Evaluation of Biomedical Science Students Use and Perceptions of Podcasting

Abstract

The use of podcasting in higher education has escalated in recent years. The aim of this case study was to analyse undergraduate student use and perceptions of lecture audio recordings in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Leeds. Students completed an online survey over a two-week period based on their use of lecture audio recordings in semester one of the 2011/2012 academic session (n = 131 responses). Of the podcasts available, 77% of students reported to have listened to at least 50% of recordings. The majority of students accessed podcasts using the virtual learning environment (91%) often in combination with either a media player (30%) or podcatching software (21%). Students usually listened to podcasts in private accommodation (83%) on a personal computer or laptop, with fewer listening whilst undertaking other activities e.g. walking (16%). Interestingly, 93% of respondents perceived podcasts to be important or very important to their studies, with 90% stating that concentration in lectures was improved as a result of access to podcasts. Furthermore, 73% of students indicated that the availability of podcasts did not influence lecture attendance. These data suggest that students make extensive use of lecture audio recordings, with a positive impact on study behaviour.

Keywords:

• blended learning
• higher education
• mobile learning
• podcast

Introduction

Podcasting is becoming increasingly common practice across UK higher education (HE) institutions (O’Bannon et al. 2011). A podcast is an audio or video file which can be delivered over the Internet. Podcasts can be accessed either from a personal computer (PC), or downloaded and played back on a number of portable media devices such as an MP3 player or tablet computer (Middleton 2009). Furthermore, users may subscribe to receive podcasts automatically via Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds (Campbell 2005).

Integrating technology (such as podcasting) into the learning environment (a practice known as blended learning (Dantas & Kemm 2008)), is rising in popularity throughout HE primarily due to students increasing experience with technology in everyday life (Davies et al. 2005, Dantas & Kemm 2008). Today's student has growing expectations that technology should be a core element of their learning experience. Moreover, many students entering HE already own a Smartphone, MP3 player and/or tablet computer (Ofcom 2013), therefore the scope to incorporate mobile technology to enhance learning and teaching is vast.

Students' use of technology in education can be broadly divided into four main categories: information seeking, communication, assignment preparation and integrative learning (Conole et al. 2008). Interestingly, several studies have observed that students use mobile learning technologies extensively for information seeking but less frequently for accessing Web 2.0 resources such as podcasts, blogs and wikis (Conole et al. 2008, Selwyn 2008, Judd & Kennedy 2010). Morris et al. (2012) showed that undergraduate biological science students used tablet devices to a greater extent than laptops in multiple aspects of learning but predominantly for recording lectures, retrieving information and accessing learning resources. The authors concluded that HE institutions need a more integrative approach of introducing technology into the curriculum to encourage student use of Web 2.0 resources in day-to-day learning (Morris et al. 2012).

Mobile learning technologies have clear advantages for distance learners by allowing access to learning material from a remote location. Traditionally, distance education was associated with high dropout rates (Meilan 2010). The use of mobile learning technologies (such as podcasting) has been shown to reduce the feeling of isolation and improve motivation in the distance learner (Fernandez et al. 2009, Bolliger et al. 2010). The advantages of mobile learning extend beyond distance learning and the benefits of podcasting for campus-based students are increasingly being recognised (Lee et al. 2008, Folley 2010). Podcasts can be used to deliver lecture summaries, provide timely feedback or distribute supplementary information (Huntsberger & Stavitsky 2006, Roberts 2008). Furthermore, the potential of student-generated podcasts to increase engagement and interactivity has also been demonstrated (Lee et al. 2008, Lazzari 2009, Middleton 2009). Undoubtedly however, the most common use of podcasting is the practice of making audio recordings of lectures for students to playback for review and revision purposes (Copley 2007, Lee et al. 2008). The availability of lecture audio podcasts allows learning to occur at a time and place convenient to the student and potentially whilst undertaking other everyday tasks such as walking or commuting (Harris & Park 2008). This is advantageous as today's student is often faced with greater demands on their time due to work or family commitments and therefore learning must take place when and where the opportunity arises. Additionally, podcasting allows the student to access teaching material if unable to attend the face-to-face teaching session. Moreover, podcasts can be revisited as often as the learner requires which may improve comprehension and reduce student anxiety (Chan & Lee 2005, Folley 2010, Gorissen et al. 2012).

