New Scientist Report - Pod Cast vs Live

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.

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.

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.

Recorded Classes Posted to TLM

Apparently, this old dog is getting the hang of e-learning technology.

Much to my surprise…and no doubt to the absolute disbelief of readers of this Blog…I was able to successfully download my two recorded Rec 130 classes to Canadore College’s The Learning Manager (TLM) program.

It was unbelievably simple…first, I copied the LINK to my Contact North recorded classes…then, I pasted it to Canadore College’s LINK to my Rec 130 TLM course. Not sure how or why this works…but it does….I suspect my tech friends at Contact North will want to hire me on as a tech consultant.

As a consequence of this wonderful accomplishment, students will now be able to PLAYBACK recorded classes directly from Canadore College’s TLM site rather than having to login to Contact North. Since Canadore’s TLM program contains all course material…it offers students “one stop” shopping.

Third Class: Fri, Jan 30

Today’s Specials - Wolfgang Mozart and the Man In Black

8:30 am is a very unfortunate time for a Friday morning class on Legislation and Risk Management…and the fact that it is a bitterly cold and blustery winter day does little to lift spirits.

Perhaps, Mozart could help?

As my Rec 130 “in-class” students trudge in to their warm classroom they are treated to the pleasing strands of Mozart’s famous Piano Concerto No 21. On the screen was a picture of Mozart which I had earlier downloaded from You Tube and imported to the AGENDA for today’s class.

Similarly, after they login to Contact North to access today’s session my “e-class” students are likewise welcomed by the sounds of Mozart…they are quickly forgiven for thinking they are in the wrong class.

What is going on here?

One significant advantage of using Contact North’s e-learning technology is the ability to locate and download almost instantly an endless selection of educational resources to assist learning…or to simply jazz up the beginning of a class on a dreary winter day...well perhaps Mozart wasn’t the best choice…so in fairness, I also downloaded and played a few musical gems from everyone’s favourite country and western recording artist: Mr. Johnny Cash.

It occurred to me that e-technology makes it relatively simple to engage students in brief discussions and conversations about a range of topics…some course related and some not.

Surely, as college educators part of our responsibility is to turn students on to all learning; regardless, if the learning is directly related to our specific course outcomes.

I am convinced that seemingly extraneous learning does not distract from the delivery or the reception of our course content. In fact, I would vehemently argue the reverse is true...college students benefit greatly if classes are exciting and relevant and if students learn to view their courses as only a small part of a total life-long learning process. Further evidence of the relevance of extending learning opportunities can perhaps be best summarized by these common quotes: Learning is a Journey...Life is all about process not content.

To be clear, this is not to advocate that core course content be sacrificed so that students may be exposed to other non-course related material. What I am suggesting; however, is that e-learning technology makes it possible for educators to enliven classes and to engage students without compromising course integrity.

The power of e-learning to stimulate discussion and future learning was evident at the start of my third class. After Mozart was silenced we spent a few brief minutes talking about Mozart and his musical genius.

I was surprised to learn that not one college student knew the definition of the term concerto. As we continued our discussions, an “e-class” student found and posted the definition for all to view. After further discussion it was discovered that some students had never even heard of Mozart…seizing the opportunity I extended a challenge to everyone to check out this guy and his music on the Internet…to learn something about him…to do it just for the sake of learning…no marks…no hand in assignment…not everyone will accept my challenge…but I expect some will.

Now, for a most amazing discovery…one of our "in-class" students informed us that he can actually play Mozart's Concerto No 21…who would have guessed?

Next class…perhaps a brief clip of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s budget speech delivered last Tuesday...students will most certainly have something to say and to learn about his budget and how it might impact our faltering economy.

In total about 5 minutes (out of this 2 hour-long class) was spent on the Mozart experiment…not a significant amount of class time to stimulate some general learning and to break the routine of always concentrating on course related content.

During our break Johnny Cash entertained...


New Students Join Rec 130 Class

It was a pleasure having two of my colleagues, Bill Ramore and Brian Bennison join us in today’s class. They are very keen and curious to learn how e-learning technology can benefit students in our School of Recreation and Leisure. Hopefully, other Canadore College professors will likewise drop by to check out what is happening and to consider the power and promise of e-learning for their courses.


