Podcasting in Online Education: Promise of Pitfall
By Christine Long
Christine Long is a Microsoft Master Instructor and a Certified Workforce Development Professional at Travis University Center on Travis Air Force Base in northern California. She enjoys exploring emerging technologies and visualizing the possibilities of applying those technologies in elearning environments. Currently she is working towards a Master’s of Science Degree in Online Teaching and Learning from California State University East Bay.
Partaking of the Podcasting Pie
From public address systems to podcasting — the times at educational institutions they are a’changing. The way information is being delivered to students and faculty is undergoing tremendous change. It seems that many institutions of higher education are jumping on the bandwagon and partaking of the podcasting phenomenon at record rates. Early adopters to educational uses of podcasting include Duke and Stanford Universities. In addition to the early adopters, Drexel University, Allegheny College, the University of Chicago, University of Michigan and Purdue University are already podcasting courses with many more institutions coming on board every day.
This article will review the use of podcasting (or audiocasting or coursecasting as it is sometimes called) in traditional classrooms and explore its application in building online educational communities.
What is a Podcast?
The new buzz word around campuses today seems to be podcasting. In fact, the term Podcast was word of the year in 2005 for the New Oxford American Dictionary. The term podcasting generally refers to combining the term iPod (Apple’s popular mp3 player) and broadcasting. The term no longer specifically applies to Apple’s iPod but rather encompasses a broader combination of hardware and software that allows for easy download of audio files to be accessed and listened to at the user’s convenience.
Podcast vs. Regular Audio
“A podcast is a web feed of audio or video files placed on the Internet” (Wikipedia). Cebeci and Takdal (2006) define podcasting as “an audio content delivery approach based on Web syndication protocols such as RSS and/or Atom.” Some websites offer direct download whereas other sites require subscription. The subscription feed is what distinguishes a podcast from a simple download of regular audio or real-time streaming. Streaming usually requires a computer and an Internet connection whereas podcasts are designed for transfer to mobile devices. Most podcasts are in mp3 file format and easily download from the source directly to portable mp3 players, cell phones (mobcasting) and PDAs.
Podcasts in the Classroom
“The search for additional tools that cater to the uniqueness of various teaching and learning styles remains active (Hargis & Wilson, 2005). Recording classroom lectures has been around for decades. Radio has also been used in education since it became available. The idea behind audio recording is not new but the innovative method of Web-based broadcasting and transferring content to mobile devices is. What makes podcasting so different? The answer lies in two factors inherent in the media itself, portability and convenience. Sophisticated multimedia such as video, simulations, games and animation used in education have proven to boost attention and retention; however, they are expensive to produce requiring a great deal of technical expertise. Digital audio is inexpensive and creating podcasts does not require traditional broadcasting transmitters. Any computer that has a soundcard, microphone, recording software such as Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net), iTunes (www.apple.com/itunes/download/) or Yahoo! Podcasts (http://podcasts.yahoo.com/install) and an Internet connection are all that are required. The simplicity of production makes podcasting available to teachers and students alike. Since many students are already familiar with downloading music files, podcasting is an extension of this technology and therefore, the potential advantages of podcasting in education are many. Learner control increases when students can listen at a time when they are most receptive (time shifted content). Podcasts do not tie students to a computer-once transferred to a mobile device it is an anywhere, anytime recording.
Once recorded, edited and uploaded to a hosting site, podcasts are available on-demand; allowing easy access to all students. Podcasts are not limited to lectures. Expert interviews, field recordings, student orientations, individual and group presentations, extra content for advanced students, personalized messages or instructor feedback on assignments, language lessons, institutional announcements, meetings and trainings are a few examples. Using this medium can be especially helpful to auditory learners, non-native speakers or those who are absent from class. The ability to play and re-play aids in the comprehension and understanding of difficult material. Several universities have reported that their heaviest download traffic was right before exams.
Promise: Applying Podcasts in Online Courses
Cognition
Human hearing is “an astoundingly efficient skill” and “listening is instinctual, whereas reading and writing are not” (Chan & Lee, 2005, citing Clark & Walsh, 2004). Online courses are primarily text based; however, there are distinct advantages in making audio recordings available over printed text. Meaning and clarity can be conveyed with phrasing, pacing, volume, intonation, inflexion, and timbre. Listeners can easily recognize excitement when instructors are enthusiastic and passionate about their subject material. “What one hears through the speaker’s intonation, diction and inflection conveys a richer understanding not only of the content, but of the speaker. Listeners connect to that voice and may feel less isolated” (Manning, 2005). Additionally, hearing the voices of experts will lend an authenticity not found in the written word.
Appeal
Mobile learning (mlearning or nomadic learning) or learning through listening has tremendous appeal to younger students who may be impatient with traditional forms of teaching and learning (Chan & Lee, 2005). The ability to multi-task while listening frees eyes and hands to perform other tasks. Podcasts could help with the tedium of reading copious amounts of material. Listening may be less tedious than reading for some students and is attractive to auditory learners. The popularity and proliferation of portable devices has also made listening in public socially acceptable.
Pitfalls: Limitations
Accessibility
Podcasting is a useful tool in elearning environments for the visually challenged; however, there are obvious issues in making podcasts suitable for the hearing challenged. In order for podcasts to meet Section 508 compliance and provide individuals with the same opportunity for success, they must be captioned or a transcript provided. Captioning requires a lot more technical expertise than the typical podcastor knows how to do or even wants to do. The software and tools for captioning are quite expensive. The easier solution, transcription, should be a routine procedure in the educational setting. There are transcription services available such as www.castingwords.com; however, the cost for these services can also become quite expensive. One estimate revealed that a 20 minute podcast could take the average typist 1 hour. So, costs could quickly add up if you do a lot of podcasts. Another solution is to use voice recognition software such as Dragon Naturally Speaking. The pro version ($200) allows for transcribing directly to the computer which can then be saved as a Word or pdf file. Laing, et. al, (2006) also note that educators should also take culture, language, and educational differences into consideration when creating course content. This is particularly true in global learning environments.
