Can lecture capture contribute to the development of a community of inquiry in online learning?

ABSTRACT

This paper presents findings from a study into the value of lecture captures for online postgraduate courses. There has been little scrutiny of the role of on-campus lecture capture in online courses. We addressed this gap by exploring online distance learning students’ perceptions of lecture captures through the lens of the community of inquiry framework. We found that students were enthusiastic about campus lecture captures due to their naturalistic lecturing style and the opportunity to learn vicariously. However, students also expressed preferences for video material that was produced specifically for online audiences. Overall, we found that lecture captures do not contribute to the creation of a community of inquiry as there is no substantial increase in cognitive, social, or teaching presence for online students. We suggest greater consideration of the role of vicarious learning in online education and the tendency to perceive campus-based education as more authentic.

KEYWORDS:

• online learning
• vicarious learning
• community of inquiry
• lecture capture
• international development
• videos

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank our research participants who gave their time and insights to the project. We are also grateful for the feedback and expertise provided by the anonymous reviewers and editorial team, which strengthened the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Additional information

Funding

The research for this article was supported by the Edinburgh Principal’s Teaching Award Scheme at the University of Edinburgh, Regular Grant Award (project title: Using lecture capture effectively for online learning).

Notes on contributors

Anna K. Wood

Anna K. Wood is an independent researcher specializing in online education and digital pedagogy.

Kate Symons

Kate Symons is online learning project coordinator for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme at the University of Edinburgh.

Jean-Benoit Falisse

Jean-Benoit Falisse is a lecturer in Africa and International Development at the Centre of African Studies, University of Edinburgh.

Hazel Gray

Hazel Gray is a senior lecturer in African Studies and Development at the Centre of African Studies, University of Edinburgh.

Albert Mkony

Albert Mkony is a PhD candidate at the Centre of African Studies, University of Edinburgh.