The lecture remains standard teaching practice in universities worldwide despite much controversy over their effectiveness (Edwards et al. 2001). Critics argue that whilst the lecture is appropriate for disseminating information to large student groups, it promotes a surface approach to learning with students being passive recipients of information rather than analysing and applying knowledge (Williams & Fardon 2007). Providing an audio recording of a lecture has the potential to augment and support learning by reducing the need for constant note taking and allowing students to review lecture material to increase understanding. Furthermore, allowing students to listen to lectures again at a convenient time and place enhances flexibility and accessibility in HE (Frydenberg 2006).

Podcasts are easy to produce with no expensive equipment or specialist expertise required. Moreover, the range of podcasting formats available (for example audio or video files), can facilitate different learning styles and are especially appealing to students who prefer to learn ‘on the move’. Lecture podcasts are advantageous for students with learning disabilities with many already choosing to make their own (often poor quality) lecture recordings (Winterbottom 2007). Also, recording lectures can benefit learning for students where English is not their first language. Indeed, Pearce & Scutter (2010) observed that students from non-English speaking backgrounds accessed significantly more podcasts compared to students whose native language was English, which the authors suggest was possibly to assist interpretation. However, despite the growing use of educational podcasting, it is a relatively new teaching resource, and as such, the ways in which students use and perceive lecture podcasts remain actively debated.

Lecturers within HE institutions often report concerns over the production of podcasts pertaining to copyright issues, exploitation and time demands. Also, many academics believe podcasts will reduce student discussion and engagement in teaching sessions (Hew 2009). Further, some believe that providing a recording of the lecture will reduce student attendance, which often results in many lecturers choosing not to record their lectures despite the reported benefits (Hew 2009). However, numerous studies have shown that the availability of lecture podcasts does not have a negative impact on attendance (Belanger 2005, Brittain et al. 2006, Lane 2006).

Generally, the student response to the availability of educational podcasts is highly positive with many claiming significantly enhanced learning and improved assessment performance (Brittain et al. 2006, Copley 2007, Vogt et al. 2010). Indeed, Copley (2007) found that 93% of students studying Marine Science at Southampton University would like more lecture podcasts available. Furthermore, Bongey et al. (2006) showed that 70% of students used podcasts to improve understanding of the lecture material. Interestingly, in the same study, 94% of respondents indicated a preference for attending the actual lecture over listening to podcasts, suggesting that students value podcasts to support rather than substitute lectures (Bongey et al. 2006). Encouragingly, studies evaluating the impact of podcasts on assessment performance have also demonstrated promising results (McKinney et al. 2009, Morris 2010). Nevertheless, controversy remains over the role and effectiveness of podcasts with suggestions that providing a full lecture recording could further promote a passive and reproductive approach to learning and may decrease the value of the traditional lecture (Lazzari 2009).

The modern learner often faces increased time pressures due to work and family commitments. In a world where students are increasingly aware and confident with technology, HE institutions should aim to adapt to changing student needs to make learning more accessible. However, it is important that the adoption of new technologies is evidence-based. Despite the rising popularity of podcasting in education, the use and perceptions of podcasts by students in UK universities have not been extensively researched. The aim of this case study was to evaluate the ways in which students use podcasts and how they impact on study behaviour.

Methods

This case study was conducted during the first semester of 2011/2012 in the University of Leeds. Lecturers (n = 39) across all programmes in the School of Biomedical Sciences had access to audio recorders (Sony PX312) and were encouraged to provide audio recordings of their lectures. Staff consent for the production of audio recordings was obtained using a wavier form. Recordings were uploaded as podcast episodes to the institutional virtual learning environment (VLE; Blackboard version 9.1) which students could either listen to directly or download to their portable media device. To avoid extra academic workload, full unedited lectures (normally around 50 minutes in duration) were uploaded.

