Any voice will do

Distance students’ perceptions of audio lectures

Abstract

Technological advances have permitted wide-scale adoption of audio lectures in higher education as auxiliary learning resources for promoting connection, particularly in distance education. Although, pedagogically, audio lectures have been associated with increased time-on-task and positive learning outcomes, they remain commonly rebuked as suitable alternatives to face-to-face lectures. Little research, however, has examined students’ perceptions about the relevance of who creates, or provides, audio lectures. Findings from 120 random telephone interviews with distance students in four university courses found 93% felt audio and internal lectures differed. Students exhibited a utilitarian approach towards audio lectures, as 75% noted that all that mattered was the audio lectures’ capacity to provide relevant content that facilitated their independent revision, rather than perceive them as opportunities for ‘getting-to-know’ their subject coordinator/‘real’ lecturer. Hence, we question the institutional cost of locally-produced audio lectures and suggest that the creation of interactive learning experiences might be a more constructive use of time and effort.