Stumbled across an interesting article in the respected New Scientist Report written by Ewen Callaway, Feb 18, 2009.
The report makes a convincing argument that iTunes university (e-learning) is better than in class learning. I have recently been introduced to iTunes university...thank you Ben...and it is well worth checking out...in fact iTunes university will be a topic for a future blog; meanwhile, I have taken the liberty of posting the article below for your enjoyment.
New Scientist Report - Feb 18, 2009
Students have been handed another excuse to skip class from an unusual quarter. New psychological research suggests that university students who download a podcast lecture achieve substantially higher exam results than those who attend the lecture in person.
Podcasted lectures offer students the chance to replay difficult parts of a lecture and therefore take better notes, says Dani McKinney, a psychologist at the State University of New York in Fredonia, who led the study.
"It isn't so much that you have a podcast, it's what you do with it," she says.
Launched less than two years ago, Apple's iTunes university offers college lectures on everything from Proust to particle physics to students and the public. Some universities make their lectures available to all, while others restrict access to enrolled students. Some professors even limit downloads to encourage class attendance, McKinney says.
To find out how much students really can learn from podcast lectures alone - mimicking a missed class - McKinney's team presented 64 students with a single lecture on visual perception, from an introductory psychology course.
Half of the students attended the class in person and received a printout of the slides from the lecture. The other 32 downloaded a podcast that included audio from the same lecture synchronised with video of the slides. These students also received a printed handout of the material.
The researchers told the students they would be tested on the material in a week, and they also asked students to hold onto their class notes.
Clear results
Students who downloaded the podcast averaged a C (71 out of 100) on the test - substantially better than those who attended the lecture, who on average mustered only a D (62).
But that difference vanished among students who watched the podcast but did not take notes.Students who listened to the podcast one or more times and took notes had an average score of 77, McKinney says.
Motivation might have been an issue, as the experiment did not count for class credit, though the highest scorer in each group earned a $15 iTunes gift certificate.
McKinney want to now test how podcasts affect learning across an entire semester, rather than from just a single lecture. Students might find them more useful early on in a class, when the material is still new, she says.
Though her team's paper is subtitled "Can podcasts replace Professors," McKinney thinks these technologies can buttress traditional lectures, particularly for a generation that has grown up with the Internet.
"I do think it's a tool. I think that these kids are programmed differently than kids 20 years ago," she says.
Darren Griffin, a geneticist and education researcher at the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK, says podcast lectures are good for lecturers too. They free him up to spend precious class time interacting with his students, rather than just talking at them.
To further coax them into the classroom, he gives his students brief quizzes before each class. "I get 98% attendance that way," he says.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Fifth Class: Fri, Feb 6
News Flash…Rec 130 Students Still AWOL
It is a beautiful sunny winter day in North Bay…as students gather for the start of their Friday 8:30am class there is a definite optimism in the air that perhaps spring is around the corner.
With some apprehension, I login to Contact North to begin today’s class. My "in-class" students and I anxiously watch as “e-class” students login…our worst fears are soon confirmed...the original 26 are nowhere to be seen.
A quick recap...for newcomers to this Blog...when this experiment in e-learning first started there were 26 brave souls who registered to take our Rec 130 course by Distance Education through Contact North’s “e-class.” Meanwhile, another 87 students elected to take the course “in-class.” After a few weeks, it was decided to register all 113 students with Contact North and to offer everyone the choice to attend sessions either “in-class” or by “e-class.” Problem is…that at our last class the original 26 students were not able to access the Rec 130 course…sadly, today these students are again missing in action…the good folks at Contact North have been notified and are working to fix the glitch.
On the positive side…for today’s class, a few more students have migrated to the “e-class” option. I view this as a positive...only in the sense that these students have consciously made a decision to try something new and are not afraid to boldly embrace new technology.
Creating a Community of Learners
At the start of today’s class, I inquired if there were any questions about an upcoming research assignment…an “in-class” student wondered about possible research sources…almost instantly an “e-class” student sent us a web site link she had found and highly recommended…this type of quick response and willingness to share is what Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd, no doubt, means when he speaks about harnessing the power of e-learning to create a community of learners.
Also, included in today’s class was a wonderful PowerPoint presentation, complete with music, which had been previously emailed to me by a student. E-technology makes it extremely easy to engage students and to encourage their active participation and contributions to the teaching/learning process.
