Professors skeptical of podcasting often raise a valid question about the technology: If students can watch lectures on their iPods, why would they bother showing up to class? Natalie Simpson looks at it a different way: Why does it matter whether students watch lectures in the classroom or on the bus?
Most of the professors who have started "coursecasting" view the technology as an accompaniment to live lectures, not a replacement for them. But Ms. Simpson, an associate professor of management at the State University of New York at Buffalo, uses podcasting as a distance-education tool. While a few dozen students show up regularly for one of her courses, hundreds more watch lecture recordings on their iPods and visit the lecture hall only to take tests.
Ms. Simpson says her podcast gives students more scheduling flexibility without hurting their grades. (The Buffalo News)
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