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Using podcasts and tablet PCs in Computer Science
Abstract
This experiment involved our software engineering course that is required for students majoring in Computer Science; however our experiences are applicable to most computer science courses. The Fall 2005 course was taught based on slide presentations during class and work on the course project outside of class. We inverted this arrangement during the Spring 2006 course: lectures were delivered as video podcasts outside class while class time was spent working on the course project and problem solving using Tablet PCs. The same textbook and slide presentations were used; exams were almost identical and the projects were similar. We discuss the conversion of an entire semester's worth of lectures into 65 video podcasts. About 30% of each podcast includes live video of students interacting with the instructor. We also discuss use of Tablet PCs during the class sessions. The students in both semesters had equivalent performance on exams, but the project grades in the Spring semester were substantially higher resulting in higher overall grades. We conclude with a description of our current efforts using podcasts and tablet PCs in a data structures course. This work was supported partially by NSF grant DUE 0341506 [10].
... Additionally, students believe that repetition, review and the ability to scan through lecture content are useful practices (Maag, 2006). Kutz, Fenwick and Ellsworth (2007) highlight a significant increase in final project grades of their students when using webcasts. Moreover, Evans (2008) claims that students are more receptive to learning material provided in the form of a webcast than a traditional lecture or textbook and that students believe that webcasts are more effective revision tools than textbooks, and more efficient than their own notes in helping them to learn. ...
... EE is the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system will be free of effort. In addition, EE of any system is mainly facilitated by having reliable technical and administrative support and infrastructure (Khan, 2001). Information system researchers have found that EE has a positive effect on the BI to use video systems (Jung, Perez-Mira & Wiley-Patton, 2009). ...
... EE is the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system will be free of effort. In addition, EE of any system is mainly facilitated by having reliable technical and administrative support and infrastructure ( Khan, 2001). Information system researchers have found that EE has a positive effect on the BI to use video systems ( Jung, Perez-Mira & Wiley-Patton, 2009). ...
Educational webcasts have enhanced the value of training procedures in institutions and business organizations. In this study, variables from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, Social Cognitive Theory and Theory of Planed Behavior were chosen as important predictors of e-Learning tools acceptance. This hybrid framework aims to verify the effect of the selected key variables on webcast acceptance. Moreover, the effect of experience on learners' intention to adopt webcasts is explored, as well as the moderating effect of experience on the relationships between the selected key variables and the intention to adopt webcasts. Responses from 248 webcast-based learners were used to examine webcasts' adoption and the differences between learners with low and high levels of webcast usage experience. Results confirmed the effects of the key variables and experience on learners' intention to use webcasts and indicated the moderating effect of learners' experience on the relationships between (1) Perceived Behavioral Control and Behavioral Intention and (2) Social Norm and Behavioral Intention. The overall outcomes are expected to contribute to theoretical development and promote the acceptance of educational webcasts.
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... Results from this study and several others indicate that students rarely install or access podcasts on their portable media players, making educators concerns regarding appropriate podcast format for portable media players unfounded. (Copley 2007;Fose and Mehl 2007;Kurtz, Fenwick et al. 2007;Nataatmadja and Dyson 2008). Even when iPods were provided to students specifically for the purpose of viewing podcasts, students eschewed them in favor of their PCs (Kurtz, Fenwick et al. 2007). ...
... (Copley 2007;Fose and Mehl 2007;Kurtz, Fenwick et al. 2007;Nataatmadja and Dyson 2008). Even when iPods were provided to students specifically for the purpose of viewing podcasts, students eschewed them in favor of their PCs (Kurtz, Fenwick et al. 2007). ...
... When podcasts are made available before lecture, and students are encouraged to use them, more time in lecture can be devoted to student inquiry and discussion (Kurtz, Fenwick et al. 2007). Podcast creators are still operating under the assumption that students are accessing podcasts via their portable medial player, which lacks the functionality to incorporate a two-way exchange of information into the podcast. ...