As part of our discussions today concerning waiver forms, I had downloaded sample forms from the Internet for “in-class” and “e-class” students to critique. Again, the ease of gathering and sharing this information made our class more relevant, timely,and interesting.
A final observation on today’s class...with interest I continue to monitor text chat messages that flow back and forth on our screen throughout class...while most chat could obviously be deemed “social” or to be more polite “non-class related”… nonetheless; I am becoming very impressed with how effortlessly students are able to multi-task…they have the ability to exchange quick text chat with their classmates while still being attentive to what is happening in class…it is most intriguing…is it possible this casual banter may actually have the unintended consequence of helping to create that community of learners…where students are comfortable and willing to share information and help each other succeed?
Prior to signing off today, it was mentioned there will be no Rec 130 classes next week…students are involved in off-campus program related activities.
Our Rec 130 adventures resume Wed Feb 18.
It is a beautiful sunny winter day in North Bay…as students gather for the start of their Friday 8:30am class there is a definite optimism in the air that perhaps spring is around the corner.
With some apprehension, I login to Contact North to begin today’s class. My "in-class" students and I anxiously watch as “e-class” students login…our worst fears are soon confirmed...the original 26 are nowhere to be seen.
A quick recap...for newcomers to this Blog...when this experiment in e-learning first started there were 26 brave souls who registered to take our Rec 130 course by Distance Education through Contact North’s “e-class.” Meanwhile, another 87 students elected to take the course “in-class.” After a few weeks, it was decided to register all 113 students with Contact North and to offer everyone the choice to attend sessions either “in-class” or by “e-class.” Problem is…that at our last class the original 26 students were not able to access the Rec 130 course…sadly, today these students are again missing in action…the good folks at Contact North have been notified and are working to fix the glitch.
On the positive side…for today’s class, a few more students have migrated to the “e-class” option. I view this as a positive...only in the sense that these students have consciously made a decision to try something new and are not afraid to boldly embrace new technology.
Creating a Community of Learners
At the start of today’s class, I inquired if there were any questions about an upcoming research assignment…an “in-class” student wondered about possible research sources…almost instantly an “e-class” student sent us a web site link she had found and highly recommended…this type of quick response and willingness to share is what Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd, no doubt, means when he speaks about harnessing the power of e-learning to create a community of learners.
Also, included in today’s class was a wonderful PowerPoint presentation, complete with music, which had been previously emailed to me by a student. E-technology makes it extremely easy to engage students and to encourage their active participation and contributions to the teaching/learning process.
As part of our discussions today concerning waiver forms, I had downloaded sample forms from the Internet for “in-class” and “e-class” students to critique. Again, the ease of gathering and sharing this information made our class more relevant, timely,and interesting.
A final observation on today’s class...with interest I continue to monitor text chat messages that flow back and forth on our screen throughout class...while most chat could obviously be deemed “social” or to be more polite “non-class related”… nonetheless; I am becoming very impressed with how effortlessly students are able to multi-task…they have the ability to exchange quick text chat with their classmates while still being attentive to what is happening in class…it is most intriguing…is it possible this casual banter may actually have the unintended consequence of helping to create that community of learners…where students are comfortable and willing to share information and help each other succeed?
Prior to signing off today, it was mentioned there will be no Rec 130 classes next week…students are involved in off-campus program related activities.
Our Rec 130 adventures resume Wed Feb 18.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Fourth Class: Wed, Feb 4
Mike …My Students need a Mic
Immediately following my last class, I visited Mike Buck, Canadore College Education Resource Technician, to get his thoughts on how best to deal with audio issues being experienced in my e-learning Rec 130 course.
To date, I have been using a wired microphone with 50 feet of cord that is a tad cumbersome as I wander around the classroom...occasionally, sharing the microphone with “in-class” students who wish to ask questions or contribute comments.
After some head scratching, Mike ruled out the option that the entire classroom be “microphoned”…too costly. As a consolation prize, he offered to set me up with a cordless microphone for my next class...an offer that was met with quick acceptance and appreciation…no more wrestling with a 50 foot cord…free at last.
Fifteen minutes before today's class started, Mike expertly installed and tested the cordless microphone…as he left our classroom, he assured me that using this cordless microphone was so simple even an idiot would have no problems… some of my students immediately started to take bets.
