IMPALA Informal Mobile Podcasting and Learning Adaptation

upplementary Podcasts to Introduce Topical Issues

Geography and Development, University of Gloucestershire

Summary
The case study was derived from a podcast application developed to introduce students to topical issues in sustainability and development. The podcasts were developed by a lecturer at University of Gloucestershire. He first produced the podcasts for a module called Skills 4 Sustainability in the academic year 2006-7. He was then able to re-use most of the content that he generated for the previous year. The case study will introduce audience to the module's information, rational of using podcasts, a description of the podcast application, students' perceived benefits of listening to podcasts and most importantly, recommendations given by the lecturer on how to make sustainable podcasts and future development.

Module Context
The podcast application was developed for a level one module Skills 4 Sustainability within Geography and Development, University of Gloucestershire. The module was an inquiry-based and skills-focused core module for a hundred and twenty-nine students studying a wide range of programmes within the Department of Natural and Social Sciences during the academic year of 2007-8.

Students were divided into eight tutorial groups and taught through a 1.5-hour face-to-face tutorial session each week. The module was assessed through three pieces of work: a short essay (20%) on the use of references and citations, a team presentation (30%) based on an idea of how to make the university more sustainable, and an e-portfolio in PebblePad (50%).

Rationale
The module is an inquiry-based module and focus on student's development in PDP. Podcasts were developed to support and supplement to the learning activities and direct students to additional learning resources.

Application
The podcasts produced in 2007 adopted the same format: weekly podcast, 10 minutes each in duration, and contained similar information as the podcasts produced in 2006. Each one consisted of three themes: a skill theme, a content theme and a review of resource. In the skill theme, the lecturer introduced students to a range of academic skills including reflective, portfolio development and teamwork skills. In the content theme, the lecturer introduced students to a range of main issues related to sustainable development. In the resource session, the lecturer provided students with additional learning resources to introduce students to current debates on environment, sustainability and development from global, national, regional and local perspectives. The content for this session was derived from interviews or discussion with colleagues, practitioners and experts in the field, and representatives from the local resident and business community.

The lecturer reused the content from interviews, debates and discussions taken from last year and re-recorded the content to do with skills based on students' feedback last year.

What is new about the podcasts is that music was included at the beginning and the end for the purpose that specific music might help students to listen.

Technology
The podcasts produced in 2006-7 were developed in Audacity and made available as MP3 files. The new podcasts were produced in GarageBand and the made available in M4A (enhanced podcast format).

The method for delivery also changed. In 2006, the podcasts were delivered through the lecturer's personal blog in PebblePad. In 2007, they were delivered through iTunes. One of the purposes to use iTunes was to improve the listening percentage because once students subscribe to the iTunes, new podcasts will automatically download onto students' device. Another purpose was that the lecturer wanted to make the podcasts available for other colleagues to share.

Evaluation
The impact of podcasting on students' learning was captured through a small focus group interview with four students and a questionnaire survey with a small group of 10 students. Staff experience of developing podcasts was gathered through a personal interview with the lecturer who developed the podcasts.

Students perceived benefits

Enhancing understanding of subject-related material
Some student identified the value of reinforcing and enhancing understanding of subject-related material through repeated listening.

"I think it's good. If you didn't understand the bit, you can rewind and listen to again, you can go back lots of times. If it's in a lecture, you can't go back".

"I suppose one of them is about Fair Trade. the last one he posted is Fair Trade and sustainability, so that one I rewind.(to have a better understanding of 'Sustainability')."

"Definitely the PebblePad, if you continue using PebblePad, you forget how to use it, you can go to podcast because how to use PebblePad, so that would be useful".

Flexibility and learner control
Some identified the feature of flexibility and learner control that podcasting offered to student learning

"What's good about it is you can listen when you're in leisure, so whenever is good for you".

"I think whenever you want, when you have the opportunity, you just like, take out your iPod and do it. You don't have to be at university to listen to it, it's good".

Recommendations

Always think about reusability
The lecturer is able to re-use most of the content that he created from the previous year, and that saves a massive amount of time. One of the recommendations he gave for practitioners is always think about the reusability of the podcast content. When conducting interviews, for instance, make sure that it is not just used one-off, but can be reused again.

The lecturer is planning to do more interviews each year. In this way, he can be recycling by putting new ones in to replace the old ones.

Make transcription available
The lecturer transcribed the audio content in podcasts and posted them on his personal blog through Pebblepad, so that students having hearing difficulties will not be disadvantaged. This practice also helps him to re-use and update the content. It works much faster when you have the transcript than writing it from scratch.

Email reminder
By taking into account of students' recommendations last year, an email is being sent on a weekly basis to remind students what's coming up (the content) in the next podcast.

Future Work
In the future, the colleague plans to engage staff more in producing the podcasts by conducting more interviews with personal tutors, particularly the new tutors from Sociology and Criminology and more interviews with social and human researchers.

The lecturer is also keen to share his podcasts on research methodology with a colleague in Australia, and use the podcasts created by this colleagues for his students at Gloucestershire through iTunes.