IMPALA Informal Mobile Podcasting and Learning Adaptation
Profcast- Integrate Podcasts with Other Online Learning Activities
Electrical Engineering, University of Leicester
Summary
This podcast application was developed within a module entitled ‘Optical Fibre Communication Systems’, Electrical Engineering, at University of Leicester. The purpose of using podcast was to provide students with information such as relevant news, feedback and guidance on weekly activities, and fun items to motivate student learning. These podcasts were 10-minute audio files delivered via Blackboard VLE on a weekly basis. The podcasts were developed to supplement online teaching and activities.
Context
This podcast application was developed for an undergraduate module Optical Fibre Communication Systems in Electrical Engineering, University of Leicester. The module was taught online with fortnight face-to-face meetings using Blackboard VLE. Thirty 2nd and 3rd year campus-based students studied the module online.
Challenge & Rationale
The professor taught this module entirely online. He wanted to provide students with extra information through podcasting that supplemented to his online teaching.
The professor delivered three kinds of content in his podcasts: news, module, and joke. In the first part of podcasting, the professor introduced students to news relevant to the subject in order to bring immediacy into the material and make the content alive. In the second part, the professor provided students with information relevant to the module: what students are supposed to do for the week, comments on e-tivities, and general feedback on assignments. In this part, the professor tried to be positive and encouraging in order to motivate students to learn more. In the last part, the professor ended the session with a joke to give students a feeling of entertaining and to motivate students to listen to more podcasting.
Application
The professor began weekly podcasts to supplement his online teaching through updated information and guidance on the weekly activities, and to motivate his students by incorporating relevant news items and a fun item such as a joke. The podcasts complemented e-tivities (structured online group activities) based on Salmon’s (2000, 2002) 5-stage model by providing summaries and further guidance to students. Each podcast appeared on the VLE at the beginning of the study week. The podcasts were about 10-minutes long and the format was: an introductory news item, the main content section typically referring and extending this week’s work and referring to last week’s, and lighter weight but fibre optics related items, e.g., a joke at the end, or rap.
Technology
The podcasts were recorded and edited by using software ‘Audacity’.
Evaluation
The impact of the profcasting was studied through both qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative methods included personal interviews with six students and the module tutor. Student interviews, lasted about an hour, were conducted using a semi-structured interview schedule developed to explore how student learning is supported by podcasts and students’ preparedness for using personal entertainment devices for learning. Interviews with the tutor were informal and were conducted a number of times over the course of the semester by email, telephone and during personal conversations. The focus of these interviews was to obtain information related to the pedagogical rationale for each podcast and the integrating podcasts with e-tivities, online lectures, assignments and other learning resources. Formally conducted interviews were recorded on a digital recorder and transcribed verbatim for analysis to identify key themes and issues.
Quantitative data were collected through an end-of-semester evaluation questionnaire developed to identify students’ access to technologies for listening to podcasts, pattern of listening, reasons for not listening, perceived pedagogical benefits of listening to podcasts and their recommendations for podcasts. The q uestionnaire was administered through the VLE and 24 students completed the questionnaire. The data were analysed using basic descriptive methods using Excel to derive percentages and numbers for each item on the questionnaire.
Additionally, t hreaded discussions on Blackboard and the personal reflections of the e-moderators of the module also contributed to the analysis.
Questionnaires, interviews and the content on the threaded discussions were helpful in exploring student experience of learning from podcasts, their perceptions of how these contributed to learning and issues related to using their personal MP3 players to listen to academic material.
Benefits
Organize learning and studying
Students’ responses show that podcasts were helpful in supporting organisational aspect of learning. Many students reported how podcasts helped them to organize their weekly learning activities.
“First I went to the group discussion and I saw what was going on. And I went straight to the [online] lecture because we are supposed to finish learning unit 2 before next week for the test. So my target is to finish it. The professor said we should dedicate 6 hours a week to reading. So Saturdays and Sundays and I do them as long as it takes.”
Support for Independent and Online Learning
Most students said that learning online requires particular skills and they had to be disciplined about logging into the module regularly to carry out the required learning activities. Judging by the experience of students who listened to the podcasts, podcasts can provide structure and be an organisational tool for online learners.
Podcasts can motivate them too. Students on the module supported by profcasts were carrying out much of their learning activities individually and online. Podcasts have the potential to improve the cognitive and teaching presence to support learning, while improving students organisational and online learning skills.
Positive attitudes towards the professor
Students’ responses also show that podcasts were helpful in supporting affective aspect of learning. Students gave their initial reactions to the profcasts, from which they gained a positive picture of their professor, whom they met only occasionally face - to - face. Such emotional engagement is beneficial for student learning.
“I told to myself that this is a great professor. Some stuff he tells us on there, for example he talks about the activities of the week, from the newspapers, which is great, I enjoy that. … . And the joke at the end and then there is a competition on the joke!”
Sense of informality in learning
Some students highlighted a sense of informality that podcasts bring to their online learning. The informality was brought about by adding current news and humour to the podcasts. It stimulated students’ interest in the subject.
“… more informal, different, not serious, sitting down with a pen ready to take notes and not worrying about missing an important point.”
Flexibility for young people’s mobile life style
Some students talked about the flexibility. For them the availability of learning material as downloadable audio files would enable them to learn on the move because their life-style involves much travelling and involvement in outdoor activities.
“… during the break I normally go back home (overseas) and I travel a lot every week and I carry my books and my computers, all the learning materials. It would be good if (when I am away) I can take the lectures on my phone or the MP3. …. . Most of the time I travel alone and I drive alone and I get tired of the music so it will be silent. So it will be good if I have that sort of thing.”
Lessons Learned
The professor believed that podcasting is a good way to bring immediacy (e.g., news and feedback to students’ work) into the learning material, and a good supplement to his online teaching.
Future Work
The professor will continue to use the same approach of integrating podcasting into his online module.
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