You may find the some of your face-to-face sessions will be recorded – in a format known as classroom capture. This will form part of the Learning Capture that you will have access to as a student – which also includes pre-recorded content, like screencasts, talking heads or demonstration videos.
Not all classroom sessions will be recorded, and some tutors may choose to record only parts of a session. Your tutors may choose to record the 'content' part of a session, but not the interactive elements, for example. These recordings are intended as a supplementary resource that can be used to support your understanding or as a revision aid. You are not expected to review the content if you have attended sessions and are confident with what was covered.
The University learning capture system will be provided by Yuja. You will be able to access these classroom recordings, along with other video resources, through your module within Blackboard.
You should be attending all your taught sessions. Attending your taught sessions and engaging in the activities and discussions will deepen your understanding of your subject. These classroom recordings are not a replacement for lectures and should not be seen as such.
You could though revisit the recorded material to supplement your learning. You might find that they are helpful for the following reasons:
Knowing that a session is being recorded can mean that you can concentrate more on what is being said and worry less about the notes you make. It is however not advisable that you watch the entire video again. Remember the intention of note making is to take down key pieces of information, not everything that is said.
Before you begin, check the notes you already have and identify the areas you missed or didn’t understand. Re-watch these specific sections, not the whole thing, and add to your notes. Try to do this as soon as possible after the session, so ideas are still fresh in your mind.
You may wish to review some concepts that you found challenging. It would be helpful if you took a note down of the slide or time you are at within the session – you can the forward the recording to this specific section and only watch this bit again. Yuja also has a search facility. You can search the transcript for keywords and it will take you to this section of the video. Making use of this function will save you time and ensure your studying is more effective.
When revising for your exams, or preparing for an assignment, you may wish to go back through the recording and refresh your memory of the key concepts and ideas that were discussed. It is not recommended that you stop and pause the recording and jot down everything that is said, instead use this as a way of listening out for key principles that may be useful for assignments. Some students like to change the speed and choose to watch this at a slightly faster pace. This can save you time, but you need to be alert to any key ideas that are covered. As with all revision, this is best done as an ongoing activity; so, make this a weekly task instead of trying to watch all videos a week or two before an exam.
As mentioned, classroom capture is not intended as a replacement for attending the session. Remember that not all sessions will be recorded, and your tutor may pause the recording, so by not attending you will be missing out on vital interactions which deepen your learning. However, you might find that occasionally you are unable to attend a class due to ill health, for example. In this case you could use the recording to supplement your reading and class materials.
In this instance, you should watch the video as if you attended. Prepare in advance, as you would for a session by doing the recommended reading and ensure you have the slides to hand (if they are provided). You should decide in advance how you would like to make notes (online within the slides or by hand). Try not to pause the video and remember you need to take down key ideas not every word your tutor says.
For more advice on making notes from recorded material see our Taking notes from videos guide or watch our short video on Taking notes from videos