Recall of lecture information: a question of what, when and where

In this paper we report on a study in which both immediate and long-term (4-month delay) recall of lecture information was tested in a group of preclinical medical students. Comparisons were made of the recall of visually and verbally presented lecture information and of information presented during different time periods in the lecture. A clear superiority of visual information over verbal information was found in both immediate and long-term recall. Information presented between the fifteenth and thirtieth minutes of the lecture was recalled best whereas the worst recall was found for information presented in the first 15 minutes. The seating position of the student in the lecture theatre was also found to be associated with the level of immediate recall but this may be a reflection of motivational factors which determine where students choose to sit rather than of seating position per se. The overall pattern of results indicate that the level of recall of lecture information by medical students is therefore a function of what type of information is presented, when during the lecture it is presented and where the student sits in the lecture theatre.