The search for instructional tools that help engage students with the concepts taught in introductory biology courses has led to the untested adoption of many technological solutions. Podcasting can be used as an instructional technology that allows students access to course information at a time and place of the students' choosing. Because students choose when to use podcasts, students should be more receptive to the information. While several cognitive theories support the proposed benefits of podcasting as an instructional tool, to date no studies have examined the effect of podcast use on student performance in a naturalistic, semester-long, class setting. This study examined whether students who used course-related podcasts had a greater understanding of biological concepts as measured by higher percent gain scores on exams, compared to percent gain scores from students who had not used podcasts. Current research in cognitive theory was used when developing the four podcast types for this study: complete audio, complete video, segmented audio, and conversational audio. Students enrolled in a mixed-majors biology course were tracked with a computer program that recorded student podcast subscription, exam responses, and information regarding student study habits and attitudes toward podcasting. Although different podcasting strategies were used, none were found to have had a significant effect on student percent gain scores when compared to a control group. However, student attitude toward podcasting remained very positive and significant findings regarding the study habits of podcast users were reported. Future research in the area of podcast use was recommended.
... We observed researchers that were skeptical about the utility of podcasting based on their results. For example, the quantitative and qualitative analyses of Cann Podcasting involves a massive decline in students' on-campus class attendance Read (2005) The main use of podcasting by students is to review the most important parts of on-campus sessions Smith et al. (2005) The benefit of podcasts is only significant when students are involved in their creation Brittain et al. (2006) Podcasts are a better tool for course content review, not for first-time study, than are textbooks Abt and Barry (2007) The use of podcasting provides little quantitative benefit over more traditional materials; however, podcasting can be useful in the development of generic skills if students are involved in its development Brown and Green (2007) Students mainly listen to podcasts through their computers or laptops Cann (2007) Podcasting is not popular enough among students; therefore, its benefit is not significant Deal (2007) Podcasts based on the dissemination of on-campus classes do not have significant utility for students Fernandez (2007) Podcasting involves a massive decrease in on-campus attendance by students Students always download podcasts immediately before examinations instead of doing so periodically throughout the course Kurtz et al. (2007) The use of podcasting can improve students' results on final projects Malan (2007) Students are enthusiastic regarding the use of podcasting; however, the use of podcasts by enrolled students provides little benefit in the learning process but becomes significant for those who cannot attend class or are not enrolled Stolen (2007) Podcasting offers the option to learn when students have the time and ability to do so Evans (2008) Students are more receptive to podcasts than to more traditional materials, such as textbooks Carle et al. (2009) The use of podcasting for storing and distributing class discussions improves the feedback that they receive Fernandez et al. (2009) The combination of different kinds of teaching materials (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic materials) allows students to improve and enhance their learning process The use of podcasts increases the sense of proximity between teachers and students, increasing students' motivation Lazarri (2009) The benefit of podcast use is only significant when students are involved in its creation Podcasts based on the dissemination of on-campus sessions have residual value The results of podcasting are different when applied to full-time and part-time students (continued) (2007) showed that podcasting is not sufficiently widespread among the majority of students; for this reason, it has not become popular among them, and they may reject it. The results of Deal (2007) also showed that podcasts based merely on the spread of attendance sessions do not demonstrate a significant utility in the learning process. ...
... This increase has been accompanied and justified by the results obtained by a large quantity of scientific research on the subject. For example, Kurtz, Fenwick, and Ellsworth (2007) observed higher scores in their students' final projects after the use of podcasting. Lazzari (2009) found that full-time students' involvement in the development of podcast lessons effectively improved their learning experiences. ...
Podcasting has become a major phenomenon within both our society and our educational system, as is evidenced by the large quantity of scientific publications on the topic. However, the study of podcasting in higher education remains in its initial phase of study. The results of research on podcasting are notably diverse and are even occasionally contradictory. Thus, this chapter performs a thorough review of the literature with the objective of developing a podcasting model that can establish the necessary guidelines for the study of podcasting. This model is key to defining control variables for sharing and incorporating research results on podcasting. Finally, the chapter proposes a list of future lines of podcasting research based on the literature review and the proposed model for creating podcasts.
... Another example is a study made by Kurtz et al. in 2007, where lectures for a course in computer science were transformed into 20 lecture podcasts. Compared to last semester, the grades given in the course only differed 1% -adding only 1% extra value (Kurtz et al., 2007). ...
