More than 80% of American students own at least one portable audio/video device that can download and play audio and video podcasts (Lonn and Teasley, 2009). Third level education in Ireland has also witnessed a significant rise in the use of podcasting – as a highly accessible and easy-to-implement technology - over the past decade (McGarr, 2009). However, the extent to which this technology is being used as a simple substitute to face-to-face learning experiences such as lectures or whether it is being used to enhance and augment the existing learner’s experience is unknown. Furthermore, the impact of audio, video, and enhanced podcasts on different parts of curriculum is still folded (Nie et al., 2010). In order to carry on this research, two large Irish and Iranian universities (University of Limerick and University of Shahid Beheshti) where podcasting and a learning management system (LMS) largely supplement traditional face-to-face classroom instruction were selected. This research identified academics who actively use podcasting in these two universities and explored their attitudes, perceptions, and rationale for the use of the technology in their teaching and how it was ultimately used by them. One-to-one semi-structured interviews have been done by those academics. Interviews continued until the data saturation achieved; and then, they were transcribed and coded using Strauss and Corbin’s (1994) analysing model. Findings highlight the implications of academics’ use of podcasting for designing an appropriate university curriculum. These implications are addressed separately for each of the four main aspects of curriculum design including curriculum aims, content, teaching methods, and assessment approaches. Reflecting on these aspects helps the academics to be aware of both positive and negative sides of their podcasting in terms of pedagogical principles. This is especially important when we understand that pedagogy is usually ignored by the different stakeholders of educational technologies including and even the teachers (Felix, 2005). It resulted in using same traditional didactic learning aims, contents, teaching methods, and assessment approaches by teachers while using new and modern learning technologies such as podcasting. If these technologies are supposed to help us to improve the quality of learning for our students, we should pay enough attention to the differences between the requirements of in-house and technology-enhanced learning environments and apply these differences in our curriculum design. The current empirical study seeks to shed light on the pedagogical side of podcasting in higher education by reviewing the impact of this technology on curriculum design. The theoretical and practical implications of findings are further discussed in the paper. Connectivism as one of the new learning theories is used to interpret the findings of the current study and explore how and why podcasting could change curriculum design in higher education.
Keywords: podcasting, higher education, curriculum design
References:
Lonn, S., & Teasley, S. D. (2009). Podcasting in higher education: What are the implications for teaching and learning?. The Internet and Higher Education, 12(2), 88-92.
McGarr, O. (2009). A review of podcasting in higher education: Its influence on the traditional lecture. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 25(3).
Nie, M., Armellini, A., Harrington, S., Barklamb, K., & Randall, R. (2010). The role of podcasting in effective curriculum renewal. ALT-J, 18(2), 105-118.
Felix, U. (2005). E-learning pedagogy in the third millennium: the need for combining social and cognitive constructivist approaches. ReCALL, 17(01), 85-100.
Topics: Innovations and design in online & blended learning , Topics: TEL Policy & Strategy
