College lecture halls provide seating for large numbers of students that cannot be accommodated in standard-size classrooms. But the passive setting of a lecture hall combined with the potentially boring process of a lecture itself may not be ideal for learning—students today often fall victim to distractions like Facebook or texting. But while students in traditional lecture halls may be falling asleep, "millions of learners around the world are watching world-class lectures online about every subject imaginable." Schools like Harvard and MIT provide video lectures on the Internet, free of charge.

Development of "the lecture" may be attributed to the fact that at one time, there simply was not another way to relay information from teacher to student. But as technology has changed practically every aspect of the education process over time, online lectures have created a new and more efficient way to learn.

Free, online lectures are available to anyone with Internet access. The advantages of online lectures over live one are similar to those of online schools and education in general. A student can watch an online lecture anywhere, at anytime. The benefits of viewing an online lecture are comparable to watching a DVD rather than a movie in a theater. Rewind, stop, and pause features are tools that online learners can use to enhance their understanding of lecture material. Watching an online lecture is comparable to watching a DVD rather than a movie in a theater. Portions of online lectures can be replayed without raising a hand to ask a professor for clarification. Some schools that provide online lectures even allow users to email questions and comments to the instructor.