In order to evaluate student use and perceptions of lecture audio recordings, an online survey was carried out over a two-week period after completion of semester one. The questionnaire was created using QuestionMark Perception software and distributed to students via the VLE. The questionnaire contained 26 questions including Yes/No, Likert style and multiple choice formats. Questions were divided into seven sections which aimed to gather information on the extent to which students accessed audio recordings, technical problems encountered, where and how they listened to recordings and the impact on study behaviour.

An email was sent to students throughout the school inviting them to complete the questionnaire. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Leeds Biological Sciences Ethical Review Committee and data was collected in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Participants were provided with written details of the study and asked to provide consent. Participants were also given the option to withdraw at any stage. Data was analysed using Microsoft Excel. Prior to analysis, student identification numbers were removed to ensure all responses were anonymous.

Results

In semester one of the 2011/2012 academic year, there were 11 lecture-based modules in the School of Biomedical Sciences providing 231 lectures to students across all three levels. Of these, 167 lecture podcasts were uploaded to the VLE (72%). There were 39 academics delivering lectures with 30 (77%) providing podcasts of at least some of their teaching sessions.

In the first semester of 2011/2012 there were 604 students in the School of Biomedical Sciences across all three levels. One hundred and thirty-one responses were gathered (response rate 22%) and of these, the majority of students (n = 120, 92%) had access to lecture audio recordings during the study period. Most respondents (86%) were aged between 18–21 years and 75% were female, which is higher than the faculty average (55% female).

Use of lecture audio recordings

Seventy-seven per cent of students who responded indicated that they had listened to at least 50% of the recordings available, while 18% stated that they listened to all available recordings (Table 1). The majority of respondents listened to each recording once (39%) or twice (46%) with 5% of students claiming to listen to each recording four times or more. Sixty-two per cent of respondents stated that they usually listened to the whole recording, while just 7% of students listened to 20 minutes or less (Figure 1). Encouragingly, only one respondent did not access any of the podcasts available. Students in levels one, two and three, all claimed to listen to a similar proportion of available audio recordings and there was no difference between males and females in the amount of recordings accessed.

Table 1 Proportion of all available audio recordings that students listened to. Table shows percentage of respondents who selected each response (n = 131 respondents).

Proportion of all available recordings that students listened to (%)	Responses (%)
0	1
10	8
25	15
50	19
75	18
90	22
100	18

Figure 1 A pie chart showing how much of the recorded lecture students usually listen to (n = 131 respondents). Most students listened to the whole lecture recording (41–50 minutes).

Most students (91%) listened to lecture recordings from within the VLE (Figure 2), either alone, or in combination with a media player (30%) or podcatching software (21%). The device which students used to listen to the recordings varied greatly, with the majority of students using multiple devices (Figure 3). Ninety-eight per cent of students most frequently used their laptop for listening, while 43% accessed recordings on a PC. Interestingly, fewer students used portable devices for listening; 19% downloaded and accessed podcasts using a portable media player, while 9% of respondents used a Smartphone and 8% a tablet computer (Figure 3). The preference of device used for listening to audio recordings did not vary based on age or gender of the student. The most commonly used location for accessing lecture audio recordings was in private accommodation (83%), while 43% and 34% often listened to recordings in the university library and computer clusters, respectively. Comparatively fewer students listened to podcasts whilst undertaking other activities including walking (16%) or on public/private transport (17%).

Figure 2 Ways in which students' playback lecture recordings (n = 131 respondents). Ninety-one percent of students listened to recordings from within the virtual learning environment.

Figure 3 Devices used for listening to audio recordings (n = 131 respondents). Most students used either their personal computer (98%) or laptop (43%) for listening to recordings.

