What To Do If You Have a Persistent Issue With a Section of a Lecture?
Here you will find some information on effective strategies in getting extra support on lecture content. Remember that just because you have a lecture recording doesn't mean that you have been left to your own devices. If you need extra support, then help is there for you.
Staff Office Hours
If you are having difficulties with any aspect of your (online and/or on-campus) course, you should speak to your lecturers. At many universities, teaching staff will provide "Office hours", "Consultation hours" or "Student hours", either in person or virtually. These office hours are intended for students to get extra help, ask questions about assignments, discuss the content of lectures further, or talk about any personal problems you might be facing.
Staff office hours tend to be underused by students, but those who attend them report that they are incredibly helpful and can often solve problems and reduce anxiety just by having a short meeting. Office hours are there to be used - take advantage of them!
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL)
Some universities will offer a system in which older students are available to support younger students (and vice versa) with course-related content. If you are struggling with some lecture content, why not take the lecture recording to a PAL session and see if a fellow student can support you in some way? To find out if your school offers PAL, contact your course convenor (and if they don't, consider setting up a PAL scheme yourself!).
Create a Study Group
Research has shown the use of student study groups to be an effective learning strategy. Studying in groups not only gives you the opportunity to support each other, but you can work collaboratively on difficult lecture topics. Having a structured study group will allow you to practise active recall by explaining lecture topics to each other, to fill in any gaps in your notes, and to break the monotony of studying alone. Why not revisit specific lecture recordings together and tackle the difficult topics together? Working together may help you gain insight into lecture content that you wouldn't have got alone.
Remember that you can use technology such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams to set up a virtual study group. These applications allow you to share your computer screen with your fellow students. This could be useful for watching lecture recordings together, or for sharing diagrams and infographics with each other. Virtual study groups might be preferable to on-campus study groups (e.g. you are a home student or your course is being delivered remotely), so you should make the most of available technology to study with your peers.