The Cost of Asking: ‘Say that Again?’: A Social Capital Theory View Into How Lecture Recording Supports Widening Participation

Abstract

Lecture recording, as a form of technology enhanced learning, has been purported to support equality in Higher Education. The introduction of lecture recording is often controversial, with some lecturers having concerns as to how recordings may change teaching and learning. A commonly reported motivation for incorporating lecture recordings is supporting the needs of widening participation students, students who are otherwise under-represented in higher education. In this study, we used focus groups to explore the experiences of widening participation students in higher education as they navigated their university programmes. We held four focus groups in three Scottish universities, and discussed and developed findings alongside a stakeholder group. We then applied a social capital lens to the data to explore whether recordings can be used to overcome a lack of social capital in widening participation students. Our participants identified areas where they lacked social ‘credit’, such as a lack of peer parity among colleagues and experiences which could be described as microaggressions. Students discussed reasons why the ‘cost’ of asking questions in class was too high, and how recordings support them by allowing them to save on this perceived cost. However students also recognised the tension of a lack of trust between lecturers and students, which could be exacerbated by recordings. We found good evidence to support a social capital view of ‘trust as credit’ in interactions between students and lecturers, and provide suggestions for how lecture recording can be used to support widening participation students in this area.

I can be a “normal” student: the role of lecture capture in supporting disabled and neurodivergent students’ participation in higher education

“…Being able to revisit the recordings reduced anxiety, a sentiment echoed by Voelkel et al (2023) in a non-disability-specific sample. From the perspective of widening participation, MacKay et al (2021) conducted focus groups with students who were from lower socio-economic backgrounds as well as first-generation students and carers. Participants noted how recordings helped balance responsibilities like paid work and commuting.…”

“The best year” / “I struggled with everything”: Widening participation experiences of pandemic online learning

“…Approaches to WP in education commonly form around theories of class. Bourdieu's theories of social class and capital (Bourdieu, 1986) are often utilised (indeed by these authors (MacKay et al, 2021)) to conceptualise the unequal labour that WP students must do to 'fit in' in Higher Education and workplace settings (Abrahams, 2017). The concept of 'fitting in' or 'belonging' in Higher Education is broadly defined as a feeling of being accepted, valued, included, and encouraged by others in the academic classroom setting, (Goodenow, 1993), and is a common theme for WP students who can feel alienated and unwelcome in their educational institution (Reay et al, 2010;Southgate & Bennett, 2016), .…”

“…It is generally recognised that WP students face greater barriers to education in spite of increased drives to support their participation (Boliver, 2017;Brown, 2018). Modes of TEL such as lecture recordings have been found to ease student perceptions of these barriers (MacKay, 2020), potentially through the provision of extra resources that means students do not have to spend social capital to 'check' with educators (MacKay et al, 2021).…”

Blended Learning Experiences of LGBTQ+ and Neurodivergent Students: A mixed-methods study

“…Thus, the pivot to blended learning may not be the driving force behind the drop in student belonging and well-being during the pandemic. Furthermore, there are significant benefits associated with adopting a blended-learning model and online teaching delivery more generally, particularly for groups that are traditionally marginalised by the university culture and infrastructure, such as disabled students, low-income and/or first-generation students, and LGBTQ+ students (Mackay et al, 2021). For instance, providing lectures in a virtual format (whether as the primary delivery method, or subsequently, in the form of a recording) can enable students with processing difficulties (such as those associated with autism, ADHD, or various learning difficulties) to alter the speed, enable subtitles, or replay content to aid understanding (Mackay et al, 2021).…”

“…Furthermore, there are significant benefits associated with adopting a blended-learning model and online teaching delivery more generally, particularly for groups that are traditionally marginalised by the university culture and infrastructure, such as disabled students, low-income and/or first-generation students, and LGBTQ+ students (Mackay et al, 2021). For instance, providing lectures in a virtual format (whether as the primary delivery method, or subsequently, in the form of a recording) can enable students with processing difficulties (such as those associated with autism, ADHD, or various learning difficulties) to alter the speed, enable subtitles, or replay content to aid understanding (Mackay et al, 2021). The same study further highlighted the potential social cost for minority groupssuch as LGBTQ+ studentsto ask questions during face-to-face teaching, when they fear potential stigma or discrimination based on how they look or present.…”