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Recorded Audio and Video

Recorded audio and recorded video is information that has been recorded onto some type of media. Both are frequently used in distance learning. In the case of instructional recorded audio, the most common media include podcasts, tapes and CD-ROMs. When it comes to recorded video, this category generally consists of vodcasting, DVDs and tapes.

Audio and video content that has been recorded can be delivered via the media onto which it was recorded or it can be delivered electronically. Instructors can choose to supply students solely with the pre-recorded instruction or they can incorporate the recorded portion in with some other learning method. Students are able to view recorded video and/or listen to recorded audio on demand. In other words they can listen/view as often as is necessary to digest the subject matter.

Recorded audio and video has several advantages. First of all, recorded audio and video can be played over and over again for as long as it takes a student to comprehend the material.

Recorded video can be very elaborate and descriptive. This type of instruction is frequently used to capture a newsworthy or other type of event that is relative to the subject being taught. Using high-impact visual content and full-motion video adds a lot of interest to the subject matter and as such, can help to keep a student better focused on the material.

When students are more attentive to the learning material being presented, they are more likely to grasp the subject matter more quickly. But if they do not, that's no problem because recorded video can be replayed as needed.

One of the benefits of recorded audio is that it is fairly inexpensive to produce. When material needs to be updated, all an instructor has to do is re-record another audio file. Besides low production costs, the costs of disbursing this type of media to large numbers of students located all around the world are not that high either.

Recorded audio, because it is strictly aural, is not as effective a learning tool as is recorded video. When students just sit and listen to some distant person speaking, with no other opportunity for interaction, it can be difficult for some to continue paying attention throughout the entire lesson. The lack of interaction with the instructor is a big limitation of recorded audio.

One of the big limitations of recorded video is that production costs can be very high. And depending on the subject matter, it is often necessary to update recorded video so that the content remains current. Maintenance costs also are high. And although recorded audio can be more interesting, with its high-resolution images and flashy graphics, it too does not allow for interaction with the instructor.

The only good use of recorded audio is lecture-style narration and description. Good uses for recorded video include case studies, illustrations and lecture-style narration and description.