Does recording lectures help studying?

[OliveOyl]

I know it is early, but I wanted to give all some time to answer. I am contemplating purchasing a digital recorder that records in mp3 format so that I can listen to my lectures on my ipod. I also want to get the software to allow for printing of the recordings. I would like to know if any of ya'll have experience with this and weather or not it has helped you with studying the information. Also, are the professor generally accepting of having a recorder out on your desk? Thanks.

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[turnandburn]

I never recorded any lectures but another classmate did for awhile in the beginning of the year. She quit. Her reasoning: she didn't have time to listen to lectures more than once! She would listen to the lectures while she was driving her car and she also said that it wasn't really that helpful to listen without having the notes open in front of her as well. I would generally agree with that; you really probably won't have the time. Go to class, take good notes. Should be sufficient! If you really want to record lectures though I don't think it will be a problem, none of our instructors seemed to care.

 

[sumstorm]

it might depend on the class. if you have a class where the instructor doesn't use slides to illustrate their lecture, it might be worth it...however, time is a limiting factor; I wouldn't count on audio recordings to 'fill in' on information you miss (it is faster and easier to ask a classmate about details you miss.) One of our instructor posts pod casts of is personal 'review' of the lecture or topic, and I do find those helpful, because they indicate to me what he felt was important vs the additional information that was shared because of questions, cases, etc.

I am not an audial learner, though, so it might be very different for someone who learns it from hearing. I either visualize or act out (very kinetic) the material and use flashcards. explaining it or having someone explain it in different ways sometimes helps me.

 

[primatevetjess]

Luckily, here at Davis, all of the lectures are automatically recorded and the podcasts are uploaded to iTunes. Personally, I love having that option! Of course, I don't have the time to listen to all of them, not even close. But there have definitely been lectures that I needed to re-listen to (anatomy embryology!), and it's been very helpful to listen while reviewing and taking notes. I'm not sure if other schools do anything like what UC Davis does, but if you feel like you'd benefit from it, you may want to look into the school you'll be attending before buying a recorder.

 

[rustysmom]

99% of our lectures at Michigan State are recorded and then uploaded. There are a few professors who do not record their lectures. I never used the recorded lectures until I got sick with the flu in the fall and had to miss class. Thank goodness for the recordings! At that time, I realized how helpful they were for me - I'm more of an auditory learner and I get a lot out of the lectures when I listen at home or in the library (I can be easily distracted in the classroom) 🙂.

This semester, I re-listen to the lectures I had problems with the first time - sometimes our professors talk super fast and I can't keep up. Or, I'm having a hard time understanding the material and need to hear it again where I can pause and rewind until I understand. This is a new approach for me so I'll see how well it works in a few weeks with our first exams.

 

[HopefulAg]

I'm gonna buy that Livescribe pen that supposedly records while you write, so that you always have the lecture to go along with your notes. I think that's the best compromise between information and time. It's there when you need it.

 

[sumstorm]

I'm gonna buy that Livescribe pen that supposedly records while you write, so that you always have the lecture to go along with your notes. I think that's the best compromise between information and time. It's there when you need it.

Take a look at some reviews....people were pretty unhappy with the livescribe a year ago when I looked at it. apparently it was a great concept, but there were issues with software interfacing.

apparently there is something similar that works with tablets, but I haven't looked into it. apparently it time stamps a recording on the computer with the writing in a document.

 

[OliveOyl]

Thanks for the great info. If I do buy an audio recorder, I will be purchasing one that will interface with the program for printing the audio recordings so that I can see as well as hear. I know I may not have enough time to listen to all of the lectures, however, I currently plan on being in the gym every morning for an hour before class. Working out is my stress reliever and I currently listen to music while working out, but thought that the lecture podcasts would be good to listen to while working out. Any current LSU SVM students know if they have podcasts available for the lectures, as that is where I will be attending. Thanks again ya'll.

 

[causticus]

I'm gonna buy that Livescribe pen that supposedly records while you write, so that you always have the lecture to go along with your notes. I think that's the best compromise between information and time. It's there when you need it.

My husband got me one of these for Christmas. They are actually pretty cool. I think I read somewhere that you can even get software that will "read" your handwriting and convert it to typewritten text? I'm semi-torn on how I feel about it at this point - gimicky, or useful? I guess I'll find out in September.

I haven't had any software problems with it as of yet. Supposedly it interfaces better with Macs than with PCs, so that could be it. 😛

 

[Armymutt25A]

Another thing you can do is to speed up the playback a bit, so you'll compress the lecture down. There's all sorts of free software that does this easily. I use Power Sound Editor Free to slow down tunes while I'm learning them. Changes the speed without changing the pitch.

 

[sumstorm]

My husband got me one of these for Christmas. They are actually pretty cool. I think I read somewhere that you can even get software that will "read" your handwriting and convert it to typewritten text? I'm semi-torn on how I feel about it at this point - gimicky, or useful? I guess I'll find out in September.

