Lecture capture as an element of the digital resource landscape - a qualitative study of flipped and non-flipped classrooms

While it is increasingly common for live lectures to be recorded and made available online, there has been little exploration of how lecture capture usage fits within the wider context of digital resources available to students. Here we report on in-depth semi-structured interviews with first year students taking both flipped and non-flipped classes in mathematics and physics at the University of Edinburgh. Thematic analysis was used to understand students’ experiences of lecture capture and other digital resources such as lecture slides and lecture notes and how these were used during their studies. Two conceptual themes emerged: a) Supporting learning in live lectures and b) Personalisation of learning. Results show that students saw lecture capture as just one of a number of digital resources available to them, and that their choice of resource depended on the affordances of the resource, the way in which information was presented in lectures and their beliefs about learning. The availability of digital resources seemed to support learning in live lectures by reducing the multi-tasking involved in note-taking and by providing a safety net for missed notes and for the occasional missed lecture. Implications for teaching practice are discussed.