If You Record, They Will Not Come – But Does It Really Matter? Student Attendance and Lecture Recording at an Australian Law School

The Law Teacher (Forthcoming)

25 Pages Posted: 31 Jan 2020 Last revised: 3 Feb 2020

See all articles by Natalie Skead

Natalie Skead

The University of Western Australia Law School

Liam Elphick

The University of Western Australia Law School; Melbourne Law School; La Trobe Law School; Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law

Fiona McGaughey

The University of Western Australia Law School

Murray Wesson

The University of Western Australia Law School

Kate Offer

The University of Western Australia Law School

Michael Montalto

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: 2020

Abstract

Lecture recordings are anecdotally associated with decreased rates of attendance at face-to-face classes. However, there have been very few studies that empirically analyse this contention, or which examine the motivations for student attendance at face-to-face classes. In this article we report on a study of over 900 undergraduate and postgraduate law students at The University of Western Australia. The study employed a mixed methodology approach involving a student survey, a manual count of attendance at face-to-face classes, and student focus groups to measure self-reported and actual rates of attendance at face-to-face classes and to identify factors influencing student attendance. A key finding is that lecture recordings are a significant reason for non-attendance, though perhaps not as all-encompassing a reason as anecdotal evidence suggests. We discuss the benefits of lecture recordings and the potential negative implications of non-attendance at face-to-face classes for students’ academic performance, their sense of connectedness, and the development of specialist skills and graduate attributes. We also consider how universities, law schools and law teachers might respond to these challenges.

Keywords: student attendance, lecture recording, lecture attendance, lectures, law school, university, legal education, higher education

JEL Classification: K10

Suggested Citation

Skead, Natalie and Elphick, Liam and McGaughey, Fiona and Wesson, Murray and Offer, Kate and Montalto, Michael, If You Record, They Will Not Come – But Does It Really Matter? Student Attendance and Lecture Recording at an Australian Law School (2020). The Law Teacher (Forthcoming), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3516415

Natalie Skead

The University of Western Australia Law School ( email )

M253
35 Stirling Highway
Crawley, Western Australia 6009
Australia

Liam Elphick (Contact Author)

The University of Western Australia Law School ( email )

M253
35 Stirling Highway
Crawley, Western Australia 6009
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/persons/liam-elphick

Melbourne Law School ( email )

185 Pelham Street
Melbourne, VIC 3010
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://https://law.unimelb.edu.au/students/grd/students/liam-elphick

La Trobe Law School ( email )

La Trobe University
Bundoora, VIC 3083 3142
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/lelphick

Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law

Boalt Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
United States

Fiona McGaughey

The University of Western Australia Law School ( email )

M253
35 Stirling Highway
Crawley, Western Australia 6009
Australia

Murray Wesson

The University of Western Australia Law School ( email )

M253
35 Stirling Highway
Crawley, Western Australia 6009
Australia

Kate Offer

The University of Western Australia Law School ( email )

M253
35 Stirling Highway
Crawley, Western Australia 6009
Australia

Michael Montalto

affiliation not provided to SSRN

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