Trialling weekly podcasts: reflections from the Computer

Science CABLE projectAmanda Jefferies

With the valued support of the CS CABLE team

One of our CABLE project aims in 2009-2010: ...improving the overall student learning

experience through offering prompt feedback and regular student support across a teaching team

What we did: Weekly podcasts to engage students beyond

the delivery of the material Incorporated regular podcasts into a busy

lecturer’s timetable to keep the students on the course engaged, regardless of who was teaching that week

Piloting Innovative practice

Each week the students could access a podcast which was one of the following types:◦ A regular message to engage students with the

weekly course content ◦ A full-class lecture◦ Staff feedback from the past assignment◦ Suggestions to support their work in the next

assignment◦ An ‘in-the-news’ feature, to update students on

recent research findings in strategic information systems

Podcasting styles

Why not just a recording of the lecture?◦ important for the students to attend in person ◦ engage in the discussions from the sessions◦ used a ‘feed-forward’ principle for planning the next

assignment

The weekly commitment was less than 20 minutes to:◦ record and check recording◦ upload onto StudyNet

But planning what to say would take a little longer!

The weekly commitment

Online polls via StudyNet to gauge reactions

Questionnaire in a lecture to all students

inviting quantitative and qualitative

responses

Evaluating the student perspective

I’d like podcasts of all my lectures!

Did the students listen online? ◦ Yes, many did download them regularly, although

numbers accessing the podcasts dropped off towards the end of term

◦ 92.5% (N=40 students) said the report writing recording was helpful

What the students said…

Making a difference with podcasts?

Podcasts were easy to find and available

24/7

Listening again to recorded lectures

was good for taking notes

Podcast was helpful with the 2nd assignment

Their online presence gave the students a certain security week by week that the module leader was engaging with them

They allowed a large module team to have a point of focus for the online presence on a regular basis with the students

Feedback from classroom discussion sessions and from assignment material could swiftly become part of the next week’s podcast to feed-forward into assessment.

Reflections on weekly podcasting

Podcasts proved timely and useful and were appreciated by the majority of the students

They proved Easy to compile Straightforward to upload Cost-effective in getting a regular message out to

keep in touch with students Their use supported some of Chickering

and Gamson’s 7 principles -◦ Ensures feedback leads to improvement ◦ Focuses on student development

Summary

Thank you for listening

Any Questions?

Amanda Jefferies

a.l.jefferies@herts.ac.uk