Recorded lectures - Rees, Atkin & Zimmerman, 2005

[torquetum]

 Rees, J.M., Atkin, R.J. & Zimmerman, W.B. (2005). On the use of audio-tapes for teaching vector analysis to engineering undergraduates. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, 33(4), 358-368.

 

Rees, Atkin and Zimmerman discuss their teaching innovation to replace four vector analysis lectures with audio-tapes and accompanying notes. They open the paper talking about how maths for engineers is best understood through covering fundamental concepts, mathematical techniques and, crucially, applications to engineering. They point out how their course (as with most maths courses) is so packed with content over a short time that there is scant time for applications. I therefore expected that they were using the tapes as replacements for lectures but that the actual lecture time slots would be taken up with examples and applications. This was not the case. The conventional lectures were simply cancelled with the students encouraged to attend the single “examples” class per week.

 

In the first wave of this initiative, the tapes were poorly used by the students and attendance at the examples classes was poor. In the second wave, the students were given increased ownership over the process, choosing when to receive the tapes and when the replaced lectures would be scheduled. Use of the tapes was better this time and attendance was improved. Also, approval of the initiative was increased, although in both waves many students claimed to prefer conventional lectures to the tape system. I was disappointed with the cancelling of lectures; surely this time could have been spent much more valuably? I was also disappointed that the vector analysis topic coverage was not described. It must be far less than my course since it is only 4 lectures long and mine is closer to 50. Mention is made of scalar and vector operators in the context of fluid flow, but that is all. The use of tapes is outdated now, but this initiative would be analogous to having lectures recorded, for instance on a tablet. I approve of this system, but only in the context of “the flipped classroom” which would mean keeping those lecture time slots active and filling them with worked examples, some sort of workshop, group activities, or whatever is appropriate for deeper learning.

 

Do not treat this blog entry as a replacement for reading the paper. This blog post represents the understandings and opinions of Torquetum only and could contain errors, misunderstandings and subjective views.