As one of the most hotly debated topics in education technology, the potential benefits of lecture capture are often widely misrepresented. The social media-verse is filled with demonstrations of this as a hot-button issue, particularly for educators.

Perhaps the most misunderstood aspect stems from the name itself: Lecture Capture. The fact is that there’s so much more to capture in the classroom. Video is one of the most valuable tools for education. The latest video technology is capable of bringing outsiders into the classroom in new and exciting ways. The education community must engage in some critical thinking outside of the box to reap the real advantages. Here are some key points to move the debate beyond the lecture.

Lecture Capture Is Not About Replacing Attendance

No one thinks skipping class should be encouraged. It’s an overly simplistic interpretation of lecture capture technology to equate implementation with giving students an excuse to forego class. That is unless of course illness or other factors prevent attendance, which is a major benefit to lecture capture. In this regard, the increasingly higher definition and higher speed transmission of video is a powerful tool for students who are forced to take extended absences from campus.

A lot of the potential of capturing video in the classroom tends to get lost in this most basic argument. The holy grail of lecture capture is about supplementing in-class video content in creative ways. More on that below.

Students Today Consume More Video Than Ever

Video is quite simply how students prefer to learn. It’s challenging for many educators to adapt to the advent of technology in the classroom, but at the end of the day, it’s how students consume information. It’s hard to disagree with the notion that teaching should reflect the means in which students learn best.

Adapting Teaching Strategies to Reap the Benefits

While it’s important to prioritize presenting content to students in the most engaging means possible, at the same time, teachers must be provided with the tools they need to adapt. A huge part of this is technology training, which can be a major undertaking. If this wasn’t challenging enough on its own, how can teachers be trained to supplement their classroom experience with videos? Maybe the instructor provides exclusive video components to curriculum that occurs outside of class time? The goal is to add value and engage students further. The goal is not to statically record and distribute a lecture without augmenting the content or its usage in some way.

Siimple control solutions like the AV Bridge MatrixMIX and trigger devices allow instructors to easily move the camera to pre-set positions and switch cameras for a more engaging viewer experience.

One nursing program took advantage of lecture capture technology to share intricate techniques with students. See what they think about it.

Lecture Capture Use Cases are Varied

The software and devices required to implement lecture capture dually function for live-streaming. This capability opens up huge doors of opportunity that span cross-functional uses all across campus. Consider overflow seating areas during large events – a celebrity guest speaker on campus for example. Distance learning is driven by lecture capture systems. Enabling students to interact with their peers across the world in high definition is a powerful tool for establishing connections with different communities and facilitating the transfer of knowledge and experiences.

Simple video editing tools enable students and teachers alike to focus study groups come exam time. Audio technology and microphones in the classrooms help present live student interactions alongside the teacher’s content – exposing more viewpoints. Lecture capture enables remote attendees, like a highly demanded expert guest who can’t travel to campus. They can now easily share their expertise for a segment during a class. Add a live Q&A with the expert, and students are exposed to an exclusive learning opportunity.

Students at George Washington University Law School rely heavily on class recordings when it comes to their final exams.
This drove the move to update video capture equipment. Read more about it

There are many more examples like these that just scratch the surface of lecture capture’s potential. These creative use cases are made possible by further technological advancements, new software features, higher speeds, advanced integration with other open systems and automation on campus.

The education community is widely adopting lecture capture. There are still some holdouts in the system though. Surely there’s more work to be done in terms of adoption. It all starts by providing the tools and letting innovators and leaders drive the conversation.

For more on AV and education, visit Legrand | AV's Education Solutions page, your one-stop-shop for resources from across the brands of Legrand | AV to help guide design and suggest solutions to enhance learning environments.