By: Kathryn Shaughnessy
October 11, 2005
Podcasting, whether the term is familiar or foreign to you, is a
growing means of communicating information. This article aims
to introduce faculty to the role that podcasting is currently
playing in academia, and provide a preview of some of the
podcasting initiatives at the St. John’s University Libraries.
What is a Podcast?
A podcast is a type of informational broadcast that is saved as an
audio file (generally in mp3 format) which can be uploaded to a
server, and delivered to listeners at their convenience. The
term “podcast” is somewhat of a misnomer. The
neologism1 was proposed in order to convey the
idea that this type of communication is highly-portable (allowing
for place-shifted information access) and could be played back at a
time that was most convenient to the audience (allowing for
time-shifted information access). The term podcast also
enjoyed the advantage of rhyming with “broadcast,” so innovators
capitalized on the association that listeners had with broadcasting
and iPods; but, it should be noted that these audio files can be
downloaded to any mp3-compatible player, including computer
desktops, laptops or a variety personal listening/handheld
devices.
How can podcasts be useful in the
classroom?
Duke University’s highly publicized “iPod experiment” was a program
designed to “encourage creative uses of technology in education and
campus life” (1). Forty-eight (48) classes participated in the
inaugural program (15 in Fall, 33 in Spring), and Duke’s
self-evaluation at year-end highlighted many beneficial uses of
academic podcasting. Duke faculty used podcasts to disseminate
pre-recorded content (guest lectures, music and language clips) and
to record lectures and discussion the classroom. Classroom
podcasts 1) facilitated student use for playback/review of
difficult material, 2) allowed multiple repetitions for students
who have difficulty with English, and 3) enabled students to review
class materials while multitasking (e.g.: commuting or
exercising). Some students were inspired to create podcasts
outside of the classroom, for example, recording interviews and
environment sounds which could then be incorporated into classroom
discussions and projects. Use of in-classroom and
out-of-classroom recordings were seen to be most helpful in music
and language courses, where there was an increase of “frequency and
depth of student interaction.” The Duke evaluation addressed
initial concerns that access to lectures outside the classroom
might have a negative impact on in-class attendance, but the
findings were inconclusive, and Duke proposed to study these
concerns over the 2005-2006 academic year.
Following upon the successes at Duke, Purdue has taken on
podcasting as well, setting up a podcast service, ”BoilerCast,” to
deliver podcasts of their lectures through an RSS subscription,
streaming audio or through direct downloads. In addition to
the benefits noted in the “Duke experiment,” Purdue points out that
podcasts can serve as the basis for classroom lecturers to listen
to and improve upon their lecture delivery.
Purdue and Drexel University have both capitalized on the
“on-demand” characteristic of podcasting by recording
frequently-needed “orientation” material to be available at
temporal and spatial point-of-need. Purdue offers a podcast
tour of the library, akin to self-guided audio tours found in
museums. In a similar vein, Drexel University has recently
introduced podcasting into their Distance Education program, using
a series of podcasts, called “e-learning minute” to orient students
to the distance-learning program in general and to orient students
to the use of online classroom tools (such as discussion
boards). It is noted that such orientation podcasts could be
useful for both the bricks-and-mortar and online learning
environments.
In July of 2005, the University of Florida started making audio
news files available to their community, including podcasting
addresses made by the president and reports on faculty research
being done at the University. In late August, The University
of Western Ontario started the “Western in 5” weekly news
podcasts. The programs are produced by Western’s Journalism
department in conjunction with the Department of Communications
& Public Affairs.
How can podcasts be useful in the University at
large?
On the large scale, Duke’s evaluation of the institutional impacts
of the iPod experiment included increased communication between
faculty, library and IT, which in turn lead to more discussion
regarding the role of instructional technology in the curriculum,
in addition to better, collaborative planning, both within the
university and with other institutions.
As seen in the various applications above, podcasts can be used
as a learning tool, an effective communication tool for the
existing university population and a draw for potential
students.
How can the libraries’ podcasts be useful to
you?
The St. John’s University Libraries have started to create podcasts
of library lectures, student service learning essay winners, an
audio tour of the Queens library, and some invited faculty and
student papers which reflect on academic life and St. John’s
experiences. These projects are aimed at enlivening academic
and student-life engagement, enriching faculty resources, and
promoting the kinds of projects that make St. John’s a unique
educational environment.
Our first podcast, a poetry
reading by Maria Mazziotti Gillan at the Queens Campus Library,
serves as a fine model for how podcasts can be part of an enriched
multimedia, asynchronous educational and cultural experience.
Gillan’s engaging poetry focuses on growing up in Patterson New
Jersey as the daughter of Italian immigrant parents. One
faculty member is incorporating the podcast into his English poetry
class, and was glad that his Staten Island students would benefit
from this Queens event. Discover New York and social science
faculty might also use this podcast as a primary resource for
immigration studies.
The Libraries look forward to continuing to support academic
programs that choose to use podcasts, and is taking a proactive
role in compiling both commercial and in-house podcasts to further
develop the “information commons.” We do so in an effort to
support faculty who would like to incorporate podcasts into their
courses right now and in order to familiarize ourselves with
podcasting technologies in anticipation of growing applications and
archiving needs. In-house podcasts, of library instruction
and extramural lectures, will be supplemented with a webpage index
to the podcast itself, and to materials (such as Powerpoint slides/
captivate videos / or other documentation) and resources referenced
during the podcast. We welcome feedback on these offerings
and look forward to collaborating with faculty on providing salient
and exciting new resources.2
If you are interested in learning more about the Libraries’
podcasting initiative, please email us at eservices@stjohns.edu.
Drexel University (2005). “Drexel’s e-Learning
Minute.” Accessible online: http://www.drexel.com/podcast/
Duke University (2005). “First Year experience evaluation
Report” (June 2005) Accessible online: http://cit.duke.edu/pdf/ipod_initiative_04_05.pdf
(See also their follow-up Podcasting Symposium held September
27-28th 2005.
http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2005/09/podcasting_dialogue.html
)
Gregoire, D. J. (2004). "How to handle getting past episodes?"
In the ipodder-dev mailing list, Thu, Sep 16 2004. Accessible
online: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ipodder-dev/message/41
Hammersley, B. (2004). "Audible revolution." The Guardian, Feb
12 2004. Accessible online:
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1145689,00.html
Read, B (2005) “Abandoning Cassette Tapes, Purdue U. Will
Podcast Lectures in Almost 50 Courses This Fall” (8/31/2005)
Chronicle of Higher Education Accessible Online, subscription
required:
University of Florida http://news.ufl.edu/audio/2005/
University of Western Ontario “Western in Five”
http://atwestern.typepad.com/wi5/
1 Ben Hammersley suggested podcast in February 12,
2004; later that year Dannie Gregoire coined the term "podcaster"
in an ipodder list-serv discussion about the use of RSS to deliver
"back episodes" in the ipodder.
2 For an example of such a set-up in the business
sector, see “For Immediate Release: the Hobson and Holtz Report,"
http://www.forimmediaterelease.biz/.