Psychology students at the State University of New York Fredonia participated in a study, "iTunes University and the Classroom: Can Podcasts Replace Professors?" Some of the students attended a traditional classroom lecture and others watched a recorded lecture available online at iTunes.
The students that listened to the podcasts were able to listen to the lecture over and over. They notes that they took were examined by the study's lead researcher, Dani McKinney, and McKinney said it was clear that many students took advantage of the rewind buttons. The students could stop the podcast and take more accurate notes. Students in the classroom say the professors move to quickly through their lecture giving them little time to take notes. The students that listened to the podcast scored an average of 15 points higher than the students in the traditional classroom.
The study determined that podcast classes were best suited for introductory classes where classes that required a large amount of interaction were better suited for the traditional classroom with computer-based learning. The students in the study in both classes only averaged a "C" because they knew that they were not getting credit for the study and it did not count towards their grade point average. They did however, get a gift card from iTunes for participating in the study.
It seems that technology in the classroom is only as good as it is utilized.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=57612
"Podcast trumps lecture in one college study"
Hi Bonnie- podcasting is something I have been looking into as well. It doesn't surprise me that the students using the podcasts scored higher on tests. Just remembering how fast some professors went over the material in class when I was an undergraduate, I wish we had the ability to re-listen to the lectures then. I would probably have had better grades! I think using the podcasts is a great idea and very convenient since almost everyone has an iPod.
ReplyDeleteHello Bonnie - The study on podcasting goes the way I would expect it to go. Having the means to review a lecture beyond ones own class notes seems like it would always be helpful. What I view as really helpful is the ease of accessing the podcast and the ability to replay more difficult sections of a lecture. I remember the lower level college classes I attended. They where usually in large lecture hall set up with close to a hundred or more students. These classes usually had the largest books with the most information for the instructor to cover during a semester. I am sure the large lecture halls remain the same but no one types their term papers on a blue and white Crown typewriter like I used to use way back then. Hurray for computer keyboards and podcasted lectures!
ReplyDelete