Investigating the use of a Lecture Capture System within Pharmacy Education: Lessons from an Internationally Accredited Undergraduate Pharmacy Program

Abstract

Introduction: Video lecture capture has been introduced to support students learning and assist with grasping difficult concepts. A variety of benefits is offered through the Echo360 system introduced at our institution nearly a decade ago. Methods: We evaluated lecture capture viewings for professional undergraduate pharmacy courses in the Fall and Spring semesters over three academic years and analyzed data for one cohort of students. Each course within the pharmacy program was analyzed and viewing figures downloaded through the Echo360 management system. The average number of views per lecture, per semester was summarized. Results: Junior students viewed lecture capture most frequently with the number of views highest at the beginning of the academic year. Year 1 students had the highest percentage of courses viewed by a number equal to or higher than students enrolled (9 occurrences out of 16 or 56%), followed by year 2 students (9 occurrences out of 21 or 43%), and finally year 3 students (3 occurrences out of 11 or 27%). Longitudinal data was also gathered for the Class of 2020 over three academic years. Conclusion/future directions: Further quantitative and qualitative studies are warranted to fully grasp the motivations for use, attitudes and perceptions towards the system. To ensure optimal use of the system by both students and faculty for a multitude of learning and teaching styles and methods, professional development sessions for students and faculty can be implemented to display the advantages of the lecture capture system and maximize the benefits from its availability. This study has now been published.