Recorded Lectures as a Source of Cognitive Off-loading

Objective: The objective of this study elucidated the impact of students knowing they have future access to recorded lectures on their ability to remember information presented during lecture.Methods: Seventy-eight participants were divided into two groups: knowledge of future access to recorded lectures after a simulated class and knowledge of no future access to recorded lectures after a simulated class. Participants viewed fifty minutes of videoed lecture. For the early lecture material, participants were instructed whether they would or would not have future access to the recorded lectures for restudy just prior to their test 1 week later. For the late lecture material, participants were instructed they would not have future access. Participants were tested both immediately following the lectures and after a one-week delay. The primary outcome was the participant’s performance on the late lecture material following immediate testing. If participants had preserved cognitive resources (e.g. memory, atte...