Over the past few years, advancements in technology have made many classrooms an exciting place for students to experience different parts of their education. Both primary school and secondary school students have a much more varied education and have access to more resources online meaning they have all the knowledge they’ll need at their fingertips. However, the argument between online education and face-face to face learning still continues despite students wanting more technology in their college life.
In 2017, 35,000 students from a number of Irish third level institutions took part in the Irish Survey of Student Engagement. The survey provided research and data into student experience in the classroom and with their lecturers. Over 70 per cent of first year students said that they never worked with academic staff other than when they were doing their coursework. Many students also complained about their class sizes and how they are forced to spend money travelling to compulsory lectures when they don’t learn anything in the class due to the class size and the lack of engagement.
However, even though this survey gave a great insight into student satisfaction, most third level institutes in Ireland still aren’t offering their students online lectures as a flexible study option. There are arguments for and against online lectures as many believe that students will not learn if they are watching on a screen however, it’s important to look at the universities who are succeeding with this.
In 2016, the University of Edinburgh announced that they would be rolling out a new lecture capture called Media Hopper Replay over the following three years to enhance the learning experience for all students. However, the universities newspaper ‘The Students’ reported that some lecturers were hesitant about the implementation of this new system as they felt it would reduce attendance, create legal and copyright problems and they also noted that lecturers wouldn’t be able to express themselves freely in a classroom environment.
Speaking to Her Campus DCU, Cera Murtagh, Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast said: “I think that anything that widens students’ access to higher education, including increasing access to online lectures is to be welcomed. Students come with a variety of personal circumstances, needs and learning styles and anything we can do to increase their choice and access to learning is a good thing.
She also noted that online lectures shouldn’t become the dominant form of provision in universities as personal interaction, discussion and debate are all crucial parts of students’ learning and development.
“There are also a number of potential unintended consequences of shifting to online lectures which we need to be mindful of, such as student consent and privacy. If lectures, seminars and tutorials with students are recorded for online use, this may include student discussions. Recording may have a negative effect on students’ willingness to contribute, particularly around sensitive topics in the social sciences, such as gender and sexuality” said Cera.
Despite the reservations about online lectures, some students in NUI Galway will also get to experience the virtual classroom as the college inserted four Lecture Capture rooms across the campus to record lectures. According to their website, Lecture Capture will increase student engagement and it provides a better platform of communication between staff and students.
The debate between classroom education and online education will continue on in the future, and whilst most universities, like DCU, often provide a happy medium, it’s important they take the students and the lecturers feedback on board and aim to create an educational environment with the best resources for both groups.