A recent study seems to indicate that students “who download a podcast lecture achieve substantially higher exam results than those who attend the lecture in person.” 1 As the news article points out this doesn’t necessarily mean students can stop going to class or that professors are out of a job. There are a number of factors to consider with this study and with podcasts in general. I think this gives professors even more reason to make audio and video podcasts available to students. It provides students with another resource to reference as they are exploring a subject. It also allows faculty members the opportunity to provide more routine material in a podcast and spend the classtime to provide opportunities for active learning and open discussion.
