The value of full-lecture versus summary podcasts for student learning

Abstract

Some educators have questioned the pedagogical soundness of podcasting the traditional lecture format, and recommend instead the use of short three to five minute podcasts. This paper explores the value of podcasting the traditional classroom lecture to distance and oncampus students by comparing download and course evaluation data of a series of short podcasts and a series of full-lecture podcasts produced for the same university marketing course. The findings show that students in fact value full-lecture podcasts as highly as they do the short summary podcasts, despite the fact that the full-lecture podcasts are downloaded to a markedly lesser degree. The reason behind this apparent anomaly appears to lie in the different ways students make use of the two types of podcast. The paper concludes by noting that both full-lecture and summary podcasts serve as useful tools for student learning