minority & half of those strongly negative

@leonie_learning

Similar findings to previous studies: lecturer opinion is typically more varied than student opinion.

Gosper et al. (2008) surveyed 155 Australian lecturers: •54% reported frequently/always having positive experiences

•26% reported rarely/sometimes having positive experiences

McDonnell (2011) surveyed 83 QMUL lecturers: •70% agreed there is value in recording lectures

•13% were opposed

•Some vehemently opposed: reports of absences, interfering with recording devices, disabling microphones & union boycotts

@leonie_learning

Which issues may affect enthusiasm?

@leonie_learning

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 100

5

10

15

20

25

Group 1: Unenthusiastic (7 participants)

Group 2: Enthusiastic (9 participants)

Other initial poll respondents


Contrasting attitudes: focus groups

@leonie_learning

Survey respondents (35 lecturers, 29% response rate)

Other initial poll respondents


0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 100

5

10

15

20

25

Contrasting attitudes: survey

@leonie_learning

System introduction & management

This is where the strongest differences between the two focus groups were apparent:

•More enthusiastic group: perceptions of the system as having been

implemented for the benefit of students and still in a trial phase.

•Less enthusiastic group: perceptions of the system as having largely been

implemented to follow trends, imposed as a ‘diktat’ from above which

denied them control over their lectures, and without adequate financial

investment to run efficiently.

@leonie_learning

University’s motivation

Anticipating or driving student expectations?

“…the perception was, that students knew that this facility was available at other universities and because of that we were behind the curve.”

“There was a big expectation pushed out for the students that all your lectures are going to be videoed, they’ll be on the web within minutes — and it was a complete disaster.”

@leonie_learning

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

No influence

Small influence

Moderate influence

Large influence

% le

ctu

rers

pe

rce

ivin

g in-

flu

en

ce

Perceived driving factors

To what extent do you think the decision to record lectures in your subject was influenced by each of the following?*

* 34 respondents (survey, May 2013)

@leonie_learning

Valued benefits of lecture captureWhich of these possible effects would justify lecture capture? *


0

20

40

60

80

100

% r

esp

ondents

@leonie_learning

Comparison to other studies:

Gosper et al. (2008) surveyed 155 Australian lecturers on reasons for use: •82% to support students who can’t attend [NB longer travel distances]•65% to provide another study tool•About half to support students with disabilities or English second language

Bond & Grussendorf (unpublished) interviewed 23 LSE lecturers: •Broad support for recordings lectures in extreme situations, e.g. snow, swine flu, major travel disruptions, lecturer unable to come.•Willing to make allowances for those students with special needs, but not accepted as justification for general availability

Chang (2007) interviewed 11 lecturers at University of Melbourne •Perceived the benefits to be supporting students, especially part-time or English second language; and revision resource.

@leonie_learning

Recommendations for introducing lecture capture

Emphasize that the main aim for lecture capture is to improve student satisfaction and allow students to study in more flexible ways (and measure whether this occurs)

Increase staff awareness that lecture capture is rapidly becoming

widespread across UK universities, which will inevitably drive student

expectations

Stress that it's in a trial phase and allow further opportunities for

feedback and suggestions

@leonie_learning

What common issues need addressing?

@leonie_learning

Issues that concern lecturersWhat issues would you particularly like to see addressed in this study*

* 70 respondents (mini-poll, Nov 2012)

• Impact on students: Reduced attendance? Less value than face-to-face? Educational benefits? Students’ usage?

• Impact on lecturers: Increased workload? Restricted lecture delivery/content? Confusion/discomfort/irritation?

•Technical aspects of the system: Reliability; Control/flexibility.

@leonie_learning

Issues affecting lecturers

1. System reliability (student complaints)

2. Pressure not to opt out

3. Changes to teaching practice & experience

4. Copyright material

5. Permanence of recordings & who can access them

6. Confusion and lack of control

7. Recordings potentially replacing live lectures

@leonie_learning

Similar findings to previous study:

Bramble & Singh (2011) surveyed 83 QMUL lecturers. Key concerns about recording lectures were: •61% Students will not attend class

•33% Recordings being accessed by non-QMUL students

•23% Lack of control over lecture delivery

•22% Recordings being used for performance management

McDonnell (2011) also reported significant impact of technical problems in causing whole departments at QMUL to opt out.

@leonie_learning

1. System reliability (student complaints)

“Already the students have ceased to regard the recordings as a plus point but rather, as a potential source of criticism (too slow to appear, incomplete etc). So by providing better facilities we might end up creating more dissatisfaction.”

