Experiences of Students and Lecturers during University Lectures
Have you ever found yourself sitting in a lecture hall, looking around at your classmates, and wondering what they are experiencing as they sit there with you? What are they thinking about? How are they feeling? How much are they learning during the lecture? And, indeed, what is the lecturer experiencing throughout all this?
​Such questions inspired us to design a study exploring the experiences of students and lecturers during university lectures. We are particularly interested in understanding the factors connected to student learning during lectures. Do students perhaps follow explanations more easily when they are in a good mood? Or maybe when the temperature is just right? When they are well-fed and rested? When they feel comfortable in the lecture hall? When the weather outside is pleasant? Or perhaps when they feel a strong connection with the lecturer?
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To explore these questions, during the academic year 2023/24, we invited 19 lecturers and 210 of their students from 12 different study programs at the University of Ljubljana to participate. We briefly interrupted them at random moments during the lectures and, using a special application designed to capture real-time experiences, asked them to share their current feelings and thoughts.
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We hope their responses will provide insight into the factors associated with student learning during lectures. Based on this understanding, we aim to explore ways to best support students in their learning journey.
What is on students' minds during lectures?
This research is conducted as part of the ULTRA 6.06 project, "Optimized Study Environment in Society 5.0: Developing a Model for Measuring Environmental Parameters and Their Effects on Participants in the Study Process to Support the Transition to a Green and Sustainable Academic Society."