... Another example is a study made by Kurtz et al. in 2007, where lectures for a course in computer science were transformed into 20 lecture podcasts. Compared to last semester, the grades given in the course only differed 1% -adding only 1% extra value (Kurtz et al., 2007). ...
... Using digital technology to time-shift lecture outside of the classroom and using the classroom more for discussion, demonstration and group work activities has been termed the inverted classroom [12]. In fact, shifting lectures outside of the classroom has created an opening for experimentation of teaching practices during the face-to-face sessions in a course's term [20,28]. Many studies early on focused on time shifting as the primary potential advantage of using lecture podcasting. ...
... • Lecture podcasting for redundancy, in case a student misses class or voluntarily chooses not to attend [24]. • Lecture podcasting to invert the classroom, to time-shift lecture outside of class time and bring homework inside the class time [20]. • Lecture podcasting to hybridize the classroom, blending technology into the class and lecture activities [28]. ...
This paper presents an overview of a study of educational podcasting in higher education. This research aims to remedy pedagogical deficiencies in lecture podcasting by structuring content with chapter features designed to facilitate active learning behaviors. Also as mobile media players are quickly becoming ubiquitous, so is media multitasking. However, media multitasking, the processing of multiple information streams, presents challenges for human cognition. This study further investigated relationships in the usage of the chapter features through multitasking preferences and aspects of psychological flow. The study revealed that students used the chapter features as a supporting resource in their lecture study strategies for selection and review behaviors and also to support both their multitasking and flow behavioral preferences. The theory driven method and instrument developed to conduct this research can facilitate future studies.
... This finding is in agreement with earlier findings of Crippen and Earl (2004) and Alpay and Gulati (2010) that reported the significant gains in the learners understanding when they are exposed to Podcasts. Furthermore, this finding supports outcome of the studies of Kurtz, Fenwick, and Ellsworth (2007) that confirmed great significant improvement of learners used podcasts for learning, and also Ho, Chou and O'Neill (2010) whose findings reported the performances of students which had significantly impact on learning with the podcast. ...
The podcast is an e-learning technology which came into existence as result of digital age, to dissimilates information but it has evolved to become as powerful media of instruction globally. Despite its usefulness and relevance to the educational context, the awareness and utilise in aiding learning have not been established. Therefore, the study examined the effectiveness of Podcast and Lecture strategies on the undergraduate students of fine arts. The study also looked into how moderating variables of gender and attitude have the influence on fine arts when Podcasts is used as an instructional strategy. Purposive Sampling Technique was employed to select two study centres of University of Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. 40 undergraduate from two intact classes to Podcasts and lecture instructional group. Podcast and Fine Arts Achievement Test (FAAT) were used as treatment while t-test statistics were used for data analysis. Findings indicated that undergraduate students taught fine arts using podcast performed better and students exposed to Podcasts learning strategy had a positive attitude to fine arts. However, students' gender had no influence on their performance. Based on the findings, it was recommended that fine arts lecturers should be encouraged to use Podcasts to improve students' cognitive and affective earning outcomes of fine arts.
... With the current use of tablet PCs within the classroom context, researchers have recently examined the effectiveness of tablet PCs in facilitating the learning process. Several studies (Ambikairajah, Epps, Sheng, Celler & Chen 2005;Anderson, Schwager & Kerns 2006;Anderson et al. 2004;Corlett & Sharples 2005;Kurtz et al. 2007;Rogers & Cox 2008) have reported that by using tablet PCs in the classroom, students can effectively interact, collaborate, and share information through the allocation of function between the user and system interface. ...
The use of tablet PCs in education enhances the learning process of students. However, the main components of the human–machine system, such as the user characteristics, task analysis, environments and tools (tablet PC specifications) of non-English tablet PC applications have received little attention. This article proposes a conceptual framework of user-centred design for tablet PCs. The user interface design will be improved through simplified user-centred design solutions. By applying this concept, novice designers and developers can better understand the essential components of the user-interface design process. This is illustrated with Arabic language as a case study.
... Another use of podcasts is as a supplemental resource (Huntsberger & Stavitsky, 2007) to support textbook materials and to engage learners (Edirisingha & Salmon, 2007). Kurtz, Fenwick and Ellsworth (2007) reported that learners, who received podcast lectures as a tool to review lessons, outperformed those who just took the ordinary classroom lessons. McKinney, Dyck, and Luber (2009) conducted an experimental study in which the control group of the students was given PowerPoint slides of their class lectures, and the experimental group received the podcast lectures and the PowerPoint slides of the same lectures. ...
