As most (40) of the 68 studies combined in the meta-analysis were before or in 2000, they probably do not relate to the current teaching/lecture recording environment, where lecture recordings are available to students. Īs no information on the availability of lecture recordings to students is presented in the meta-analysis of Credé et al., 2010, it is not clear whether this availability changes any association between lecture attendance and academic performance. The individual studies for students of the biological sciences included in the meta-analysis and subsequent studies of these students have mostly shown a positive association between lecture attendance and academic outcomes, but some have not. In the 2010 meta-analysis, the positive relationship between lecture attendance and academic performance was also observed for the subgroup of 11 studies of students studying science. The meta-analysis also showed that attendance was a stronger predictor of performance than other known predictors including college entry scores, study habits and study skills. This was tested in a meta-analysis of 68 studies of US college students in 2010, which showed that students who attended lectures more frequently obtained better grades. Attending lectures is also considered by many teachers to be a predictor of performance. employment responsibilities, student workload ). commitment and satisfaction with university), cognitive appraisal, and demographics (e.g. Subsequently, other factors have been identified as predictors including psychological predictors (e.g.

Previous academic performance and study skills were the first identified predictors of academic performance at university. As students vary in their lecture attendance and use of online resources including lecture recordings and lecture slides, academic staff should continue to provide a range of resources for students. Conclusionsįrom this study, it does not seem that either lecture attendance or accessing lecture recordings are major determinants of academic outcomes for most students. Lecture slides (PowerPoints), independently of lecture recordings, were used extensively by the students. One-third of students provided additional feedback on accessing lecture recordings, and the most common themes were ‘flexibility’ and ‘useful’. Lecture recordings were accessed to clarify, revise or catch up on content, or as an alternative to attending lectures. Reasons for attending lectures included greater perceived learning and interaction with staff and other students, while reasons for not attending related to inconvenience or other commitments. Survey respondents were almost equally divided between those attending lectures weekly, sometimes or not. The main findings were that in 20: (i) the average lecture attendance was 39 and 27%, respectively, (ii) there was no association between lecture attendance and academic outcomes, (iii) there was no association between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes. ResultsĬonsent rates were high for both the sign-in (90%) and survey (64%). Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated to determine whether there was an association between attending lectures or accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes. MethodsĬonsenting students signed in when attending lectures and/or completed an online survey. The aims were (i) to determine any association between lecture attendance and academic outcomes for students who had access to lecture recordings, (ii) to determine any association between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes and (iii) to use a survey to determine why students attend lectures and/or access lecture recordings in a course in medical laboratory science. Few surveys of lecture attendance or lecture recordings use by students are linked to academic outcomes. The effect of availability of lecture recordings on academic outcomes is not clear and it is not known whether these recordings change the association between lecture attendance and academic outcomes.

Recording lectures