The digital age has revolutionized the availability and distribution of information. Recently, this same concept has reached the classroom as well.

An inevitable outgrowth of the digital age is that colleges are beginning to adapt methods of teaching to new technology.

According to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, colleges across the country are making classes viewable online by installing cameras or microphones in lecture halls.

On the UA campus, professors use a Web service named Tegrity to record lectures and post them online for students to view.

John Clark, assistant professor of biology, said Tegrity is a beneficial resource for students to take advantage of.

“Tegrity is very useful for supplementing regular-format classes,” Clark said. “It’s a really important tool to use in a classroom, but it should not supplant the classroom.”

Clark said some academic experiences cannot be reproduced in a video, such as the work a student completes in a lab or hands-on activities performed outside of a classroom.

Leslie Rissler, assistant professor of biology, said in an e-mail that professors can’t engage with students in active-learning through posting lectures online alone.

She also said that words can be taken out of context when students only have the framework of a video and not the personal atmosphere of a classroom to understand the content being delivered.

“Although I agree that online course material can be useful in today’s technologically rich world, it poses some problems,” Rissler said. “First, it can hinder any connection between faculty and students and the ability of the faculty member to engage the students using active-learning techniques. Second, when teaching courses that some segments of society deem controversial, it poses the risk of individuals taking material out of context and using it towards political or social ends.”

According to The Chronicle, professors at various colleges are voicing other concerns with recording lectures.

“Some professors are camera shy, at least when it comes to their teaching,” according to the article. “Others say they discuss ideas with their students that are not yet ready for prime time. And some administrators are nervous about giving away too much of their educational content as the cost of college continues to rise.”

Still, colleges are embracing the technology.

According to a 2007 article written by the company that owns the technology, Tegrity, Inc., the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of Central Florida first adopted Tegrity Campus 2.0.

“The technology was well received by students and faculty who were immediately impressed by its ease of use and effectiveness,” the article reads. “Within a single semester, more than 2,300 students and 80 faculty members were using Tegrity Campus 2.0, making classes available to every student in the college, anytime.”

According to the same article, since January 2007, UCF students had logged more than 15,000 hours viewing Tegrity lectures online.