Jeff Francis May 19, 2010 EDET 780 Critique 1 McKinney, D., Dyck, J., & Luber, E.

(2009, April). iTunes University and the classroom: Can podcasts replace Professors? Computers & Education, 52(3), 617-623. Retrieved May 16, 2010. Permalink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2008.11.004 Introduction iTunes University and the classroom: Can podcasts replace Professors? documents a study performed at Fredonia Univeristy in 2008. Podcasting refers to a means of distribution and consumption of digital media les, which can include audio, video, and still images. Typically, podcasts are subscribed to via RSS, downloaded from a server to the users computer, and then transferred to an MP3 player for portable viewing/listening. While podcasts can also be watched on computers, this study focused on the use of portable devices in mobile-learning, or m-learning. The study tries to grab the reader with a somewhat provocative title tag-line - Can podcasts replace Professors? However, the stated purpose of the study is not to determine if podcast technology can replace instructors but to assess the effectiveness of it as a means of making up for missing an in-class lecture. The study also wanted to determine how students utilize podcast technology, how it would affect their note-taking, and whether its use would impact their education outcomes. Participants in the study were psychology students, and received extra credit for their participation. The volunteers placed themselves into one of two groups, a lecture group and a podcast group. Owning an MP3 player was a requirement for being in the podcast group, but vast majority of the total participants (57 out of 66) met this criteria. Participants attended two sessions of less than an hour each. Students in both groups were rst given a questionnaire on demographics, study habits, use of MP3 players, and previous experience with podcasts. The lecture group was told that the purpose of this experiment was to study the use of PowerPoint, specically how the students would use the slides to aid their note-taking and studying. They then listened to a 25 minute presentation on perception that included both powerpoint slides and instructor lecture and were told to interact normally with professor. Students in the podcast group were were told that the purpose of this experiment was to study the use of podcasts, specically how the students could use the podcast to make up for a missed in-class lecture. A podcast of the presentation on perception was downloaded to their MP3 players. The podcast included the audio recording of the lecture with synchronized PowerPoint slides (for MP3 players with video capability). Both groups were given printout of the slides with room for notes plus additional blank paper before viewing the lecture. They were sent home with sheets to log their studying - time spent, the time of day, and what the studying consisted of. The podcast group was to log their podcast usage as well. All participants were asked to bring back their study logs and their notes. At the start of the second session they were given 5 minutes to review their notes, after which all their materials were collected. They were then given an exam, which consisted of multiple choice, matching, and ll-in-the-blank questions. After the exam the podcast group was given an additional questionnaire about their usage of the podcast, and their preference for it as a study aid.

Results of the study came from both the questionnaire and the written exam. On the written exam, the podcast group scored an average of 71.24%, signicantly better than the lecture groups average of 62.47%. This may be due to the fact that the podcast group could pause or rewind the lecture or watch it repeatedly. The result is counter to the assumption that students attending class have higher exam scores. Since the study had referred to prior work that demonstrated the positive effect note-taking has on test scores, the researches also want to examine the note-taking habits of both groups and how it inuenced their exam score. Classifying note-taking can be highly subjective, so they grouped participants into 4 categories (none, minimal, average, extensive) based on how many notes they took. The authors admit that this classication is crude. Interestingly, all participants in the lecture group took some amount of notes. The podcast group varied greatly on how many notes they took, perhaps because this group did not spend any time in a classroom with the instructor and their peers. Those in the podcast group who took average or extensive notes averaged 76.23%. Those who took little or no notes averaged 62.08%, which is nearly the same as the in-class lecture group. The post test questionnaire taken by the podcast participants yielded additional qualitative information about podcast use. It showed that a large majority of the podcast group would choose a podcast over a copy of the lecture notes if they missed a class in the future. It also showed that most watched the podcast repeatedly and that podcast watching general took place in the afternoon and evening. One point of data that was not gathered was viewing location. This study purposely designed to be different from previous studies in that it forced students to use a portable device rather than having the option of watching it on their computer. Since the study was focusing on m-learning, this data may have yielded interesting results. The authors mention some potential problems with the study. Students in podcast group may have felt they were competing against an in-class lecture group and may have tried harder. To counter this, the lecture group was led to believe there group was being compared to a traditional chalk-n-talk lecture group. Also, an added incentive for performance was given within each group - a $15 iTunes gift card for the highest exam score. Another potential problem is that not all the participants had MP3 players with video capability, so not all could see the PowerPoint slides on their player. The study overcame this problem providing slide printouts to all participants. The somewhat surprising outcome of the study was that the podcast group did better than those that attended classes. This leads to the conclusion that having the ability to go back and review a lecture multiple times is benecial for learning. There was also a denite correlation between amount of notes taken and exam performance. In a follow-up study, I would given the in-class group access to the podcast as well to determine if sitting thru the in-class lecture was necessary or advantageous. I would also gather data on podcast viewing location. Critique As mentioned in the introduction, the authors are very clear and specic in the statement of the studys purpose and research question. However, some of the material that precedes it lead me to believe that they were going to be more focused on m-learning. While it is certainly possible to view podcasts on a portable device, it is not required that the student be away from their normal study area. The study itself is really concerned with an alternative method to getting notes from a missed lecture. The literature review is thorough and logically ordered. The cited articles move from general educational technology usage to studies regarding the effectiveness of PowerPoint. The authors mentioned studies concerning web-based courses and teaching with multimedia, including how instructional designers must

