Electronic Lecture Versus Traditional Lecture: Implications on Students' Learning

This article presents work undertaken in the 2010-2011 academic year at two international campuses of Nottingham University. Although the data was shared after seven years, it is believed the findings have implications for the present time. The primary aim of this study was to compare the use of podcasts against traditional lectures on student learning of a course designed for Bachelors of Engineering (BEng) and Masters of Engineering (MEng) students majoring in chemical engineering, and chemical and environmental engineering. The campus based in the UK (UNUK) taught the module using a conventional “chalk-and-talk” approach whilst the other in Malaysia (UNMC) used electronic lectures (podcasts) to deliver the taught component of the module. The same assessment (exam and coursework) was used in both campuses to measure the differences in effectiveness of the two approaches. The comparison found that the mode of delivery has no obvious effect on the academic performance of the students for both coursework and exam components, however, the electronic lecture approach was found to have a negative impact on student attendance on campus.