Student use of web based lecture technologies in blended learning: Do these reflect study patterns?

Recording of lectures and providing web based access to them is becoming mainstream in higher education courses despite the debate about the value of such delivery modes. How students access these materials and use the affordances provided by the various outputs has largely been reported by surveying students and lecturers about their experiences. This study reports on the provision of web based lecture technology to medical students studying in a blended learning space. Log data files over a 2 year period were used to investigate the usage patterns of students and derive greater understanding about how students make use of electronic media. This analysis reveals some of the different ways in which students used the online materials; thus providing some evidence for mapping the effectiveness of blended learning spaces.