“On my course only about 50% of the lectures (if that) have been recorded and posted… leading to me having to field many more complaints from students than I had when lectures were not recorded at all!!”

@leonie_learning

Recommendations for system reliability

Employ one person with overall responsibility for lecture capture who can coordinate all the different people involved in running the system, and be an initial contact to handle problems.

Benefits expected:

•Diverting student complaints from lecturers will reduce a major source of

lecturer opposition to the system

•Giving one person responsibility should result in problems being detected

and anticipated faster, helping improve reliability

@leonie_learning

2. Perceived freedom to opt out

*Based on 32 survey responses

No, it is departmental policy that all lectures must be recorded

No, I feel strongly pressured to agree

Maybe, if the module/course leader agreed to my request

Yes, but I would have to justify my decision to other staff/students

Yes, it is my free decision

0 10 20 30 40 50

% respondents

@leonie_learning

Opting out

“And then this year, there was sort of a diktat from above, decided, everything’s going to be videoed, whether you like it or not. And that was it.”

“If it’s being rolled out and the default is that everybody opts in, then one would kind of stand alone by opting out. …I feel that I wouldn’t be able to say no, because students would say, ‘Why aren’t you being captured?’ so I’m not sure if it really is a free choice, I think there’s lots of unseen—”

@leonie_learning

Perceived pressure from students

•Survey respondents were more likely to feel pressure not to

opt-out from students than from staff

•However, 80% of students surveyed accepted at least one

reason for lectures not being recorded

•Students are more sympathetic to some reasons that others

@leonie_learning

Students’ sympathy to typical opt-out reasons

*200 respondents, but percentages given for 253 who reached previous question

None selected

Students too reliant on recordings

Attendance: can't tell if students confused / bored

Attendance: less interaction opportunities

Students' study skills weaker

Attendance: harder to understand recordings

Lecturers self-conscious

Jokes & mistakes held against lecturers

Attendance: students may fall behind

Sensitive material

Copyright material

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

@leonie_learning

Students’ perceptions of why lecturers opt out

• 64% believe it is to encourage attendance

• 28% think lecturers are protecting content, either because of copyright or intellectual property – some confusion about these terms

• 21% to avoid a permanent record, especially of their mistakes or inappropriate/ non-PC material/jokes

• 12% to promote students’ study skills

• 12% because they’re self-conscious: shy, private or lack confidence

• 10% think they’ve misunderstood students

• 6% because recordings are a poorer educational experience for students

• 5% think they’re being selfish

• 5% were unsure why

@leonie_learning

Similarities to other studies:

Bond & Grussendorf (unpublished) interviewed 23 LSE lecturers: •Also felt student pressure despite an opt-in policy

Chang (2007) interviewed 11 lecturers at University of Melbourne: •Most felt pressure from students; opting out affected teaching quality ratings.

Differences to other studies:

Gosper et al. (2008) surveyed 155 Australian lecturers: •Only 12% selected student pressure as a reason they recorded lectures

•17% said it was required by their department

@leonie_learning

Recommendations for opt-out

Emphasize that staff are free to opt out of being recorded and provide them with pros and cons to consider

Issue a general statement to students from the course or module leader that not all lectures are videoed for varying reasons, including examples – don’t leave it to individual lecturers to defend their decision.

Include information on which lectures will be recorded clearly marked in students' timetables

Convey to lecturers that the majority of students will respect this decision, depending on the reasons given.

@leonie_learning

0

10

20

30

40

50

% minor change

% major change

3. Changes to teaching practice


Does being recorded affect these aspects of your teaching? *

@leonie_learning

Typical changes

•More restrained presentation style

•Less movement around the room

•Anxiety about or removal of copyright material.

•Anxiety or discomfort about being recorded

@leonie_learning

• Use the mouse cursor instead of a laser pointer

• Make it clear what slide you’re talking about (for audio only)

• Speak clearly with the microphone located close enough

• Keep to the allocated time (or final material not recorded)

• Repeat any students’ questions

Students’ requests

“I wouldn’t want the feedback to be that lecturers

must stay very statically next to the microphone, ‘cause some of the best lecturers are the ones who

wander round.”

