The University of Washington has published UW Podcasting: Evaluation of Year One (PDF), a report on the University’s experiences with educational podcasting. The report found that both students and instructors find podcasts to be a useful educational tool and think that podcasting use should be expanded, especially for courses with large class sizes.

Key Findings:

• Most students (87%) listened to the podcasts on a computer rather than an MP3 player, indicating that mobility may not be the driving factor behind student use.
• Students reported using podcasts in conjunction with other online resources, such as lecture notes and PowerPoint slides.
• The majority of instructors reported little or no prior exposure to podcasting. The automatic recording model allowed instructors to use this technology with no reported difficulties.
• Students and instructors both found podcasts to be useful tools for helping students catch up when they missed class.
• Both students and instructors expressed concern that the adoption of this technology could lead to higher rates of absenteeism; however, the availability of podcasts had no impact on most students’ attendance.
• Both students and instructors indicated that podcasting should be incorporated in courses with 100 or more students.

According to report author Cara Lane, “The UW is not only an early adopter of podcasting, but also a pioneer in early efforts to gather student data and evaluate the current use and future potential of this new educational technology.”

During the 2005/6 academic year, the University of Washington piloted podcasting in several large lecture-courses on the Seattle campus. The pilot began with a few courses, and expanded to reach 20 courses in 12 different facilities by spring 2006. As of September 26, 2006, Classroom Support Services had recorded 45,823 downloads of course podcasts.

The University is planning to expand its use of podcasts.

via David Aldrich