April 25, 2006
Podcast Listeners Leave the Lecture Hall
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)
Comments
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Intellectual property questions aside, remote viewing may work for some instructor/class combinations; but my lecture is not (and never will be) a spectator sport.
— Ryan Droste, TTC Apr 26, 09:52 AM #
One of the developments in higher education has been an increased emphasis on making education transformative. Any transformation requires active engagement in one’s education that comes from interactions among students and faculty in the classroom. The idea that someone can simply listen whenever it is convenient works against transformation. There is no control over the environment so who knows what else is going on—- music, conversation, eating, etc.—- while a person supposedly listens to a lecture and classroom discussion. Higher education needs to move away from formats that encourage regurgitation, which I fear this method promotes.
— George Capowich Apr 26, 03:23 PM #
Ms Simpson’s passive strategy is simply a broadcast variation of teaching remotely via television. It may serve the needs of those students looking for a convenient and easy way to make a grade, but this approach would be a tremendous disservice to motivated adults expecting full engagement in their education. To balance the discussion, I offer the following guidelines from the Quality Matters group identifying key strategies for excellence in online teaching and learning (whether hybrid or completely distance):
http://www.qualitymatters.org/documents.htm#tools
http://www.qualitymatters.org/documents/Matrix of Review Standards 6-15-04.pdf
— Patricia LeClaire, Western Washington University May 9, 09:22 PM #
I agree with you, but most of the comments seem to miss the point that podcasting should be an accompaniment not a preplacement for face-to-face class time. Lectures are often a one-way broadcast anyway. Why not relegate that to a podcast and use the class time for interaction—Q&A and review.
— Rodney Murray May 22, 12:57 PM #