@leonie_learning

Comparison to previous studies:

Gosper et al. (2008) surveyed 139 Australian lecturers on teaching: •39% made no substantial changes to lecturing style [ie 61% have]• 45% more self-aware of spontaneous comments & 23% scripting

their lectures more•29% reduced movement around the lecture theatre•27% reduced multimedia because of copyright concerns•23% listened to recordings and adjusted own performance

McNeil , Woo & Gosper (2007) surveyed 815 Australian students about what advice they’d give lecturers: • Similarly concerns about clear cues for where to attend to in slides,

clear sound quality & pronunciation, and keeping to time.

@leonie_learning

Recommendations for presenting

Avoid using pointers: either describe diagrams more fully or use the mouse cursor on the lectern

Repeat students' questions

Continue presenting in normal style, including humour, gestures and demonstrations or whatever else usually engages the audience

Continue walking around the room if preferred style, but ensure that the lapel microphone is fixed high enough on the torso and won't rustle against clothing.

If concerned that comments may be too 'politically incorrect' to be recorded on video, consider whether they may also be offensive to anyone in the lecture theatre

@leonie_learning

“For me, there is one massive, massive issue which is copyright and for me that would dramatically change the content of my lectures, and what I do. And I did some quite interesting, fun things that I know the students really like that I would have to completely delete, edit out or simply withdraw from the whole thing. So for me, that it’s the big number one issue.”

4. Copyright material

“We’re trying to teach the students how to interpret research papers and look at data, but nobody is going to show any of their own data if it is going to be recorded and put up on a public place.”

@leonie_learning

Recommendations for copyright

Wherever possible, specific copyright/sensitive material or pre-published data should be deleted from the recording rather than withholding the whole lecture.

Clarification and guidance (from the university’s legal department) should be provided when lecturers sign to give their permission for recordings.

Some material can be presented for educational purposes, but not distributed (in printed/electronic handouts or included in video).

If third-party material is included on presentation slides, then its copyright status should already have been considered. It may not be more difficult to get permission to include material in videos (if access is restricted) than in distributed handouts.

See JISC (2010) Recording Lectures: Legal Considerations

@leonie_learning

5. Permanence and access

Concerns are around:

• Mistakes, jokes or off-the-record comments being used against them

•Extracts being ‘remixed’ for ridicule

• Colleagues or superiors watching, or use for performance monitoring

“I think there’s a different thing when something has been and gone, and where something is up there: potentially downloadable, potentially manipulated, potentially taken out of context.”

@leonie_learning

“I think there’s also a suspicion from some staff that once their beautifully honed lecture has been videoed and captured, then it makes their position here somewhat jeopardized. …‘cause lectures, especially at the lower level, have got quite a long shelf life. So there’s a certain amount of suspicion and paranoia.”

“I have no objections to present students looking back over them for revision, but would hate to think my peers or seniors are scrutinizing my lectures behind closed door..”

@leonie_learning

Similar findings to previous study:

Bond & Grussendorf (unpublished) interviewed 23 LSE lecturers: •Also found ‘permanence’ of recordings inhibited some from using jokes, informal language and sensitive /controversial examples.

•Worried that mistakes included in a ‘quotable’ record.

•Some worried about material leaking onto YouTube, but others happy to support open education or promote LSE externally

@leonie_learning

Recommendations on permanence

While recordings are a permanent record, they are actually editable while live presentations are not: Any necessary deletions should be made (or requested)

immediately after the lecture Annotations can be added at any time to correct mistakes, provide

additional explanation or link to other material

Recordings can equally be positive ‘evidence’ that lecturer did cover something if a student questions it.

Keep sense of humour – unless really offensive!

@leonie_learning

Recommendations on access

Students should have to sign an agreement explaining key information and their obligations:• Permission only to use recordings to support their studies; prohibited

from altering them or distributing any part to students not on the course.

• All audio or video of a lecture remains the lecturers' copyright even if made on student’s devices; lectures may also contain third-party material, pre-published data, patient data or other sensitive material.

• Students' questions and participation in demonstrations will be included in recordings, therefore agreement protects student privacy too.

• Recordings are an additional resource. Not all lectures can be recorded and students still expected to attend and develop good note-taking skills.

@leonie_learning

Confusion: What exactly is recorded? When do recordings

start and stop? Who has access to the recordings? How long

they are kept?

Frustration: Why can’t I control timing of recordings?

Why don’t I ‘own’ my own lectures?

6. Confusion and control

@leonie_learning

Recommendations

Provide a link to online information about lecture capture in all related correspondence so that FAQs can be addressed in one place.

