Podcasting Case Study: Drexel University

Rationale

In the past 10 years, Drexel University’s organic chemistry classes have gone from just a handful of students to more than 150. In spite of the growth, the class is still taught by a single faculty member, Jean Claude Bradley, without teaching assistants. Bradley therefore has leveraged technology—including podcasting—in creative ways to cultivate an effective learning environment for his students.

Description

Used with permission of Joan Thomas.

Initially, Bradley moved to shift quizzes online. Multiple choice quizzes were posted on WebCT, and students were instructed to take them on their own time in the university’s computer labs. More recently, influenced by seeing students record his lectures, Bradley decided to record them himself to improve the quality and, more importantly, make them accessible to the entire class. Ultimately, he began podcasting and screencasting the lectures and posting the files, along with lecture notes, to the class blog. The lectures were given as out-of-class assignments. Bradley now uses class time for workshops and small-group work, taking full advantage of the time for face-to-face interaction. The podcasts and other online resources have become part of an even richer online learning space that Bradley has developed.

Implementation

Podcasting was not Bradley’s first effort to move content online. He initially created screencasts of his lectures during class. However, only one campus classroom supported these technologies, and it accommodated only 24 students. The following semester, he moved the class into a large auditorium and switched the software and computer he used so that he could more fully capture what he demonstrated during the lecture as well as accommodate more students. Bradley has continued to use these tools and now records his lectures outside class time.

Preparation of the materials for each class lecture, including the podcast and screencast, generally takes Bradley an afternoon. He records the lecture and then converts the files into both Flash screencasts and MP3 podcasts. He posts these files, along with a PDF of the lecture notes, to the class blog and also syndicates the content via RSS. These resources are enriched further by a class wiki, accessible through the blog site.

Bradley’s method of producing and distributing content is relatively inexpensive. Aside from purchased capture software and a Tablet PC, he relies heavily on existing physical infrastructure and resources available free on the Web.

Impact on Teaching and Learning

Bradley has asked students to complete evaluations of his classes, incrementally modifying his approach based on the results. For example, after he began offering lecture podcasts and screencasts, Bradley began to note a significant decline in attendance. The performance of the truant students, however, was nearly identical to that of the students who attended class. This finding prompted Bradley to make his lectures out-of-class assignments and dedicate class time to interactive activities that more fully engaged the students.

Although many often assume that today’s students are tech savvy, Bradley found that a considerable portion are in fact uncomfortable with technology. Bradley therefore now takes nothing for granted. He takes class time—now no longer tied up with lecturing—to guide students in technology use and give personalized help as needed. The students often do not own iPods and have not created podcasts of their own. They tend to use their desktop computers to access the podcasts. They do actively use class blogs and wikis. Although most students adapt, Bradley has found that there are always a few students who do not catch on.

Drexel faculty have not yet fully embraced Bradley’s methods. Only a handful podcast all their lectures. Some prepare lecture podcasts to fill in when they are out of town during class.

Bradley has succeeded in making freely available a well-rounded and dynamic collection of online resources and tools related to his course—of which podcasts are just a small part. His vision for online scientific engagement has grown beyond the course itself and led to the development of a blog and wiki for chemistry students to discuss and document their research—including lab metrics, research logs, procedures, and results. In this online environment, Bradley finds it easy to monitor progress, advise, and instruct as needed.

Evidence already exists that his approach has enhanced scientific discourse: the course sites’ content, which includes openly accessible postings on student research, has precipitated comments from scholars around the world. Site metrics support these findings, showing the sites have attracted visitors from the United States and abroad.

Reflection

Among the most remarkable aspects of Bradley’s podcasting has been the transformation of lecturing into an out-of-class task. The resulting opening of class time allows him to make the most of the interaction and learning possible only in face-to-face settings. On the other hand, Bradley’s successful experiences with podcasting and other online learning tools such as blogs and wikis have led him to explore the possibility of shifting the class entirely online, expanding their potential benefit for teaching and learning beyond the boundaries of his own university.

Further Reading

• Bradley’s Class Blog, <http://chem242.blogspot.com/>.
• Drexel College of Arts and Sciences E-Learning Blog, <http://drexel-coas-elearning.blogspot.com/>.
• Transcript of Drexel College of Arts and Sciences Podcast with Bradley, “Integrating WebCT with Vodcasting and Podcasting,” <http://drexel-coas-elearning-transcripts.blogspot.com/2006/05/integrating-webct-with-vodcasting-and.html>.