2012

Lecture, or presentation, capture is a gradually emerging technology at many colleges and universities. Although a working definition of lecture capture is often ambiguous, Nicole Englebert from Educational & Vertical Markets Technology defines it as “a solution that captures classroom-based activities in a digital format that is then available for download or consumption over the internet” (McClure, 2008, para. 5). According to K. C. Green of the Campus Computing Project, a modest 3.5% of college courses currently make use of lecture capture technology, up slightly from 2009 (2010). Although no longer considered nascent, indications are that lecture/presentation capture will likely increase in utilization. One important reason for this uptick is that students prefer courses that offer online lectures over traditional classes that do not include an online lecture component. A recent study by the University of Madison-Wisconsin found that 82% of students (graduate and undergraduate) prefer courses that employ the technology (Nagel, 2008). The researchers also pointed out the implications for these findings extend well beyond the classroom. Many capture products also allow faculty to segment and edit the lectures, add/exchange notations, view lectures on mobile devices, and even provide blended input from a variety of audio-visual sources such as digital drawing tablets and interactive whiteboards (EDUCAUSE, 2008). However, the use of these capture systems is often limited in scope to traditional classrooms where faculty use both lecture and capture content simultaneously. The features that are built into these products are designed specifically for capturing PowerPoint and digital handwriting— stalwart didactic technologies. The emphasis of capture technology in these environments is simplicity, reliability, ease of use, and adequacy in capturing lectures.