Speech Blog

Research has shown that taking notes improves understanding and retention of the things taught in a lecture. But no matter how fast we write or type, it is not possible to jot down everything the professor is saying. Therefore, many students are starting to consider recording class lectures and taking voice memos. But are the benefits of recording lectures really worth it? And do you really need a special audio recorder for that when you have a smartphone in your pocket? Yes and yes. Here’s why:

 

Revisiting complex topics

When the professor is covering a topic that is quite complex and difficult to understand, you would want to give your full attention to what the professor is demonstrating instead of frantically trying to write everything down that is said. An audio recording gives you the opportunity to listen to the lecture, or parts of it, as often as you want. Revisiting challenging parts with the help a voice recorder can improve understanding and help with memorizing information.

Helping you keep up

Not everyone is blessed with fast penmanship and many students have slow handwriting. Speaking is also at least three times faster than typing, so even students who type notes still struggle to keep up. Often, by the time you’ve finished writing or typing one point; your professor has already made another three and moved on. Recording the lecture will guarantee you don’t miss anything and allow you to listen more intently.

Reviewing content

It’s the night before the exam and you are reviewing the topics discussed in the lecture. Suddenly, you realize you don’t have a full understanding of one particular topic. It’s too late to call the professor for help and others are busy with their own studies. If you kept recordings of all the lectures, you can easily refer to the class when the professor discussed that topic and allow the professor themselves to brush up your knowledge.

With an audio recorder, you can also make voice notes for yourself while studying and then listen to those notes before the exam instead of reading through the content again. This can be extremely helpful to students who struggle with reading or who learn better from listening.

Covering what you missed

You’re sick and can’t make it out of bed to get to your 8am. Well, you can always ask a friend to record the class lecture for you. Sure, you could just copy his or her notes, but listening to the recorded lecture would ensure that you don’t miss anything and even gives you the option to make your own notes.

 

But why not use my smartphone for all this?

There are several reasons why an audio recorder is superior to a smartphone when it comes to recording college lectures. Here are a few:

Special audio recording features are key

In-between giving a lecture, the professor may take attendance, engage in small talk, answer questions and take other detours. So when you go back to listen to the recording, you would have to listen through all of these unwanted distractions, taking up valuable study time.

That’s why it is important to have a recorder that can be easily paused, played, and shared. Some recorders can be connected with an app to start and stop recordings when the recorder is placed further away. You can also transfer recordings straight from the recorder to the smartphone via the phone’s Wi-Fi hotspot without having to connect the device to a computer.

Recording distant voices

If you arrived late in class and all the good seats in the front are taken, then you would have to record the lecture from the back of the room, and the volume of the recording on a smartphone could turn out to be imperceptible.

Having a recorder that can pick up lectures even from the back of the class is crucial. An audio recorder has advanced microphones placed ideally for recording. On some devices, smart recording functions like voice-activated recording and pre-set audio scenes make it even easier to achieve outstanding audio results in a variety of settings.

Limited battery and storage

If you are trying to use your smartphone to record, you have to worry about limited battery life and storage in long lectures. A good recording takes up a lot of space. If you have to record multiple long lectures per day, you might run of space after the first few classes.

Audio recorders have powerful batteries with up to 36 hours of recording time, allowing you to save your smartphone battery and the hassle of trying to find an outlet.

Interrupted recording

Suppose you are in class, attentively listening to the professor with your smartphone recording the whole lecture. But at the end of the class, you realize that your parents called you to check in, and your recording app stopped recording once the call came and didn’t record anything after that.

Audio recorders allow you to record without interruptions from calls, texts, or notifications. They can also offer smartphone connectivity for easy file sharing, so it’s the best of both worlds.

For more info on the difference between recorders and smartphones, check out THIS POST.

 

Aiding students with disabilities

Digital voice recorders can also help a multitude of students with varying disabilities. This type of assistive technology is ideal for students that have trouble keeping up with lectures. Students who struggle with hearing disabilities, visual impairments, dyslexia, learning disabilities, and more can greatly benefit from digital voice recorders. Recording lectures and group interactions is very beneficial to students who may have a hard time understanding what is happening the first time around. Audio recorders give disabled students the ability to learn at their own pace and absorb information in a way that works best for them.

 

 

Have questions about which recorder would work best for recording your college lectures? Leave a comment and let us know!