Despite a major paradigm shift in medical education that has increasingly emphasized independent and technology-assisted learning, there is only an emerging literature regarding video-recorded lectures.  Previous research has polled students and faculty about their subjective experiences but there is a paucity of objective information about how video-recorded lectures are actually used by undergraduate medical students. 

The purpose of the current study was to identify trends in the utilization of video-recorded lectures across academic departments and compare the digital lecture format to time spent in other learning modalities.  This study used archival, anonymous, meta-data from a password protected online presentation website. 

In the context of ongoing efforts to improve the quality of medical education, engage students through multiple learning modalities, and integrate innovative technologies, there is still a need to better understand how video-recorded lectures are being utilized.  These finding suggest that students who use video-recorded lectures spend approximately half as much time engaged in the lecture material. 

Although video-recorded lectures offer flexibility and are preferred by some students, they tend to be viewed at an accelerated rate and the implications for how this affects learning outcomes remains unknown.