Lecture recording

Lecture recording refers to the recording of a lecture, in which a video recording is made of the teacher and the materials shown on the data projector (such as Powerpoint slides, graphics, websites, etc.). The recordings are made available to students through the Brightspace course associated with the course. Access to others is possible only upon request and after consent from the lecturer.

Lectures are recorded with the Kaltura lecture capturing system. Not only lectures, but also other events can be recorded.

How does it work?

Teachers can request the Faculty Scheduling Office to have a lecture (series) recorded. The University of Groningen has over 50 auditoria with automated recording equipment. These include the following rooms in the Academy building: Vanderleeuwzaal, Offerhauszaal, Geertsemazaal and Zernikezaal. Room 1314-0026 in the Harmonie building (“under the arches”) is also equipped with this facility . Requests for lecture recordings in these rooms can generally be accepted without problems. In most other rooms, a recording can be done with tha available Polycom webcam in that room.

With automated recordings the teachers have to make sure that the sound can be recorded. To this end a room microphone must be used which can be collected at the porters for the auditorium. This microphonemust be clipped on properly and turned on. Without a properly functioning microphone there will be no sound recording!

The automated recordings are linked to the rooms schedule: changes of schedule will be processed automatically.

How can you use it for teaching?

Lecture recording has really taken off during recent years, although other, more interactive forms of video are gaining currency too (see Knowledge clips). There are many reasons to have lectures recorded:

students can review lectures as preparation for the exam
students can watch explanations of specific/difficult lecture topics again
students with a performance disability are able to watch the lecture in a way suited to their needs
guest lectures can be re-used
students can view overlapping lectures
teachers can review their own lectures and improve them if needed

Research does not provide a clear-cut answer to the question whether recording lectures has a positive effect on the success rate of courses. Recent research (2015) at the University of Amsterdam shows that a positive outcome is only to be expected if students attend both live and recorded lectures. Scores of students attending lectures only or watching recorded lectures only are comparable; in this study, watching recorded lectures does not lead to lower grades. However, a decrease in success rates may occur if students do not attend lectures and do not watch the recordings on a regular basis. Teachers are advised to warn their students for this potential risk.

A lot of information about lecture recording and other forms for educational video use can be found at weblectures.nl.

Additional information

1. Edusupport website

On the Edusupport website, you will find various useful articles regarding lecture recording.

2. Procedure

A. The teacher, course co-ordinator or Programme Manger sends in a request for lecture capturing.

In this form, information about the course and the dates of the lectures should be included. Also, before sending in the form, make sure all teachers involved and the Programme Manger are notified.

B. The Scheduling Office processes the request and sends a reaction to the teacher.

C. If the request is granted, the Scheduling Office arranges for the recording to be made. The teacher will receive a link to the manuals.

D. The teacher releases the recordings in Brightsspace/Kaltura (see manual)

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