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For staff

 

Teaching staff will record their lectures and share them with students online as part of a trial to enhance learning with technology.

The ‘Lecture Capture’ pilot, which launches as part of a new Digital Education Strategy, will see staff from five departments using a variety of recording methods – including audio, video, and presentations with commentary attached – throughout the Michaelmas term.

The recordings will allow students to spend more time reflecting on content in the classroom and less time taking notes, and to revisit complex concepts during revision. While Lecture Capture will not replace face-to-face lectures, it may also allow many students across a range of disabilities to access materials and information from lectures more effectively and inclusively. Teaching staff will also have the option to access analytics for their recordings to identify how regularly students are viewing each topic, and help inform future teaching.

Dr Dee Scadden, from the Department of Biochemistry, will be one of the lecturers taking part in the pilot. She said: “We are really looking forward to being involved. It will give students greater flexibility in how they choose to learn and the availability of online lecture material will also enable academic staff to try out new teaching methods that will enrich the learning experience.

“For example, if the pilot is successful, we could potentially share content that is typically delivered in the classroom – such as videos and presentations – online before the lectures, therefore freeing up more time for discussion.”

Lecture Capture is the first pilot being launched as part of a new Digital Strategy for Education, itself part of the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy. The success of the pilot will be measured at the end of term through focus groups and surveys with the teaching staff and students involved. This will be overseen by the University’s Digital Teaching and Learning Sub-committee, which will review progress on a regular basis. Examples of good teaching practice that result from the strategy will be shared with the academic community through the Cambridge Centre for Learning and Teaching.

The full list of departments taking part in the trial includes: the Department of Biochemistry, the Institute of Continuing Education, the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Engineering, and the Department of Veterinary Medicine.