Impact of lecture recordings on study behaviour

Table 2 shows the ways in which students made use of podcasts in their private study (respondents were permitted to choose more than one response if appropriate). Ninety-four per cent of students used the podcasts to ‘listen again to gain understanding’. Other frequently chosen responses included ‘to review parts of the lecture not understood’ (85%), ‘to write detailed notes to supplement lecture notes’ (84%) and ‘to revise for an examination’ (83%). Conversely, only 17% of students claimed to use the audio recordings when preparing for a coursework assignment. The least popular use of podcasts was to prepare for forthcoming teaching (7%), however, this is likely due to the nature of the podcasts available and the timing of upload. Only 30% of students listened to the audio recordings in combination with a recommended textbook, whereas 73% of respondents listened to the recordings along with lecture handouts. This is in keeping with the observation that most students listened to podcasts in private accommodation or designated study areas compared to ‘on the move’.

Table 2 Ways in which students used lecture audio recordings in their private study (percentage total exceeds 100% as students could select multiple responses, n = 131 respondents).

	Percentage
When preparing a coursework assignment	17
To review parts of the lecture not understood	85
To listen again to gain understanding	94
In combination with a recommended textbook	30
To write detailed notes to supplement lecture notes	84
To review parts of the lecture where the speaker was unclear	63
In combination with lecture handout	73
In preparation for forthcoming teaching	7
To revise for an examination	83

Reassuringly, 93% of respondents found podcasts to be either important or very important when studying, with only one student stating that audio recordings were completely unimportant to their studies. Observations suggested that level three students valued the availability of podcasts to a greater extent than level one students, with 63% of level three students claiming podcasts to be very important to their studies compared to only 31% of level one students.

Whilst data was not collected on actual lecture attendance during the study, most respondents (73%) indicated that having access to podcasts did not influence their likelihood of attending a lecture (Figure 4). Only 3% of students claimed to have missed the occasional lecture if podcasts were available while no students reported missing lectures regularly due to the availability of podcasts.

Figure 4 A pie chart showing the influence of podcast availability on lecture attendance (n = 131 respondents). The majority of students stated that the availability of podcasts did not influence lecture attendance.

Students were enthusiastic about the impact of podcasts on learning with 90% claiming to concentrate more in lectures. Of these, 53% indicated that they concentrate more because of the reduced requirement to take detailed notes. However, 10% of students stated that they concentrate less in lectures as they can catch up on material at a later date. Importantly, most respondents stated that concentration is increased and that having access to lecture recordings provides reassurance that any parts of the lecture missed or not understood can be revisited at a later time.

Student feedback on lecture recordings

When students were asked if they would like recordings edited, 60% were happy with the full lecture being uploaded with only 7% preferring to have edited bite-sized units. However, 30% of respondents would prefer interruptions and silences during the lecture to be removed. Interestingly, no students favoured the idea of only providing recordings of complex parts of a lecture.

Regarding the quality of audio recordings, 99% of students stated that they were either satisfied, or very satisfied with sound quality. Encouragingly, 48% did not experience any technical problems when accessing podcasts. The most frequently reported issue was VLE access problems (26%), while 9% of respondents stated that they were unable to find the audio file in the VLE.

In general, the students who responded were enthusiastic about the use of educational podcasts. Eighty-three per cent of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed with the comment ‘all lecturers should provide lecture audio recordings', while only 3% of students disagreed. Furthermore, when asked to consider the statement ‘all lecturers have different teaching styles so they should be able to choose whether to provide lecture audio recordings', 56% either strongly disagreed or disagreed compared to 29% of students who agreed.

The final section of the questionnaire invited all students to provide comments about the overall use of lecture audio recordings. Generally, responses were positive for example:

I feel that the lecture recordings have helped to enhance my understanding of the lecture material therefore increasing my overall knowledge.

I am sure the availability of recordings has had a positive impact on my marks.

I think it should be compulsory in every lecture! I find it very useful and still will go to all my lectures.

However, not all comments were positive with some students stating that they could not access lecture podcasts. Interestingly, one student stated:

I think audio recordings could be detrimental to student interaction and engagement in lectures which I believe is already a limiting factor … . Also, this is not a solution to any of the problems which students perceive as detrimental to their degrees, for example feedback and one to one tutor interaction … .

