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Podcasting craze helpful in classroom

By Whitney Zorn

Ask any college student across the country, and they’ll tell you their least favorite part of the college experience is actually attending class. To the delight of college students everywhere, class attendance may slowly become a thing of the past with the always-evolving technology existing today.

Podcasting, a method of delivering information content to those who subscribe to a specific Podcast network, is growing in popularity and could soon be an excellent supplement, and in some cases, a potential replacement, to lecture-based courses. Some colleges, such as Duke, are using Podcasts on a trial basis in hopes that they will enrich the academic experience for students and assist them in obtaining class information.

Ohio State is also taking part in this technologically advanced method of teaching Dr. Tim Rhodus, a professor in Horticulture and Crop Science (HCS), has incorporated Podcasts into his teaching. “It’s part of my program as a faculty member,” Rhodus said. “Anyone on the Internet can access these Podcasts for free.”

Podcasting could be the next big thing as far as bringing technology into the classroom, and reaching a wider base of people. “As of 1994 we started publishing out first website, and that became a new way to communicate with people anywhere in the world,” Rhodus said. “This is still Internet based, but it’s not web browsing, it’s Podcasting. I feel that it’s an important new option.”

Since November of last year, Rhodus and his Digital Technology Team have been working with HCS Communications Coordinator Victor van Buchem to make Podcasts available for up-to-date Ohio State HCS news. “There are about two new stories every week,” Rhodus said. “So what I do is assist him in authoring these pieces and I make space available on my server for these Podcast files.”

The Podcasts made available by Rhodus and van Buchem conform to the Podcasting standard that is in place for all Podcast files. So what does this mean? Basically, it means that they are trying to make accessing information easier to you, the students.

“We endorse Apple iTunes for Podcasts, but there are other programs that are compatible,” Rhodus explains. “We offer enhanced Podcasts, which combine pictures with audio, but most of them are audio only.”

By utilizing these Podcasts as a part of the classroom, professors can make it easier for students to understand lecture information. Through making lectures Podcast accessible, students can keep a record of the lecture and listen to it repeatedly to understand points made by the lecturer. It also has the potential of affording students more flexibility in their schedules, by allowing them to listen to the Podcasts at their leisure.

With the proper approach to Podcasting, it could end up giving students the best of both worlds. “I think it’s a good idea. It would be really interesting,” said senior Elliot Lonsdale. “It may take awhile to perfect it though. It might take away from the face-to-face advantages of actually going to lecture and seeing the professor.”

Students can access these Podcasts by installing the compatible software on to their computers. Students who don’t own computers can access these Podcasts through the computers in the library.

An additional advantage that Podcasts have over class websites is that, rather than having to check for updated information, new data is sent to you as soon as it is available. “If you subscribe to our Podcast channel, you can get our new episode without having to start up your browser,” Rhodus explains. “We’re moving beyond web based sites that wait for you to come look and see if anything is new.”

With this new technological aid, students can stay on top of their classes with ease, from the comfort of their own homes (or at least the comfort of the library.) “The Podcast subscription is a way of staying up to date with information without needing access to a browser” Rhodus said.

Originally Published: July 19, 2006

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