Lecturers may own the copyright in their 'performance' even though lecturing is part of their normal terms of employment. See JISC (2010) Recording Lectures: Legal Considerations

Ask staff to sign an agreement giving permission for their lectures to be recorded, that clarifies both their and the university’s obligations.

@leonie_learning

Staff-University agreement

Recommended it would clarify:

• What exactly is recorded i.e. audio, screen & video [non-video option?]

• Which students have (password-protected) access to the recordings and the terms of access, i.e. summary of the student-university agreement

• How long recording will be stored & accessible, e.g. 2 academic years

• What would happen if they left university’s employment within that time

• Recordings will not be used for performance monitoring

• Their permission would be sought for any additional usage

• They should ask colleagues' permission before viewing each others' lectures, just as they would ask before sitting in on a live lecture

• Guidance on using copyright material

@leonie_learning

Several members of both focus groups perceived a direct

polarization between what’s required for a back up / revision

aid vs students’ primary source of information.

If videos were to be the primary source of information for

students, they want them to be redesigned and filmed

professionally.

7. Replacing live lectures

@leonie_learning

“One either gives a live lecture and students attend and I ask questions and interact to some extent… or you have the pristine prepared lecture… lecture capture is sort of a halfway house, which doesn’t tick either box.”

“Well, you can’t do both, though. You either just use it as a minor revision aid, after you’ve done the lecture, which is handy for the students to go to occasionally, Or you decide right we’re gonna teach by video and therefore you design the courses and you design our teaching approach around it. …It would be incredibly different. We’d become Open University.”

@leonie_learning

A younger member of the more enthusiastic focus group saw

things differently:

“There’s going to be a balance. There’ll be the live lectures. There’ll be the lecture capture of the live lectures. There’ll be the formally online lectures, for which you spend half a day doing your one hour slot and you get paid to do that as a one off. And there’ll also be the webinars and the podcasts — all of this.”

@leonie_learning

Recommendations

Pledge that there would be staff consultation before considering different purposes in the future.

Share study findings that students mainly use recordings as a supplement to consolidate material they found difficult or where they want to expand their notes, and as an occasional back up when they miss lectures. Most would oppose recordings being used as a replacement for live lectures.

Students also have access to purpose-made narrated slides, which some students find more focused, easier to navigate and better quality. However, purpose-made material is not necessary for general revision and consolidation — most students are content to use recorded lectures, which don't require extra time from lecturers.

@leonie_learning

What technical features would lecturers value?

@leonie_learning

System improvements

Annotations

Own minor edits

Minor cuts service

Short clips

Flexible recording options

Analytics

Recording signal

Sound signal

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

very useful a bit useful

% respondents* Based on 35 respondents (survey, May 2013)

@leonie_learning

Comparison to previous study:

Germany (2012) surveyed 96 lecturers at the University of Swinbourne (Australia) to obtain value ratings for 30 technical features: • 80% would also find an ‘on-air’ light very important

• 77% felt it’s very important to be able to pause and resume recording (not suggested in KCL survey)

• 52% felt it’s very important to be able to edit recordings

• Divided on whether automatic pre-scheduled recordings or ad hoc lecture-controlled recording is preferable

• 44% felt usage statistics are very important

@leonie_learning

Recommended technical features/services

Many already available but need promoting Signals (e.g. lights) to show when recording is active and whether the

microphone is working. Higher quality lapel microphones so lecturers can walk around. Extend recording periods from X.05 – X.55 to X.01 – X.59 Flexible recording: option not to record/share video Echo360 analytics - promote to lecturers at the end of terms. Step-by-step guides on adding annotations in Echoplayer and editing out

sensitive/copyright material before upload Bookmarks allow lecturers to refer students to a specific point of the lecture A search function in recordings would support their use as revision aids

@leonie_learning

Could lecture capture support staff development?

@leonie_learning

Potential staff development schemes

1. Good practice examples: watching extracts from recordings of lectures that students have rated highly (with the lecturer's permission)

2. Private reflection: watching recordings of their own lectures, using structured guidance to help them identify their strengths and weaknesses

3. Peer feedback: allowing a colleague (of their choice) to watch one of their lecture recordings and provide feedback & suggestions

@leonie_learning

Perceived usefulness of schemes

Good practice ex-amples

Private reflection Peer feedback0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Now When first lecturing

% r

esp

ondents

* Based on 33 respondents (survey, May 2013)

@leonie_learning

• 82% felt at least one of these activities would

still be of benefit to themselves

• 93% would be willing to help colleagues with one of the schemes