Revisiting Live Lectures: A Shift in Paradigm?

The ability to revisit live lecture material confers a range of benefits to students, particularly if it can closely replicate the rich environment of the live classroom. This paper proposes a new mode of lecture delivery based on digital capture and student-controlled playback of synchronized lecturer dynamic annotation and video. This approach was tested in a large undergraduate course during which lectures were delivered entirely via pre-recorded lecture material on DVD. Our evaluation of the novel delivery mode in this course shows convincingly that students are better able to review and understand lecture material. These findings suggest that a re-examination of the paradigm of live lectures may be warranted.