The purpose of the present study was to determine whether giving English as a foreign language learners podcast lectures in addition to the traditional lectures help them to enhance their English language writing, and to explore and discover useful information regarding the adoption of podcasting as a learning or training tool in order to better understand and improve learning and teaching methods. This study was conducted with fifty five level two male students at the scientific section of the Preparatory Year in King Saud University. They were assigned into the experimental and control group randomly. The experimental group listened to podcast lectures as well as the in-class traditional lessons. Meanwhile, the control one was given traditional classroom lessons only. To assess the performances in the pre-and post-tests, analytic scoring rubric was used. To answer the research's questions, a within group two paired samples t-test was computed. In addition, a survey questionnaire was administered to the podcasting group to explore their attitudes towards using podcast instruction to improve writing ability. The results showed that the students in the experimental group scored significantly higher than the control group. There was a significant decrease in spelling, punctuation and capitalization errors. Questionnaire's results reported that EFL learners in the experimental group mostly conveyed positive attitudes. The current study recommended that EFL learners need to be familiarized and trained with the use of podcasting technology in language learning in order to get better gains. EFL teachers are suggested to integrate podcasting lectures into their EFL writing teaching.
... As Traphagan et al. states (2009), webcasts or podcasts are mostly used in higher education as broadcasting lectures, delivering recordings of in-class lectures, guest lecturers and as supplementary video learning materials for self-study. Some studies have underlined that webcasting and podcasting use in higher education can develop cognitive understanding through motivation and engagement (Oliver, 2005) and information processing (Hargis and Wilson, 2005), but only a limited amount of research highlights the connection between students" transversal skills promotion and webcasting use; therefore, part of them refers only to student attitude and student behaviour (Kurtz et al., 2007;Giannakos and Vlamos, 2013). ...
The present contribution describes the results of a research carried out at the Laboratory of Experimental Research - Department of Education, Roma TRE University. Main aim of the research is to assess if it possible to increase critical thinking skills in university students, through meaningful online cultural insights in general and webcasting in particular. Students in Education attended part of the course “Methodology of Research” online, through a webcasting activity: cultural insights, guided discussions, videos, built on structured models, prompted reasoning, elaboration of ideas and knowledge connections. Students had the possibility to deepen knowledge and abilities linked to the themes of the course, but also to develop argumentation skill, communication and critical evaluation skill. The data analysis presented in this report were developed along the double diachronic and synchronic dimensions; the evolution of critical thinking skills has been verified by the lexicon-metric analyses of written production.
... Higher effect of learning with audio and video materials, which surpasses traditional learning and which has been attributed to the opportunity to control its course was confirmed by the research by Maag [6] and Kurtz, Fenwick, Ellsworth [7]. Similar or even higher results -in comparison to direct teaching -are offered also by cognitive theory of multimedia education. ...
In the recent 20 years, the information and communication technologies (ICT) have seen a significant progress and they have become an integral part of everyday life. ICTs also influence the education, which is trying to comply with the needs of current times and to differentiate itself from the standards of the last decades. Many of these changes lead to questions concerning the concepts and foundations of the educational process and its further heading.
Modern technologies – in combination with the changes in socioeconomic sphere of the potential students – are opening space for implementation of new or innovated forms of education. Distant studies, which emerged as reaction to the needs of the students and in connection with the requirements of today's society, are coming to the fore. Distance studies is a very effective and variable model where it is possible to apply both traditional and interactive or electronic sources of information, generally known as e-learning.
Apart from study supports, which are primarily text based, there emerge also audiovisual study supports. Audiovisual study supports are those, which use audio or video materials for distribution of educational content. These materials differ not only in function and technology but also in didactical aspects.
This paper contains an analysis of available primary and secondary resources, which deal with audiovisual study supports. In detail, it focuses on their functional technological and didactic aspects, which make them different form commonly used text based study supports. Besides the theoretical part, the paper also includes a concept of classification of audiovisual study supports together with a detailed specification of individual categories and suitability of their application. This classification (scheme) is also a convenient tool for effective planning and creation of educational materials.
