Abstract:

This paper discusses how well thought out and recorded video lectures can assist students to learn higher mathematics. Young people who are growing in the age of digital technologies and dwell in the virtual world are looking nowadays for more flexible ways of studying that are more pertinent to their habits. Within the last three years the authors of the paper in cooperation with the Riga Technical University Media Center have produced series of 183 video lectures that cover the first year of higher mathematics course. The authors of the paper review pros and cons of the video lectures, analyze video viewing habits and statistics as well as the students’ feedback on the video lectures. The growing role of the digital format that allows one to study a subject anywhere and anytime is emphasized. Therefore, the universities must become technologically more advanced and shall provide options for learning some parts of the content online together with face-to-face instruction and the study process itself shall become more interactive. Lecturers at the Riga Technical University use the video lectures as one of the components of the study process in order to assist students to understand higher mathematics better. The authors conclude that use of the video lectures in the study process is a right direction in the universities’ development, though most of the students need additional face-to-face tutorial. Therefore, the blended learning (the combination of online learning activities based on digital technologies and the traditional classroom-based method) is the most effective way of studying.

Keywords:

Video lectures, teaching mathematics, higher education.