Death of the lecture greatly exaggerated, says St Andrews v-c

I've been told that students can't concentrate on someone speaking for more than fifteen minutes. Yet many of these students can binge-watch Game of Thrones for hours. And play video games for hours on end. People will focus on what excites them. But education is not edutainment. Learning can be enjoyable, but it also involves discipline. An excellent lecturer can explain difficult concepts in a lecture format, then provide additional resources to complement what was communicated. In fact, I think the lecture is more important than ever because these days it tends to be recorded, so students can go back to check things they wanted clarification about. They can also post questions beneath an embedded video in an LMS. The idea that lectures are static forms of learning is a misrepresentation of that model. If anything, an excellent lecture - recorded for live or asynchronous audiences - can provide a catalyst for student discussion, along with engagement with the lecture via discussion board questions. More than ever, the lecturer is both responsive and accountable to students.