Lecture recordings can provide adaptable, highly flexible, and convenient access to learning materials. Higher education institutions employ lecture recordings to engage and enrich students' learning experience. However, educators have increasingly raised concerns that the availability of lecture recordings is likely to contribute to a decline in students attending lectures, and to poor learning outcomes. This study explored how students engage with lecture recordings and the extent to which access to these resources contributes to their learning. We administered self-reported measures (questionnaire) to undergraduate and postgraduate students (n=660) who had access to lecture recordings. The questionnaire items included both closed-ended and open-ended questions. The quantitative data was summarised using descriptive statistics. We then applied a sentiment analysis technique to triangulate and contest the results derived from the quantitative analysis. Overall, the results indicate that lecture recordings can provide students with flexibility and convenient access to learning materials, and ultimately enhance students' learning experience. Most respondents regarded lecture recordings as supplementary learning resources, not a replacement for lectures. They stated that the availability of lecture recordings did not influence their decisions to attend lectures. Further, some respondents reported that they used lecture recordings to prepare for exams, to revise, and to compare with the notes they took in class. This study adds to the growing need to examine institutional digital technologies that support flexible access to learning.