[ghaff]

There is a forcing function to in-person lectures; I can't tell you how many events I've basically skipped in the past year because I can catch up on the videos anytime--and, of course, I mostly don't. But, in principle, depending upon the size of the class there's a lot to be said for watching the lecture on video and using class time for discussion, project work, etc.

[curriculum]

There's also something ritualistic about in-person lectures -- in a good way, like having a morning cup of coffee. We know that humans are not good at multi-tasking, so there is tremendous value in a dedicated time and place to think about one thing only in the presence of other people who are also thinking about that one thing.

Of course, it's easy to squander that opportunity by delivering a rote, feelingless lecture. And if you're just going to lay out the facts, why not record them? In that case, videos have many advantages. But a live lecture is also an opportunity to get people excited about what you're teaching.

Post-pandemic, my plan is to take a hybrid approach. Technical details, like proofs, belong in pre-recorded videos watched out-of-class. But the main conceptual thread should be delivered in live lecture, where I can give it the energy and life it deserves.

[wongarsu]

Pre covid, we had one professor who did lectures with videos (of him presenting) combined with in-person tasks and discussions. Each week you had to take a 10-minute test on the content of that weeks videos. It worked quite well.

The biggest disadvantage was that with a live audience the professor got cues from the audience if we understood him or if he had to slow down. In his videos he constantly assumed he had to repeat everything slightly differently, so you had to watch at 1.5x speed to get to something bearable.

[ghaff]

Yeah, particularly with a smaller audience that can definitely be a problem. I'm better at it than I was a year ago but I still find doing a video without an audience can be a bit challenging. And I definitely can't course correct the way I can if I see a bunch of puzzled expressions in the front row of a room.

On the flip side, you can redo sections and easily insert multimedia and just mix up the talking head format.