... For example, (Ambikairajah, Epps, Sheng, Celler, & Chen, 2005; J. E. Anderson, Schwager, & Kerns, 2006;R. Anderson et al., 2004;Corlett & Sharples, 2005;Kurtz, Fenwick Jr, & Ellsworth, 2007;Rogers & Cox, 2008) had reported the usage of tablet PC in learning environments, and they justified the importance to create a way for students to interact, collaborate and share information effectively based on allocation of functions between user and system interface. Numerous studies (Iyengar & Lepper, 2000;Petrides et al., 2013;Trewin, 2004) shows that user rarely changes their preference when they are provided a chance to change their preferences. ...
This paper contributes to presenting an adaptive user interface (UI) architecture for educational tablet PCs that enables users to automatically customize their UI preferences. A combination of two different demographic characteristics of users, age and gender, is considered, with UI preferences based on users' actions. It is hoped that this work will contribute to the reduction of user frustration and increase user satisfaction.
... Desse modo, mostra-se promissor o uso de podcasts complementando os materias tradicionais. [Kurtz et al. 2007] utilizaram podcasts em vídeo com estudantes da disciplina de Engenharia de Software de um curso de graduação em Ciência da Computação. Os au-tores produziram podcasts correspondentes ao conteúdo da disciplina e trabalharam na forma de sala de aula invertida, ou seja, os estudantes assistiam os podcasts antes das aulas e resolviam problemas durante as aulas. ...
Este artigo discorre sobre o desenvolvimento de um conjunto de episodios de podcasts sobre algoritmos, denominado Algoritmo Podcast, que e um material didatico cuja finalidade e servir de material suplementar a essa disciplina. A serie produzida foi apresentada para uma turma de estudantes de graduacao em Computacao durante um semestre. Entre os resultados obtidos, apesar de poucos estudantes conhecerem podcasts no inicio do semestre, apos ouvir a serie, a maioria deles avaliou que os podcasts sao uteis para aprendizagem de algoritmos.
... Desse modo, mostra-se promissor o uso de podcasts complementando os materias tradicionais. [Kurtz et al. 2007] utilizaram podcasts em vídeo com estudantes da disciplina de Engenharia de Software de um curso de graduação em Ciência da Computação. Os autores produziram podcasts correspondentes ao conteúdo da disciplina e trabalharam na forma de sala de aula invertida, ou seja, os estudantes assistiam os podcasts antes das aulas e resolviam problemas durante as aulas. ...
Podcasts sao arquivos de audio ou video distribuidos pela Internet, que representam uma tecnologia movel recente que tem ganhado a audiencia dos jovens. Nesse contexto, a utilizacao de podcasts na educacao vem sendo explorada como mais uma forma de mediar a aprendizagem a qualquer tempo e lugar. Neste artigo, propoe-se o desenvolvimento de uma serie educacional de podcasts para ser utilizada por estudantes de graduacao em Computacao. Apos ouvir a serie, a maioria dos estudantes avaliou os podcasts como instrumentos uteis para aprendizagem do conteudo proposto.
... Other than evaluating student reaction and behavior, some researchers want to test whether or not presentation systems can actually improve students' performance in the Another study was done by Kurtz using Classroom Presenter as well [32]. In fall 2005, students were taught using traditional learning methods. ...
Learning in the classroom can occur as a combination of students' personal effort to study class material, the instructor's attempt to present class material, and the interaction that takes place between instructor and students. In a more traditional setting, instructors can lecture by writing notes on a chalkboard or a whiteboard. If instructors want to display prepared lecture slides, they can use the overhead projector and write additional notes on top of these overhead transparencies. With many technological advances, various researchers are advocating towards integration between technology and learning. With the advent of tablet PCs, researchers recognize the potential usefulness of its functions within the classroom. Not only can electronic materials be presented via the computer, tablet PCs allow instructors to handwrite notes on top of the slides, mimicking manual devices such as the overhead.