Expertise
Just because podcasting is the hot new buzzword, doesn’t mean everything should be a podcast or everyone should be a podcastor. “A good podcastor will have to be a good writer (or presenter) first, even before the technical requirements for a compelling audio presentation (Barefoot, 2005). “Audio is an extremely powerful medium for conveying feelings, attitudes and atmosphere. It is less good at conveying detail and facts. In other words, you will not remember very many facts and figures after listening to a 30-minute audiotape” (Chan & Lee, 2005). Educational podcasts should be tied to learning objectives for the best learning outcomes. Historically, people learned through storytelling and podcasting would be an ideal application for this type of teaching approach. “Basically, the best [podcasts] are those that are telling stories (Barefoot, 2005). As a society, we’re used to high quality entertainment media (radio, movies and interactive games) and students may come to expect Hollywood style podcasts to maintain their interest. Higher quality content usually requires higher technical expertise. In order to keep podcasting simple, adding short musical segues could alleviate this concern.
Time
A 2 hour lecture is still going to be a 2 hour lecture. According to a study conducted at Charles Sturt University, the ideal length for podcasts is between 3 and 30 minutes. For lengthy discourses, chunking material into segments will most likely be the best option.
Intellectual Property Rights
Faculty has significant concerns about ownership and intellectual property rights of podcasts and with good reason. Ownership and copyright are still murky areas and the issue will continue to be scrutinized as podcasts become more mainstream. Many institutions have addressed this concern through the use of subscription or registration in order to gain access to materials.
Tech Support
Demands on technical support personnel will increase as the demand for podcasts increase. Those institutions that have been most successful have found ways to streamline the recording and editing process into simple procedures. Many universities have involved students in this process. Challenges in integrating podcasting into existing infrastructure include dissemination and notification, security, storage, hardware and bandwidth during high peak download times. Podcast repositories such as Apple’s iTunesU and the Higher Education Podcast Repository (http://ed-cast.org/) are cropping up to meet some of these needs.
Future Look: Building the Online Podcast Community
“Podcasting has revolutionized education and particularly higher education by enabling up-to-date content, addressing multiple intelligences and allowing for the anytime/anywhere delivery of instructional content” (Morales, 2006). As podcasting continues to evolve, it will provide opportunities to extend lectures and activities beyond the classroom and online environment. Users are demanding better usability and designers are rushing to add features such as bookmarks, indexes and navigation tools. With universities such as Duke and Stanford already making podcasts readily available and many more institutions coming on board, it is predicted that podcasting will become a mainstream application. The number of aggregators (sites that collect and index podcasts) is also growing. Just as the features are undergoing rapid change, the uses for the classroom, both online and face-to-face, will also rapidly evolve providing broader educational options for students where they live, work and play.
References
7 Things you should know about Podcasting. Educause Learning Initiative. June 2005. Retrieved: January 28, 2007 from www.educause.edu/eli/
Barefoot, D. (2005) Blog: Why I’m not smoking the podcasting dope. Retrieved January 28, 2007 from http://www.darrenbarefoot.com/archives/2005/03/why-im-not-smoking-the-podcasting-dope/
Cebeci, Z., and Tekdal, M. (2006) Using Podcasts as Audio Learning Objects. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects. Retrieved January 28, 2007 from http://www.ijklo.org/Volume2/v2p047-057Cebeci.pdf
Chan, A. & Lee, M.J.W. (2005) An MP3 a day keeps the worries away: Exploring the use of podcasting to address preconceptions and alleviate pre-class anxiety amongst undergraduate information technology students In: Dirk HR Spennemann & Leslie Burr (eds.), Good Practice in Practice. Proceedings of the Student Experience Conference 5-7th September ‘05. Wagga Wagga, NSW: Charles Sturt University. Pp. 59-71. Retrieved January 28, 2007 from www.csu.edu.au/division/studser/sec/papers/chan.pdf
Hargis, J., Ph.D., and Wilson, D. Fishing for learning with a podcast net. Retrieved February 3, 2007, from http://www.unf.edu/dept/cirt/tech/podcast/HargisPodcastArticle.pdf
Laing, C., Wootton, A., & Irons, A. (2006). iPod! uLearn! Retrieved January 28, 2007 from www.formatex.org/micte2006/downloadable-files/oral/ipod.pdf,
Manning, S. (2005). The promise of Podcasting. Pointers & Clickers. 6(2) Retrieved: January 28, 2007 from http://www.ion.illinois.edu/resources/pointersclikers/2005_03/podcasting2005.pdf
Meng, P. (2005). Podcasting and vodcasting: Definitions, discussions and implications. University of Missouri IAT Services White Paper. Retrieved February 2, 2007 from http://edmarketing.apple.com/adcinstitute/wp-content/missouri_podcasting_white_paper.pdf
Morales, C. (2006). Podcasting: Recording managing, and delivering the classroom experience. Retrieved January 28, 2007 from http://educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/dec0604.pdf
Seitzinger, J. (2006). Be Constructive: Blogs, Podcasts, and Wikis as Constructivist Learning Tools. Learning Solutions eMagazine. July 31, 2006. Retrieved January 28, 2007 from http://www.elearningguild.com/pdf/2/073106DES.pdf
Skiba, D. J. (2006). Emerging Technologies Center. The 2005 Word of the Year: Podcast. Retrieved January 28, 2007 from http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-5283089_ITM
Wikipedia. (2006). Podcasting. http://www.wikipedia.org (accessed January 28, 2007)