Investigating Veterinary Medicine Faculty Perceptions of Lecture Capture: Issues, Concerns, and Promises

Lecture capture technology is becoming more pervasive in today's classrooms. Students are demanding their lectures be recorded, but many instructors remain resistant. The goal of this study was to investigate faculty perceptions of lecture capture and to understand their concerns with the technology. Through a review of the existing literature, three common reasons for not recording were identified: impact on class attendance, incompatible pedagogy, and technical concerns. To test the hypotheses, an electronic survey was created and distributed to the faculty of a veterinary college in the southeastern US. The survey included both quantitative and qualitative questions. An invitation was emailed to all 134 faculty members, garnering 50 responses. Results were consistent with the hypotheses. Impact on class attendance, teaching styles, and technical considerations have dissuaded many instructors from adopting lecture capture technology. However, a fourth theme that emerged was faculty lack of awareness/familiarity. According to the qualitative responses, many faculty either did not know lecture recording was available in their teaching spaces or were not trained in how to use the technology. Recommendations for future research include distributing the survey campus-wide and providing more opportunities for faculty training. It would also be worthwhile to repeat the survey after providing more information and training materials to faculty, or after switching from an opt-in to an opt-out approach, to see whether perceptions have changed among the college's faculty.