4 ms·

This reminds me of the running gag in some college movie where the first day all the students show up. The next cut some students come to class, put a recorder

This reminds me of the running gag in some college movie where the first day all the students show up. The next cut some students come to class, put a recorder on their desk and leave, then pick it up later. Eventually there's a scene of the professor lecturing to a bunch of empty desks with just recorders. And the final scene there's the professor's tape player playing to the student's recorders.

pmiller2 9y ago
FYI, this gag appears exactly as described in Real Genius. I wonder if there are any other movies that use it?
- drblast 9y ago
  I'm pretty sure an episode of Scrubs did something very similar.
- kfriede 9y ago
  Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt4vXaoPzF8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt4vXaoPzF8
- skocznymroczny 9y ago
  TVTropes probably has it, but I couldn't find it. Snopes has it as urban legend here http://www.snopes.com/college/admin/recorder.asp http://www.snopes.com/college/admin/recorder.asp
Balgair 9y ago
For real though. Many large undergrad lectures kinda run this way. I'll take the video of the lecture (many large universities record all lectures now) and just play it back at ~1.3x speed later. I can rewind, stop, and fast-forward to the stuff I know I need to know. Since the tests/HW are the only thing that matters, why would I not do it this way? It's a better use of all of our time.
- ML_God 9y ago
  You can't ask questions this way.
- JTon 9y ago
  A counter argument for the sake of discussion: students in the classroom can add value to the recorded lectures by engaging the professor with questions that ask to clarify, extend, etc. If there are no students left, the students rely fully on the profs ability to monologue. Could be a risk. Could dilute the lecture's potential.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    I suspect a lot depends on what is meant by lecture. If it's a 500 person lecture (or conference talk, etc.), questions are mostly a distraction. In fact, at large events, I find that most speakers prefer to defer questions to the end. In a 25 person class, even if it's nominally a lecture, I'd expect it to be far more interactive.
  - Balgair 9y ago
    Yeah, at most large US universities, that's not really occurring anymore. Maybe the upper division classes in smaller majors, but most of college is a joke now. TAs really do the teaching, if at all. Lecture is not really something that is valued, even by admin. If you get more grant money, you get to teach less, or so I hear. Project based learning, where you actually build a race-car or a app or make a bronze sculpture, does prove you aren't drooling your way through. Combine that with years of using the same test over and over, and you get rampant 'cheating' issues, but I hesitate to call it cheating when the profs are confronted with it and just send out a 'strongly worded email' and that is it. Look, don't be the person at the orgy counting wedding rings. That's 'college' now. It's little surprise that most Eng. jobs won't take anyone without a MS/MSEE/MSME/etc anymore, they know college is a joke too, they were just there like 10 years ago.
  - mhandley 9y ago
    As a professor, I'm increasingly trying to avoid using a computer to lecture. I'm making a lot more use of a whiteboard pen to explain things, backed up by powerpoint slides, video and audio only when I think it adds. The nice thing about using a pen is there isn't a set script - I can digress, or add extra explanation as needed. I do have detailed notes for how I plan to do the lecture, but I very rarely use those notes in lecture. As far as possible, I lecture from memory, which avoids the students thinking I'm regurgitating a script. This means the students feel much more free to ask questions, as it doesn't seem to disturb the "powerpoint show". I find lectures I give this way are much more interactive. I've asked my students which they prefer, and 95% prefer me using a pen. It seems to show in our student feedback too - I'm consistently at or very near the top in our student ranking of lecturers. The one downside is the videos of the lectures are less useful, as pen doesn't work so well on video.
paulpauper 9y ago
that's kinda what MOOCs are like
losteverything 9y ago
My first year chemistry courses were entirely taught (self paced) on cassette tape No lectures. Office hours if needed. Had to listen to tapes in chem building (jimmy Carter president)
ams6110 9y ago
Back To School, Rodney Dangerfield.

pmiller2 9y ago

FYI, this gag appears exactly as described in Real Genius. I wonder if there are any other movies that use it?

drblast 9y ago
I'm pretty sure an episode of Scrubs did something very similar.
kfriede 9y ago
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt4vXaoPzF8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt4vXaoPzF8
skocznymroczny 9y ago
TVTropes probably has it, but I couldn't find it. Snopes has it as urban legend here http://www.snopes.com/college/admin/recorder.asp http://www.snopes.com/college/admin/recorder.asp

Balgair 9y ago

For real though. Many large undergrad lectures kinda run this way. I'll take the video of the lecture (many large universities record all lectures now) and just play it back at ~1.3x speed later. I can rewind, stop, and fast-forward to the stuff I know I need to know. Since the tests/HW are the only thing that matters, why would I not do it this way? It's a better use of all of our time.

ML_God 9y ago
You can't ask questions this way.
JTon 9y ago
A counter argument for the sake of discussion: students in the classroom can add value to the recorded lectures by engaging the professor with questions that ask to clarify, extend, etc. If there are no students left, the students rely fully on the profs ability to monologue. Could be a risk. Could dilute the lecture's potential.
- ghaff 9y ago
  I suspect a lot depends on what is meant by lecture. If it's a 500 person lecture (or conference talk, etc.), questions are mostly a distraction. In fact, at large events, I find that most speakers prefer to defer questions to the end. In a 25 person class, even if it's nominally a lecture, I'd expect it to be far more interactive.
- Balgair 9y ago
  Yeah, at most large US universities, that's not really occurring anymore. Maybe the upper division classes in smaller majors, but most of college is a joke now. TAs really do the teaching, if at all. Lecture is not really something that is valued, even by admin. If you get more grant money, you get to teach less, or so I hear. Project based learning, where you actually build a race-car or a app or make a bronze sculpture, does prove you aren't drooling your way through. Combine that with years of using the same test over and over, and you get rampant 'cheating' issues, but I hesitate to call it cheating when the profs are confronted with it and just send out a 'strongly worded email' and that is it. Look, don't be the person at the orgy counting wedding rings. That's 'college' now. It's little surprise that most Eng. jobs won't take anyone without a MS/MSEE/MSME/etc anymore, they know college is a joke too, they were just there like 10 years ago.
- mhandley 9y ago
  As a professor, I'm increasingly trying to avoid using a computer to lecture. I'm making a lot more use of a whiteboard pen to explain things, backed up by powerpoint slides, video and audio only when I think it adds. The nice thing about using a pen is there isn't a set script - I can digress, or add extra explanation as needed. I do have detailed notes for how I plan to do the lecture, but I very rarely use those notes in lecture. As far as possible, I lecture from memory, which avoids the students thinking I'm regurgitating a script. This means the students feel much more free to ask questions, as it doesn't seem to disturb the "powerpoint show". I find lectures I give this way are much more interactive. I've asked my students which they prefer, and 95% prefer me using a pen. It seems to show in our student feedback too - I'm consistently at or very near the top in our student ranking of lecturers. The one downside is the videos of the lectures are less useful, as pen doesn't work so well on video.

paulpauper 9y ago

that's kinda what MOOCs are like

losteverything 9y ago

My first year chemistry courses were entirely taught (self paced) on cassette tape No lectures. Office hours if needed. Had to listen to tapes in chem building (jimmy Carter president)

ams6110 9y ago

Back To School, Rodney Dangerfield.