be mindful of cognitive load. Previous student attitude studies showed mixed results toward podcasts and podcast-like presentations (PowerPoint with narration). Throughout all the authors point out the conicting results of many of these studies. They hypothesized that one of the possible variables is notetaking. They complete their review with several studies focused on note-taking. In general, the writing is easy and accessible. The authors were able to condense the test scores and questionnaires into a small amount of statistical data (test score, amount of notes, podcast listening frequency, and listening time of day). This information was well displayed in two clear tables. I found a couple of the sentences to be slightly confusing in their wording at rst reading, but their meaning was immediately clear upon the second. The topic for my group research project is technological alternatives to PowerPoint that increase student motivation. While this study did not directly examine motivation, it would seem that a large portion of the podcast group were highly motivated. They viewed the podcast multiple times (as many as seven in one case), reviewed the lecture slides, and took notes on the lecture. All of this without the normal pressures and expectations of a classroom setting. This motivation may come from the novelty of the technology or from the freedom that it produces, but it is worth further study. I will denitely discuss with my group the possibility of including podcasts as one of the alternatives we examine. While unmistakeable (and somewhat surprising) that the podcast group faired signicantly better on the exam, the authors are quick to state that they do not propose that podcasts replace professors. The true advantage comes from note-taking and repeated access to the lecture audio and slides. The authors do not explicitly state any theory of instructional design or multimedia learning, though they do hint at several. They are clearly concerned with the cognitive overload than can occur when students try to pay attention to a lecture and take extensive notes at the same time. Having a podcast of a lecture allows the student to pause the lecture to take notes, or rewind if something is not clear. The authors are also very focused on note-taking and its relationship to performance. They are decidedly straightforward that the podcast does not allow the student to skip over any of the things an in-class student would do, in fact, it allows them to repeat that experience. Conclusion I have been an avid listener of podcasts for several years. Though not a part of any course, I have viewed several lecture podcasts from Stanford University (on iPhone App design) and MIT (on Intellectual Property Law). I nd the format to be very convenient, especially for audio only podcasts. Since I mainly listen to podcasts during my commute, video podcasts are much more difcult to consume. In fact, they can be quite a driving hazard! The iPod (and other MP3 players) and cell phones with MP3 capability are ubiquitous on college campuses today. As such, they provide a great opportunity for students to view or review course materials. However, there are several impediments to true m-learning. Audio content can be listened to in many places, under many conditions, and accompanying other activities, such as walking between classes, driving, or exercising. Visual content, however, can only be accessed when the student is seated or stopped. Also, if podcasts are to be used as a true study aid, the students will probably want to have ready access to reference materials and something on which to take notes, something they cannot do easily while on-the-go. While I was originally attracted to the study because of its emphasis on podcasting, its true focus was actually the importance of note-taking and repeated, controlled listening to a lecture. What I found most interesting was the prior research on note-taking that showed that the best case is when students create their own notes. This past year I have changed my courses from traditional chalk-n-talk to PowerPoint style lectures and provided the students with the slideshow after the fact. I saw a denite decrease in

note-taking during class and a drop in performance. This study has encouraged me to rethink my instruction to help promote the personal creation of notes by each student. In my experience, student attendance is a denite problem and I am a bit wary of anything that may give students the excuse they need to blow-off class. This study would tell certain students that they could learn just as much from the podcast - which they can if they expend the necessary effort (more than two times the class time). But the very students who will skip an opportunity to hear a lecture in class are the same ones that will likely skim the podcast. Still, I am curious about the benets of supplementing an inclass lecture with a podcast, instead of merely replacing it. This is the primary question that needs to be examined.