Abstract :
This study describes a technological pilot project providing 160 graduate
students with asynchronous access to the ongoing proceedings of a lecturebased
course. Exactly half of the students spoke the language of instruction,
English, as a second language (ESL). While the asynchronous video-ondemand
service proved popular overall, ESL students were markedly heavier
users of the system and reported most enthusiastically on its benefits.
Asynchronous access was valued as much for empowering the learner with
control of the lecture as it was for the issue of convenience. Furthermore, the
medium of video capture was found to create an impression of intimacy
simultaneously cleansed of environmental distractions, an experience not
necessarily consistent with live attendance. These findings became the
foundation of a course distribution system now providing lectures to over
1,500 undergraduates each semester, yet many of the observed benefits
remain to be confirmed by future research.
