To screencast or not to screencast

Abstract

As the type of student entering university changes, we are obliged as educators to adapt our teaching styles to suit the new demographic. With many students unable to physically attend lectures and with the internet being accessible to the vast majority of students, the need for flexibility has become paramount. In a direct response to this need, mathematics lecturers at James Cook University created screencasts for a number of their subjects, both as lecture replacement and as supplement. These screencasts involve screen and audio capture of handwritten, typed or powerpoint lectures created using a tablet computer. This article discusses student opinion on the effectiveness of the screencasts used in teaching mathematics at James Cook University. Examining the students responses to this relatively new technology raises questions on the viability of the traditional face to face lecture and the role academics will play in a technology driven tertiary sector.