I haven't had any software problems with it as of yet. Supposedly it interfaces better with Macs than with PCs, so that could be it. 😛

Yeah, I think what I remember reading (like I said, would have been over a year ago...close to when they first came out) that the tracking would get 'off' making the notes and recording not match up, and then that there were problems with the computer interface....but I would have been looking at using it with a PC...and 'brand new' tends to always have problems in technology!

 

[jackrussel]

It's my first year as a vet student (starting uni in Feb woohoo) but I used recordings quite a bit in my prevet degree.

Some people I know listened to the whole thing when revising closer to the exams but I saw that as a waste of time. Rather I used it to listen to particularly difficult lectures (or parts of lectures), which were due to accent, confusing concepts, day dreaming or not able to keep up with note taking.

 

[LVT2DVM]

I only record the classes where the profs tend to discuss alot of info not on the PPts but that shows up on the test. I go thru and listen to them and write down the stuff that I couldnt get written down (or typed) in time during the lecture. After that I only use them if I need clarification on something. But honestly, typically I need clarification beyond the lecture so I end up going to text or emailing the prof. But I still tape them just in caes.

Best lesson you'll learn in your first semester! Advice is nice but basically you gotta do what works for you. And what works for undergrad, doesnt always work for grad. So try several different things.

 

[Jochebed]

gone

 

[OliveOyl]

I find it tremendously helpful...but for different reasons. I have always been a writing studier - I'd write things out again and again. Well this fall with a newborn that became pretty tricky. One of my good friends records all the lectures though and I got them from her and started listening to them again. WOW what a difference! I found it VERY helpful and did better on my exams at the end of the semester than some at the beginning! I wish I had record lectures my first two years. I don't know how much of that is because of needing to listen to them...or discovering that perhaps I'm more of an audio learner than I thought.

I think it's worth recording them and trying to listen to them again if you can. It may surprise you. At the moment I'm recording them through my mac using word notebook and then extracting the audio into mp4 format so I can stick it in my itunes.

So, do you take your mac to school with you and you have an external mic plugged in to it? I am planning on buying a mac this spring, so if it has the program on it to do all of this, then I may not need to buy the recorder? Do you leave your mac at your desk or do you put it in the professor's area? I'm not very computer smart either. . . all this extracting, etc. sounds complicated?

 

[dyachei]

So, do you take your mac to school with you and you have an external mic plugged in to it? I am planning on buying a mac this spring, so if it has the program on it to do all of this, then I may not need to buy the recorder? Do you leave your mac at your desk or do you put it in the professor's area? I'm not very computer smart either. . . all this extracting, etc. sounds complicated?

Most macs have built-in mics. Also, there is a program you can try for free called pearnote that records lectures with your powerpoint actions. Not sure how much it costs after the free trial, but people in my class use it and like it. You can leave the mac at your desk for the most part. I've never had any difficulty picking up sounds

 

[HopefulAg]

Audacity is a good recording program as well. Might not be available for mac though.

 

[Jochebed]

gone

 

[OliveOyl]

It's VERY easy. Macs have built-in mics and the program (word notebook) comes with the standard Mac office package. Just like on my PC, when you open Microsoft office it asks you what type of document you want to open, you click on "word notebook" (as opposed to a standard word document) and when that opens there is a record button at the top, you click that and off it goes. You can also type along (though those sounds will also be on the recording) and it automatically tracks along with what you are typing. You can jump to specific parts in your typed notes and listen to the audio that goes along with that part. Then, once you're done, if you want to put it into iTunes (and I suppose onto an iPod, mine's really old so it won't play mp4s but I'm upgrading soon), under "Tools" on the menu bar there's a heading called "audio notes" and then "export audio". You label the file (say "Hemo-01-Intro") and it saves it to your desktop. VERY easy. I really like it. 🙂

Thanks a lot. I am definately saving this. Do you find the "typing noise" to be too much on the recording, or is it pretty faint? I am wondering if an external mic pointed more toward the professor and away from the mac may help to minimize the sound.

 

[No Imagination]

I have an IPod Touch 2nd gen, and it offers excellent (IMO) recording with the headphones that have a mic built in. I usually put the ipod on the podium the teacher uses to lecture and I get great quality.

If nothing else, i use the recording to study, go through the powerpoints while listening. Only do it on complex classes where the material is more or less conceptual (like physiology for me). Helps me a lot.

P.S. if you use an I-pod, make sure you LOCK IT - I had a professor hit it with his arm once, and the music started playing (was through the headphones, but still load enough for people to hear). It was VERY embarrassing, as this guy was a no nonsense kind a guy and didn't appreciate the disruption. Didn't record any more of his lectures 🙂

 

[Shanomong]

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