The truth about lecture recordings

It's a proven fact that the more time you spend in class, the better you do, the more you understand, and the more fun the whole class is. We want you to come to both lectures and every tutorial every week.

For several years, this university has made it a rule that lectures will be recorded and made available to students for them to review. Even though we provide lecture recordings, you should not rely on this as a way to keep up with this class. First, lecture recording technology is not perfect and there is no guarantee that the recording will capture everything you need to know from lecture. Ryan cannot do anything to change or fix the recordings or the equipment for the recordings in the lecture hall. Second, our lectures are interactive, and in general, people's listening comprehension is better when you hear something in person because you can make eye contact with the lecturer and you can talk to people about what you are hearing.

People often think that lecture recordings make it possible to enrol in two classes that meet at the same time, or to free up days for part-time work. If you are using lecture recordings to make your weekly schedule work, then that's a sign you have taken on too much for one semester. Something's gotta give, and in these cases, it is always better to sit down with an academic advisor or the director of your degree to discuss a more feasible and strategic plan for your whole course.

It can be tempting to think that you can use lecture recordings to catch up on a class you miss, but if you do this, then you will probably just end up falling further behind. We know that students are busy and are pulled in a million directions. Just because you have gotten behind or because you're feeling overworked and stressed, you should still maintain the habit of coming to class. We want to see you in class and know how you are doing over the semester.

Finally, if everyone skips lecture and listens to the recording, then there's no one in the lecture hall when the lecture is being given and being recorded. You can actually tell the difference between a recording of a lecture given to 300 students and the same lecture given to a room with only 10 students. A lecture given to a big group is louder, more exciting, more interesting, more provocative, and more thoughtful. It is thus more fun, more useful, and easier to follow.

Why? Do lecturers just save their “A” material for a big crowd? Well, maybe… but it is probably more because the lecturer is able to receive feedback from the students in the moment. They can make eye contact with more people and see what people are responding to and what is making them think or react. When you lecture to 10 people scattered around a huge hall, the energy level drops and the lecture is harder to follow and frankly a lot more boring. If you want to have access to recordings of good, interesting, stimulating lectures, then it is up to each of you individually and as a class to do your part by coming to lecture. As attendance drops off over the semester—and it will—we will count on you to keep coming, and to make sure your fellow students are coming.