A response to “Use of audio podcast in K-12 and higher education”

I just finished reading Khe Foon Hew’s (2009) article, “Use of audio podcast in K-12 and higher education: a review of research topics and methodologies”. There were many findings that caught my attention. First, and most importantly, Hew (2009) found no correlation between listening to podcasts and improving learning outcomes. Students reported that they liked the fact they could “listen to specific material they had missed or did not understand multiple times,” (Hew, 2009, p. 344) but liking did not affect learning. Since, the majority of the studies were done at traditional “brick and mortar” institutions instead of online distance learning (DL) courses and that the subject areas where highly technical and/or scientific, this may have affected the results. I think studies should use DL learners to test podcasts. Another interesting finding, which may have also been skewed by the traditional audience, was that students preferred to listen to podcasts on their PC at home versus on a mobile device or in the car. In conclusion, I feel podcasts can be used as a “reach back” for students and to prepare them for the next lecture. There is more to be explored with podcasts, especially with multimedia podcasting.

References
Hew, K. F. (2009). Use of Audio Podcast in K-12 and Higher Education: A Review of Research Topics and Methodologies. Educational Technology Research and Development, 57(3), 333-357.