Are Podcasts Better than Live Lectures?

March 12, 2009

A study conducted at the State University of New York at Fredonia found students who watched a podcast version of a lecture achieved higher test results than those who attended the live lecture.  The students who watched only the podcast achieved an average test score that was 15 points higher than their fellow students who attended the professor’s lecture in person.

Let’s face it; students sometimes are distracted during lectures by random thoughts when lectures become a bit boring.  Other times you’re not really sure what the professor just said or he did not keep an important slide or graphic visible long enough to take a complete note.  You can not pause, rewind, and rewind portions of a lecture – but you can if you are watching a podcast of the lecture.  By reviewing key portions of a lecture several times, you can take better notes and more thoroughly understand the concepts discussed.

Perhaps the most effective solution is a combination of live lecture and a podcast version that is made available to students later.  The vast majority of students participating in this research indicated they preferred attending lectures, but wanted the podcasts to refresh their memory and adjust their notes taken during the lecture.

I feel I miss too much of the presentation if I try to take notes while the presentation is being made.  So if I knew a podcast was going to be made available, I would concentrate on enjoying the lecture and take notes from the podcast afterwards.

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