Dani McKinney, a psychologist at the State University of New York at Fredonia, is in the process of an ongoing study which examines the correlation between podcast lectures and exam grades. McKinney has conducted one tests thus far. She divided her class into two groups. The first group attended class and sat through a lecture. The second group was given the link to a podcast of the lecture. Both groups were provided with a printed handout to supplement to the lecture or podcasts. After receiving the material both groups were given an exam to test their knowledge of the lecture. Interestingly enough, McKinney found that the students who listened to the podcast scored higher on the test than those who sat through the in-class lecture.Professor McKinney believes there are many educational benefits to podcasts. The advantages include: easy accessibility to lectures, convenience, and the ability of students to rewind and replay the information. Students could even pause the podcast in order to take notes; a problem which many students confront in class lectures.
I believe the use of podcasts could be incredibly beneficial especially to students attending a large university like the University of Texas. Classes at UT can exceed hundreds of students creating a difficult environment for absorbing and processing lecture information. However, I am also worried about the onset of podcasts in the classroom. If podcasts are implemented the motivation to attend classes will in turn decline. If a student is paying for his or her education you would think that that student would want the in class experience that the professor is being paid to provide. As stated, I am torn between the value and benefits that could come of educational podcasts and the threat to in class education.
To read the article that inspired this post follow the link provided below:
http://www.dailycollegian.com/news/professor_studies_podcast_effects_on_learning-1.1598298
3 comments:
I am torn between thinking this could be a great learning tool, and wondering to where this will lead if videos and podcasts gain in popularity. It would open up so many more questions and possibilities. Think about it, what if colleges decide that by using podcasts, they can decrease the number of professors they have for a given subject? Why keep 3 English teachers, if one can teach the same number of students via the Web? What if leaders and experts in their fields were able to sell their lectures? How valuable would an education become if open access were granted to those productions? Anyone could gain access to lectures, whether or not they were students. As students of a private university, we pay more for tuition than our state univerisities counterparts. A lot more. How would you feel if anyone and everyone had access to the same education as you?
I do believe that podcasts may be beneficial, in that one can listen at their own convenience and also might be able to take better notes because podcasts can be replayed and paused. However, I would have to add that a podcast will not provide answers to all questions. The benefit of the classroom is that the professor is able to answer any question. So, I don't think that podcasts should replace lectures, but I do think that professors should have podcasts available because we all learn differently.
I like the idea of podcasting lectures. But, I don't like the idea of podcasting in place of lectures. I think the face to face communication between the professor and students is very necessary. This is why I enjoy St. Eds - because we have such intimate relationships with our professors. It makes things easier in that we can email them and they know who we are. They are understanding when they know your face and see you every day. It seems a little creepy to me also that so many things are replacing face to face interaction. Seen the movie Wall-e??
Post a Comment