Does Lecture Capturing Impact Student Performance and Attendance in an Introductory Accounting Course?

Abstract

The study empirically examines the interplay between lecture capturing viewership, performance and attendance for students in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar. The sample consists of 254 students enrolled in an introductory accounting class either in the Fall or Spring semesters. We show a weak positive relationship between lecture capturing and performance especially in the presence of more traditional explanatory variables such as GPA, attendance, gender and seniority. However, we do not find that lecture capturing reduces attendance. Actual performance results are contrasted with students' perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of lecture capturing. Survey responses reveal that, overall, students attribute a great deal of credit to this pedagogical resource. They stated that lecture capturing clarifies concepts discussed in class, assists in studying for exams, enhances exam results and increases interest in the course. We find significant differences between low performing students and others when it comes to viewing recorded lectures during the same week that those lectures were presented in class. Another important difference is their perception of attendance. The results indicate that the majority of low performing students believe lecture capturing to be a substitute for attending traditional face-to-face lectures.

Australian university students’ access to web-based lecture recordings and the relationship with lecture attendance and academic performance

“…This presents certain challenges to teaching content that builds with each consecutive lecture. Needs are also likely impacted by differences at universities and courses of study, for example, Brooks et al (2014) found about 8% of the Canadian students in their study were using recordings on a weekly basis, while Aldamen et al (2015) found 75% of the Qatari students in their study were using weekly. Gorissen et al (2012) conducted a study at two universities in the Netherlands and found interesting attendance differences at the two locations (i.e., 44.7% versus 29.3%) and attitudes about recorded lectures (i.e., effectiveness in course success was 90.3% versus 66.5%), stressing the point that key differences in institutions and classes exist necessitating educators to become familiar with the unique experiences and needs of their students.…”

“…In addition, when students download the content, researchers cannot tell if the students do or do not access the files. Such drawbacks to using online logs have been noted by other researchers (Aldamen et al, 2015;Traphagan et al, 2010). Due to these limitations to online data logs, self-report was concluded as a preferable method for addressing the research questions because of the interest in understanding if (rather than how much) students were accessing the technology and how they applied the technology in conjunction with attendance.…”

“…Another study found students scored similarly on weekly quizzes whether they were randomly assigned to attend the lecture in person or to view it online (Jensen, 2011). Students also report that they learn the material better when they can access the recordings to help prepare for exams, reviewing parts of lectures they attended that were unclear (Aldamen, Al-Esmail, & Hollindale, 2015). There is important evidence for the effectiveness of WBLT, though additional research from varying educational settings and diverse students is necessary, especially as only a few studies have been conducted, they were a number of years ago, and the technology and students' access to it is constantly evolving.…”

Understanding student use of resources in “rich-media” courses

“…Several studies have used student self-reporting in order to gain information on the effectiveness of rich-media materials; however, few have looked at exam results. Aldamen et al (2015) state that a slight positive relationship was observed between captured lecture viewership and performance in their class. However, others state that there is essentially no difference between video users and non-users (Bosshardt and Chiang, 2016;Hadgu et al, 2016;Williams et al, 2016).…”

Impact of a Practical Flowcharts Approach on Educating the Control Risk Assessment

“…Jackson and Cossitt (2015) investigated whether usage of online tutoring software could benefit intermediate accounting students with a weak knowledge of introductory accounting. Aldamen et al (2015) examined the effect of using recorded lectures on course performance and attendance for first year students enrolled in a financial accounting course.…”