Of the respondents who did not have access to podcasts during the study period (n = 11), nine students believed that podcasts would aid revision and improve learning. Of these students, some stated that they have resorted to recording lectures themselves which is an added expense (for purchasing recording equipment) and will undoubtedly lead to poorer quality recordings.

Study limitations

The observed response rate in the present study was 22%. Although the definition of an acceptable response rate remains unclear, it is generally accepted that online surveys have a lower response rate compared to paper surveys (Johnson 2003) and the response rate obtained here is similar to those obtained in other published material (Gosper et al. 2007). Importantly, high response rates do not necessarily yield responses that are more representative to the population (Krosnick 1999, Keeter et al. 2006). However, as it cannot be ascertained whether the students who responded to the survey in this study had different opinions from those who did not respond, the validity and reliability of observations may be reduced.

Seventy-seven per cent of survey respondents were female, which is higher than faculty average (55% female); this may have created a bias in the data obtained.

Discussion

The popularity of lecture podcasting is rapidly rising throughout UK universities despite relatively few studies examining the effects of podcasts on learning. The observations from this study suggest that some students make extensive use of lecture podcasts. The majority of respondents stated that they listened to at least 75% of available recordings and 60% of students claimed to listen to each recording on two or more occasions throughout the study period. Furthermore, student feedback indicates an overall enthusiasm for podcasting with the majority of students expressing a preference for more widespread use. These findings highlight the potential of lecture podcasts to enhance learning and improve student satisfaction.

The incorporation of podcasts into HE is often met with reluctance by academics due to concerns over copyright, intellectual property and defamation. Furthermore, it is often argued that attendance and student engagement in lectures will be reduced. Reassuringly, students in this case study report that the availability of podcasts aids their concentration in lectures and has a positive impact on study behaviour. Moreover, 73% of students stated that having access to lecture audio recordings did not affect their likelihood of attending the lecture, which is in line with previous studies (Brittain et al. 2006, Lane 2006). Indeed, Bongey et al. (2006) found that the availability of podcasts had no impact on attendance and 94% of students preferred attending the live lecture over listening to the lecture audio recording. Furthermore, Kemp et al. (2010) observed a statistically significant positive correlation between lecture attendance and student grade despite the availability of lecture podcasts. These findings, along with those from the present study, suggest that students use lecture audio recordings for review purposes rather than a substitute for face-to-face learning.

The ways in which students make use of audio recordings in their personal study are highly varied. The majority of respondents reported using recordings to: listen again (to the full lecture) to gain an understanding, review (specific) parts of the lecture not understood and write detailed lecture notes, amongst others (see Table 2). In general, the reported uses of podcasts in this case study are in agreement with previous studies and provide support for the integration of audio recordings into education to improve understanding and augment learning (Lonn & Teasley 2009). A criticism of lecture podcasting is the potential to promote rote transmission of information from teacher to student and encouraging students to become passive learners (Frydenberg 2006). However, the observations here suggest that this is not the case, with students commenting that lecture recordings improved comprehension and provided reassurance that any material missed during lectures can be revisited at a later time and as often as required. These findings, in addition to the respondents' perception that provision of podcasts has a negligible impact on attendance, further support the idea that students value podcasts to support live lectures. Interestingly, 73% of respondents used the audio recordings in combination with lecture handouts suggesting that many students prefer to learn with visual material rather than solely audio, which could explain why students prefer attending the live lecture as well as having access to audio recordings. Using full lecture capture technologies to incorporate audio recordings along with lecture slides would potentially be more beneficial and enhance learning in students with different learning styles. However, it is recognised that lecture capture introduces an additional set of technical overheads and is associated with its own limitations beyond the scope of this discussion (Kadirire 2011).

