Abstract
An application of speech recognition technology is being trialled in university lectures. A lecturer's speech is first digitally converted into electronic text for display via a data projector. After the lecture the transcript is made available online for students to access for revision. While this project is primarily aimed at students with disabilities, all students in the lecture have access to the screen text and can register to access the online lecture transcripts. The present preliminary study was designed to survey the reaction of the wider body of students in three university courses. The results showed that only a small proportion of the wider student body reported finding the screen text helpful in comprehending the lecture or in taking notes. While relatively few respondents said they had used the online lecture transcripts, a large proportion indicated they intended to use them for course revision. The findings, though not definitive, have implications for how speech recognition technology is presented so as to provide choice to university students about whether or not they access it to assist their learning.