"PODCAST" became a buzz word for the first time in 2005, refering to downloadable audio programs that can be played on iPods and similar devices. Podcasting is exerting a revolutionizing force on radio media: Nearly all major news networks now publish their feeds in podcast form, not to mention smaller networks and individuals. But podcasting has also taken the nation's colleges and universities by storm, and continues to do so in a way which threatens to undermine the integrity of traditional classroom education By making daily lectures available online, podcasts inadvertantly cause administrators and professors to reduce students' incentives to attend classes, as students are able to "attend class" at their leisure. This runs counter to the purpose of the American higher education system and forces us to acknowledge that technology does not always help us to achieve our educational goals. In fact, it can thwart our progress.
The phenomenon of university-sponsored podcasting isn't exactly a new one -- it received a great deal of attention in fall 2004, when Duke University began providing iPods to matriculating undergraduate students, touting the technology's ability to make classroom materials more accessible to students. Duke's academic schedule, course syllabi and lecture notes for many classes have been made available in digital formats which students can access with their iPods. Lectures themselves are often also recorded and published on the Internet in podcast form so that students may download and listen to them.
Recently, more and more universities have begun to make lectures available as podcasts. Apple, the creator of the iPod, has largely been responsible for this trend. For example, Apple introduced "iTunes U," which provides students and subscribing universities with access to podcasts of lectures as well as other digital media used in the classroom such as video and animation clips.
Universities are also able to make other selected content available in podcast form, such as guest lectures, sporting events and press conferences. Apple piloted iTunes U with six universities, including Duke, Drexel University's School of Education, Stanford University and the University of Michigan's School of Dentistry. The program allows administrators and faculty to limit access to content to those who are affiliated with their schools or to provide open access to the public, as Stanford has chosen to do.
While the University has not partnered with Apple through iTunes U, the podcasting frenzy has hit Charlottesville as well. Podcasts of University events dating back to January 2005 are available at www.virginia.edu/uvapodcast. As time progresses, more and more events are being digitized and posted. For example, President John T. Casteen, III's "Statement on Diversity," which he made in September at our home football game against Duke, is available for download. Numerous events hosted by the University's Miller Center for Public Affairs have also been made available. However, at this point, classroom lectures are not regularly made available to students as podcasts.
It is arguable whether podcasts of lectures are beneficial to students. On one hand, student who is not worried about feverishly scribbling down notes would presumably spend more class time critically analyzing the material presented. Professors have attempted encourage this behavior in other ways, often making lecture notes and PowerPoint slides available on the ITC Instructional Toolkit. But doing so also detracts from the classroom experience. Students may be less inclined to pay attention in class --or to show up at all -- if they know that they will be able to access the professor's notes or slides for studying purposes. Uploading podcasts of lectures exacerbates this problem. For students who are prone to skipping classes already, the availability of podcasts provides yet one more excuse for missing lectures.
Of course, we cannot overlook the benefits of podcasts for students who have legitimate reasons for missing classes -- traveling athletes and ill students, for example. Professors may be able to counteract the negative effects of the lecture podcasting by taking attendance or limiting access to podcasts at their discretion.
While lecture podcasting provides instructors with an innovative new tool, we must not carelessly pursue this novel technology without regard to the goals of classroom education, which can be best described as the active engagement of students in instructional material.
Todd Rosenbaum's column normally appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at trosenbaum@cavalierdaily.com.