At precisely 11:30am, I connected with our Contact North website and welcomed our “e-class” students to today’s session…at precisely 11:31am, I began to receive a tsunami of chat messages:… “we cant hear you”… “your mic isn’t working”…I fiddled with the mic to make sure it was connected…text messages continued to flood in…reluctantly, I discarded the cordless mic and plugged in my old friend the 50 foot wired microphone…we had audio…a few lucky "in-class" students collected their winnings…they know to bet on a sure thing.
Later, Mike explained the source of my trouble…apparently, I had accidentally hit the mute button on the cordless mic...he said "don't worry, it happens to everyone and besides I won enough money to buy you a coffee."
The Mystery of the Disappearing Students
Followers of this Blog will remember that originally 26 students registered to take the Rec 130 course by “e-class” while the remaining 87 students opted to take the course “in-class.” You may also recall that after only our second class it was decided to register all students with Contact North; thereby, offering everyone the choice to take the course either “in-class” or by “e-class”.
The good news is…thanks to the folks at Contact North my entire Rec 130 class is now registered for “e-classes” and it was encouraging today to see a number of new students attending by "e-class." The bad news is...the original 26 were no-shows for today's class and since the Wall, Canadore's Student Pub, doesn't open until noon...where could they possibly have been?
I have since learned these 26 students, were able to successfully login to Contact North...however, they were unable to access today's class…the gremlins strike again...a helpful "in-class" student wondered if perhaps I had accidentally hit a button causing them all to vanish into cyberspace...never to return.
Not to worry…a missing persons report has been filed with Contact North and they are actively pursuing the case...hopefully the mystery will be solved in time for our next class and we will all be happily reunited...stay tuned.
Pleased to report...rest of my class was uneventful...although, there was some more audio static when I informed students about an upcoming assignment...they do like to grumble at times.
Immediately following my last class, I visited Mike Buck, Canadore College Education Resource Technician, to get his thoughts on how best to deal with audio issues being experienced in my e-learning Rec 130 course.
To date, I have been using a wired microphone with 50 feet of cord that is a tad cumbersome as I wander around the classroom...occasionally, sharing the microphone with “in-class” students who wish to ask questions or contribute comments.
After some head scratching, Mike ruled out the option that the entire classroom be “microphoned”…too costly. As a consolation prize, he offered to set me up with a cordless microphone for my next class...an offer that was met with quick acceptance and appreciation…no more wrestling with a 50 foot cord…free at last.
Fifteen minutes before today's class started, Mike expertly installed and tested the cordless microphone…as he left our classroom, he assured me that using this cordless microphone was so simple even an idiot would have no problems… some of my students immediately started to take bets.
At precisely 11:30am, I connected with our Contact North website and welcomed our “e-class” students to today’s session…at precisely 11:31am, I began to receive a tsunami of chat messages:… “we cant hear you”… “your mic isn’t working”…I fiddled with the mic to make sure it was connected…text messages continued to flood in…reluctantly, I discarded the cordless mic and plugged in my old friend the 50 foot wired microphone…we had audio…a few lucky "in-class" students collected their winnings…they know to bet on a sure thing.
Later, Mike explained the source of my trouble…apparently, I had accidentally hit the mute button on the cordless mic...he said "don't worry, it happens to everyone and besides I won enough money to buy you a coffee."
The Mystery of the Disappearing Students
Followers of this Blog will remember that originally 26 students registered to take the Rec 130 course by “e-class” while the remaining 87 students opted to take the course “in-class.” You may also recall that after only our second class it was decided to register all students with Contact North; thereby, offering everyone the choice to take the course either “in-class” or by “e-class”.
The good news is…thanks to the folks at Contact North my entire Rec 130 class is now registered for “e-classes” and it was encouraging today to see a number of new students attending by "e-class." The bad news is...the original 26 were no-shows for today's class and since the Wall, Canadore's Student Pub, doesn't open until noon...where could they possibly have been?
I have since learned these 26 students, were able to successfully login to Contact North...however, they were unable to access today's class…the gremlins strike again...a helpful "in-class" student wondered if perhaps I had accidentally hit a button causing them all to vanish into cyberspace...never to return.
Not to worry…a missing persons report has been filed with Contact North and they are actively pursuing the case...hopefully the mystery will be solved in time for our next class and we will all be happily reunited...stay tuned.
Pleased to report...rest of my class was uneventful...although, there was some more audio static when I informed students about an upcoming assignment...they do like to grumble at times.
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