The majority of students used the VLE for accessing audio recordings. Furthermore, most students listened to recordings on a PC or laptop with 83% listening in private accommodation. Interestingly, in a previous study in the same institution, 90% of students reported to own an MP3 player (Morris 2010). If we assume a similar level of ownership in this study, it would suggest that students do not access audio recordings in a mobile fashion, despite having the technology to do so. This could be due to the full unedited lecture being recorded and uploaded, which may not be conducive to multitasking. Previous studies have shown that podcasts of smaller bite-sized units is preferred which enables and encourages the user to listen whilst undertaking other everyday activities (Laing & Wootton 2007). However, the observations from this study show that 63% of respondents listened to the whole recording (approximately 50 minutes). Furthermore, 60% stated that they were happy with the whole lecture being recorded compared to only 7% who would rather have bite-sized files uploaded. Despite student's considerable use of technologies in their personal life, they do not appear to use these same technologies (and particularly their own devices) in day-to-day learning (Swan et al. 2005). The findings from this study indicate that students prefer to listen to audio recordings at a time and place designated for study, rather than during other activities, which is consistent with other studies (Copley 2007, Lee & Chan 2007). It may be that students do not realise the potential of their own technological device for its mobile learning capabilities. Conversely, students may prefer not to learn on the move, and instead choose an environment with less distractions and more conducive to learning. It should be noted however that a number of students commented that they could not transfer the lecture recording onto their portable media device. This highlights the possibility that students may require further guidance and support when using blended learning resources.

The use of podcasting is not limited to lecture recordings. Lee et al. (2008) reported the potential of student generated podcasts to increase engagement and promote a deep understanding in an information technology course at Charles Sturt University. Furthermore, Middleton (2009) described the use of creative and learner centred podcasts to improve learning and argues that podcasts should not be considered as purely didactic tools. Arguably, this would overcome the perceived criticism of lecture podcasts promoting a surface approach to learning. Providing full lecture recordings, as in this study, may not increase student interactivity or promote learner activity however, as observations from this study suggest, they can improve understanding and raise student satisfaction with no extra requirement on academic workload.

Encouragingly, respondents indicated that podcasts had a positive impact on study behaviour and students stated that they feel their learning was enhanced and ultimately felt that this will lead to improved grades. Indeed, one student commented ‘… I believe that my grades have vastly improved because the audio recordings are available to me …’. However, the impact of podcasts on grades was not ascertained in this study. Surprisingly, Falzon & Brown (2005) showed that podcasts did not improve assessment scores despite positive student feedback. Furthermore, Kemp et al. (2010) did not observe a positive relationship between the number of hours spent listening to podcasts and final grade attained. In fact, Kemp's study highlighted a trend towards lower grades with increased listening hours. The authors concluded that multitasking (i.e. listening to podcasts whilst undertaking other activities) could have had a negative impact on learning and retention of information (Kemp et al. 2010). However, it could also be argued that the relationship between listening hours and course grade could reflect the standard of the student with weaker students and those who regularly miss lectures often reporting increased podcast use. Thus, this could account for the relationship observed. In contrast to the studies described earlier, a number of studies have shown that the availability of lecture podcasts is associated with a positive impact on student performance. Psychology students performed significantly better in an examination when provided with lecture podcasts compared to students who attended the live lectures (McKinney et al. 2009). Furthermore, Morris (2010) demonstrated that students who had access to lecture podcasts along with mobile assessments scored significantly higher in a formative exam compared to those who did not. Thus, the impact of podcasts on improving student performance remains unsubstantiated.

Conclusion

In a world where students are increasingly dependent upon technology in their personal lives, it seems logical that increasing the integration of mobile learning technology, including lecture podcasts, into education would be beneficial to learning. This case study showed that students perceive the availability of lecture audio recordings as highly beneficial to their studies with suggestions of improved concentration in lectures, a positive impact on learning and an overall enhancement of the student experience. In agreement with other studies, students appear to access audio recordings more frequently from a PC or laptop, thus are not utilising this technology as a mobile learning resource. Encouragingly, the majority of students indicated that the availability of podcasts had no impact on lecture attendance. This supports the concept that podcasting should be viewed not as a substitute, but rather an additional teaching resource, used to enhance and support face-to-face teaching. At a time of rising UK student fees and increasing demand for value for money, enhancements to learning and teaching in HE will undoubtedly raise student satisfaction.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds for providing the audio recording equipment.