Podcasts of University Lectures? (Score 1)

I work at the the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and we have been recording and providing video lectures since 2000, and have been providing podcasts for about 2 years. Here we use the Real Media format for streaming the class video and mp3 for the audio. We also have a few savvy professors who create their own video podcast as a course supplement which are extremely popular. We do require authentication to reach the streamed video lectures and require a VPN connection as well as username and password to download the audio and supplemental video podcast files. Class attendance is not required to access the audio and video files. Here we post our files at the end of the day and do not have a problem with attendance. Some professors have insisted on 100 percent attendance in the past have had a sign in sheet every once in a while, and that is exactly what they got. For most classes attendance is optional and we post the video and audio lecture links at the end of the day. If you post your videos immediately after a lecture it is just like a live feed. We have had requests from the students to post the links immediately after the lecture ends but we feel that this may affect attendance. The effect on attendance also depends on the quality of the video ( not only format but production ) ,type of class and teaching method of the professor. For example if you have a professor who only uses a chalk board to draw diagrams and you have a fixed camera in the back of the room, the video will not serve as a replacement but as a supplement or reminder of what happened in class. If that same professor only teaches with a Powerpoint file and your camera is fixed on the screen then the student can effectively not come to class and learn just as well from the video. Our production includes several cameras, audience microphones, and an employee sitting in each class switching cameras and ensuring an excellent quality video no matter the material. The one thing I must say is that the video and audio as a supplemental resource to the classes seem to be an invaluable study tool. We see students who go to class in person later watch the videos at twice speed and for the amount of material in these lectures that is quite amazing.