Podcasts enhance University Lectures

With a growing number of education establishments using podcasting to compliment lectures, fears from traditionalists that student lecture attendance might fall are looking unfounded according to the latest findings.

In a great article from the student section of the Independent online - many Universities are now using podcasts to supplement lectures. Dr Bill Ashraf, from Bradford University, abandoned lectures in favour of podcasts. He then allows strudents to send questions to him by text, which he answers on his publicly visible blog. Now his students don't have to chase him for lecture notes because it's all on the podcasts. It's going down well with his students who listen while on the move or even in the gym and it's great as exam time approaches.

But there are concerns from some quarters that students will stop turning up for lectures if they can download the podcast.

This fear is unfounded, says Lynn Vos, senior lecturer in marketing at Middlesex University Business School. Research shows that the introduction of podcasts does not reduce attendance at lectures, and students see the technology as an additional educational tool, not a replacement. She sees the lecture as becoming more of a forum for student-teacher interaction. She also points out the interactive nature of the lecture/podcast approach - students are able to question tutors on material they find confusing, and the tutor can then adjust the content accordingly.

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