Smooth Sailing: Wind Is At Our Back

By now, my students and I are becoming increasingly familiar with Contact North’s technology and for the most part today's class went relatively smoothly.

A not so good observation...attendance for “in-class” and “e-class” students was down noticeably today. My concern is that some students will simply take the option to view recorded classes rather than attend “in-classes” or “e-classes.” However, inclement weather may have been a contributing factor for today's dwindling attendance or perhaps somehow word leaked out that I was going to play Mozart's Piano Concerto. I will continue to monitor attendace trends to identify potential issues relating to attendance and participation in both "in-class" and "e-class" sessions.

A suggestion worthy of serious consideration…a very smart Recreation Therapy student wondered out loud if the Rec 130 course could be scheduled at a more convenient time than on Wednesdays from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. She made the solid argument that if Rec130 was offered at the beginning or ending of a day; more students would have the choice to take this course by "e-class"...an idea to definitely think about.

Next class is Wed Feb 4.

Red Flag Alert

Is too much freedom necessarily a good thing?

Students in Canadore College’s School of Recreation and Leisure have been given the latitude to take the Rec 130 course by one of three options or by a combination thereof. Students may choose to attend sessions “in-class,” or may choose to attend sessions by “e-class,” or may choose to view recorded classes “r-class.”

Although, we have just begun this experiment I am aware of several students favoring the approach to take much of our Rec 130 course by “r-class”. A danger of this tactic is for students to put off viewing recorded classes or stockpiling classes until there are far too many to properly digest...learning is a process and true learning requires absorption time and a degree of reflection. Those who embrace “r-class” learning will also not have the advantage of interacting with others in real time.

Regretably, certain controls (attendance/participation marks, etc) eventually may have to be introduced to encourage students to attend either "in-class" or "e-class" sessions...thus, discouraging an over reliance on "r-class" learning.

Attention to student behaviour will be needed in order to respond to the question... Given too many choices, will students ultimately abuse the intent of the "r-class" option?...an option that at best should be viewed as merely an inferior alternative to both "in-class" and e-class" learning.

For now, the plan is to remain vigilant and to follow, as best I can, the students' footprints to see how many migrate to each option.

At the end of the day, the goal is to ensure student learning is not negatively impacted by offering too much freedom.

Warning: Big Brother Is Watching

Two random thoughts about recording classes…first, the adage what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas does not apply to our recorded Rec 130 classes.

A quick check with the tech crew at Contact North confirmed my worst fears...recorded sessions once PUBLISHED cannot be edited or altered...yikes better be careful.

Students and teacher must be mindful that Big Brother is watching. For sure, I admit to some initial discomfort about being recorded. Granted, only registered students have access to the PLAYBACK feature; nonetheless, the potential exists for recorded classes to be viewed by who knows who and used for who knows what purpose.

In the final analysis, I accept the fact that recording my classes should not be intimidating...simply because whatever happens during a class should always be appropriate and professional...transparency is good. Moreover, the many benefits offered to students by recording classes, in my humble opinion, far outweigh any disadvantages.

Having come to that conclusion I have already learned that bloopers will be made and captured. For instance, at the start of our second session an “e-class” student taunted “in-class” students by sending a text message reminding everyone how horrible the weather was today and how fortunate “e-class” students were to still be snuggled in their warm beds taking this class… I perhaps too quickly and absently responded by texting...wish I was there with you...this comment will surely make the Rec 130 year-end Top Ten Blooper List.

Second random thought about the virtues of recording classes...students who miss a class for whatever reason can simply PLAYBACK the missed class at another time.

Also, students may find it helpful to use the PLAYBACK feature to review certain parts of a class using the fast-forward option.

Lastly, students may choose to replay classes to prepare for a test or an exam.

Indeed, during the life of this pilot project, I look forward to learning how and why Rec 130 students utilize the PLAYTRACK feature.

Likewise, it would be interesting to track the frequency that recorded sessions are accessed and viewed by students...another question or challenge for the Contact North tech crew?

Hopefully, from time to time, Rec 130 student followers of this Blog will post some feedback under comments. Their feedback would be most helpful and would provide valuable insight into how and why recorded sessions are used.