Podcasting #1 Improvement to Learning

The 2006 ECAR studies of students and information technology was just released. This study is based on quantitative data from nearly 29,000 freshman and senior students at 96 higher education institutions. The focus is on the kind of technologies students are using, with the skill levels, how technology contributes to the undergraduate experience, and the value in terms of learning.

Podcasting was recognized as the top technology to improve learning (see page 84, Table 6.4). 23 percent of students said Podcasts improved their learning. This is more than double the benefit of course management systems (like Blackboard). Podcasts ranked higher than instant messaging, blogs, social networking services, email, PowerPoint presentations, and more.

Unfortunately, the number of students who are using podcasts is still low. This is probably due to two issues:

  1. MP3 device use is growing, along with computers (the report shows MP3 players have grown from 28 to 59 percent of student population in 2 years)
  2. The number of universities distributing lectures in podcast is still low (again, the report shows growth here with leading universities integrating MP3 technology directly into the curriculum)

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