To Podcast or not to Podcast? Pedagogical decision making in the use of new technologies

Abstract

Podcasting is a cheap and portable technology that allows students to download and listen to lectures when and wherever convenient. Most students provided with Podcasts have embraced this technology and many view Podcasts as a useful additional learning resource. Hence, an increasing number of students are requesting lecture Podcasts from academic staff. This study investigated the pedagogical decision making of health science educators in the use of Podcasting technology. Data were gathered from interviews and via an online survey sent to all teaching staff within the Division of Health Sciences. Two thirds of the staff who responded (92/167; 55%) elected to Podcast their lectures. Most did so in response to staff or student expectations rather than pedagogically-based reasons. This study has shown that the decision making inherent in using Podcasting technology is based on student demand and anecdotal evidence rather than a sound pedagogical basis.