Automated Lecture Capture

Automated lecture capture is when a classroom with appropriate recording hardware installed can be scheduled to automatically record your class lecture and presentation materials at the time of your class meeting. Automated lecture capture can be a one-time event, or scheduled on a recurring basis with content automatically uploaded and delivered to students through your Canvas course site.

25Live List of Classrooms for Automated Lecture Capture

Automated Recording can be configured in rooms with installed hardware. Please see this list of FAS/SEAS classrooms in 25Live with automated video capture capability.

View the list of classrooms set up for automated capture

Professional School Classrooms for Lecture Capture

Some professional schools have additional rooms equipped with lecture capture which are managed through their respective technical contacts. Please contact medialibrary@yale.edu if you need specific contact information for one of these rooms.

Benefits for Faculty

  • Review lectures to help identify areas of improvement related to teaching or classroom management
  • Analyze engagement metrics to understand student viewing and study trends
  • Archive resource materials that can be shared with future and current students

Benefits for Students

  • Engage more in class, as detailed note-taking can be performed when viewing lecture recordings
  • Use as a study aid after attending in-person lectures
  • Stop, start, and rewind difficult parts of a lecture to decode concepts
  • Activate Closed Captions to support comprehension

Additional information about lecture capture

Filming or recording lectures creates valuable opportunities for student review and can increase accessibility of course content via captions or transcripts. The practice commonly referred to as “lecture capture” gives instructors the ability to record their lectures or presentations for viewing via Canvas or through any web browser. Typical recordings include video of the instructor, a screen capture, and audio – all played back simultaneously. Lecture capture can be a one-time event, or scheduled on a recurring basis with content automatically delivered to students through the Canvas course site. A March 2021 survey from the Student Voices Project (link is external) suggests a majority of undergraduates would like instructors to continue making lectures available online for review when they return to primarily in-person learning.

Faculty members concerned about a potential drop in classroom attendance once lecture recordings are available can contact the Educational Technology and Media team for recommendations on differentiating the benefits of in-person attendance from those of lecture capture. For example, the incorporation of quick small-group conversations, the use of Poll Everywhere, and short in-class reflective writing exercises are ways to ensure that students who come to the classroom receive unique, interactive learning opportunities that are not available through a class recording. It is also important for instructors to set expectations for the students about the value and recommended use of lecture capture as a review tool and not an in-class lecture replacement.

The Poorvu Center recommends enabling the automated closed captioning options available through Media Library even if you’re not aware of any students in your class who require them for documented disabilities. (Student Accessibility Services will inform you when human-produced captions should be produced to accommodate particular students.)