Podcasting in a Community College: A Case Study

Thomas LombardoNorthern Illinois University

Educational Technology, Research, and Assessment

Committee

• Dr. Rhonda Robinson – Co-chair

• Dr. Hayley Mayall – Co-chair

• Dr. Pi-Sui Hsu

• Dr. Lara Luetkehans

Introduction

• Rationale– Demand for “anytime, anyplace” learning– Popularity of portable listening devices– Free space on iTunesU– Little research on podcasting as educational

innovation– Diffusion of Innovation Theory used to study other

educational innovations (CMS, etc) but not podcasting

Purpose

• The purpose of this descriptive case study was to describe the experiences of community college faculty as they adopted and integrated podcasting technology into their teaching. These experiences were viewed through the lens of Diffusion of Innovation Theory.

Diffusion of Innovation Theory

• Descriptive and Prescriptive:

– To understand the diffusion process

– To create conditions that promote diffusion of innovation

Diffusion of Innovation Theory

(Rogers, 2003)

Significance

• Increasing role for community colleges in the modern economy

• Add to IT knowledge base regarding Diffusion of Innovations in community colleges

• Provide possible directions for future experimental studies about podcasting

Research Questions

1. What happened when community college faculty members were offered the opportunity to use podcasting in their classes?

2. In what ways did community college faculty members use podcasts in their classes? What guidelines for podcasting were instructors using?

3. What challenges and successes did faculty members perceive when implementing podcasting?

Results

RQ1: What Happened?• Most participants are in the persuasion stage.

• Most have favorable opinion of podcasting, but have not adopted it.

• Two common issues: time and training. Faculty reported not having enough time to create podcasts, or even to find externally created podcasts.

• Time (in this context) is not something addressed specifically by Diffusion of Innovation Theory.

RQ1: What Happened?

• Training was brief, sporadic, and purely technical.

• No pedagogical training.

• Trainers were volunteers, not paid.

• No formal support structure (at the time).

RQ1: What Happened?

• Nine faculty members creating podcasts (at the time of this study)

• None are using it in collaborative or innovative ways, perhaps because of the training.

RQ2: (a) In what ways did community college faculty members use podcasts in their classes?

(b) What guidelines for podcasting were instructors using?

RQ2a: How Podcasting is Used

MP3

RQ2a: How Podcasting is Used

• The only “reinvention” came from the change agent: using an iPod as a media storage device.

RQ2a: Podcast Features

Audio synchronized with slides - lectures

Full-motion video - lectures

Screen recording - “how-to” videos

RQ2a: Externally-Created Podcasts

RQ2b: Guidelines that Faculty Use

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RQ3: What challenges and successes did faculty members perceive when implementing podcasting?

Obstacles and Challenges

• Time

• Training/support

• Technology – minor issues with iTunesU– Windows users learning Mac software

Successes and Benefits

• Perceived improvement in student performance

• Perceived increase in student satisfaction

• Podcasting caused professors to be more organized in lectures

• Those who put lectures online reported more effective use of class time (discussion, activities)

Themes that Emerged

• General podcasting experiences

• New tools with old methods

• Inadequate training

• Lack of incentives for podcasters

Suggestions for Future Research

• Experimental studies that compare podcast to live lecture

• Guidelines for creating effective podcasts

• Student perceptions of podcasting

• Longitudinal study following a group of faculty members

Recommendations for Colleges

• Provide training, support, and perhaps release time

• Provide custom “just-in-time” training

• Training could integrate pedagogy with technology

Advice for Faculty Podcasters

• Find professionally-created podcasts for students

• Use professionally-created podcasts to determine “best practices” and adopt those in one’s own podcasts

• Keep podcasts relatively short and focused on a single topic

• Use the podcast format that fits the topic

Final Thoughts

• This study identified two constructs that are not defined by Diffusion of Innovation theory: time (i.e. the extra time it takes to learn and use an innovation) and observability (from the perspective of an innovation putting its user into the spotlight).

• In addition, the study also noted the need to integrate technical training with pedagogical training, rather than the former followed by the latter.

Final Thoughts

• Previous studies about the use of podcasting have revealed a number of innovative ways in which podcasting can be used. Faculty members may consider using podcast technology in non-traditional ways, such as offering auditory feedback on assignments and allowing students to create podcasts as class assignments.

Questions?