Jin Yang, an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Memphis, recently conducted an online survey of professors who record their lectures and offer the recordings online to students. She says she was surprised by how many of the professors were trying the trendy technology because of peer pressure — and how many had little belief in its value to students.
The survey was small — only 77 professors — but the vast majority listed peer pressure as a reason why they started podcasting their courses. And less than 10 percent of them said they felt the effort was increasing the academic performance of students.
“A lot of faculty had some reservation on whether podcasting would contribute significantly to an improved academic performance,” said Ms. Yang, in an e-mail interview. “Also, I found that technical problems and challenges remain a big concern among them.”
Is peer pressure a widespread reason driving the use of podcasting at colleges? If so, is that a good thing, or are professors jumping in for the wrong reasons? —Jeffrey R. Young