Even though the use of tablet PCs can be advantageous to instructors and students, no research found so far has focused on the issue of how well tablet PC features address varying learning styles of students (e.g. visually oriented vs. text-based learning). According to Felder, "understanding learning style differences is thus an important step in designing balanced instruction that is effective for all students” [22]. Hence, this research explores the correlation between tablet-based presentation systems and learning styles by taking two approaches: performing a pilot study and distributing a survey. The results from these approaches are evaluated to yield statistically significant conclusions on how well tablet-based presentation systems encompass the different learning needs of student.
... Delegar a los estudiantes la responsabilidad de revisar las exposiciones del profesor grabadas en los video-tutoriales genera mayor interacción en el salón de clase entre los estudiantes y entre el profesor y estudiantes [10]. Esto implica, que es factible que el tiempo de aula y laboratorio puede ser utilizado para que los estudiantes trabajen en equipo en el desarrollo de asignaciones complejas o proyectos, así como también que los estudiantes cuenten con el soporte inmediato del profesor ante cualquier duda o problema. ...
Este reporte de investigación tiene como propósito exponer la experiencia de los autores en su objetivo de incorporar el uso de video-tutoriales en un curso experimental del lenguaje de programación Java®. Se mencionan además, algunas opiniones y recomendaciones de los estudiantes participantes en el curso con la finalidad de mejorarlo en su ofrecimiento futuro. El curso fue impartido a un grupo de estudiantes del Programa Educativo de Informática de la Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit. El diseño del mismo se basó en delegar al estudiante la revisión del contenido temático del programa de estudios fuera del horario establecido para la clase en aula, en el trabajo en equipo para desarrollar los trabajos asignados, y en la tutoría que el profesor brindó a los estudiantes en el tiempo establecido para la clase en el aula y laboratorio de prácticas.
... Many studies which have been conducted around the world have confirmed the positive effect of visual and auditory files on language learning and teaching (Kurtz, Fenwick & Ellsworth, 2011;Ractham& Zhang, 2010). To the best of the researchers' knowledge, no study in the context of Iran has implemented a visual and auditory program course at the university level in order to examine the effectiveness of podcasts versus transcript files of the same podcasts on EFL language comprehension. ...
The present study aims at investigating the influence of podcasts (POD) on language comprehension of Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners. An Oxford Placement Test (OPT) was administered to 60 male and female university students. The participants were considered as pre-intermediate learners and were divided into two groups (one experimental group and one control group). During the fifteen sessions of the treatment, thirty podcasts were presented to the two groups. The experimental group received just the audio file of the POD, and the control group received a different treatment which was the transcript file of the same audio podcast file of the experimental group. The results of the t-tests revealed that there was no significant difference in language comprehension scores across the posttest between two groups. Based on the interview results after the post-test, all of the participants (100%) agreed that both audio and the transcripts (written texts) were useful for them and claimed that it is a good method of improving language comprehension.
... Due to importance of science which is difficult even from primary school, mastery in science vocabulary can enhance students understanding of the concepts in their science book if teachers can localize the meaning and the concept of the words for students. According to science structure which is project-based class and need more time for discussion and do experimental test, podcasting can be effective teaching aid (Kurtz et al., 2007). Some studies show that using podcast can enhance students' science vocabulary. ...
Although using technology tools is not new trend in education, still unavailability of some IT infrastructures may led to less use of educational tools and rollback to traditional teaching style. On the other hand access to cheap technology devices and internet provided a better chance for teachers and students to have wider access to educational resources. However podcasting is not a new brand technology but it has a potential to enhance teaching and learning process. This paper prepared an overview report of previous studies conducted on using podcast in learning and investigated challenges and difficulties of using podcast in teaching and learning science vocabulary among Iranian primary students.
... Learning performance is usually measured by results (grades or points) at the end of the semester or by the results of a test outcomes (grades or points) or the result of assignments given specially. In discussing the results distinction must be made between videos replacing the live presentation (Kurtz et al. 2007;Giannakos and Vlamos 2013;Yunus et al. 2006;Zhang et al. 2006;Figlio et al. 2010) and videos used complementary to it (Traphagan et al. 2010;DeVaney 2009;Wieling and Hofman 2010;Ross and Bell 2007;Williams et al. 2012;Veronikas and Maushak 2005;Day and Foley 2006;von Konsky et al. 2009;Chiu et al. 2006). Research results tend to suggest that if the video-recorded presentation is used complementary to the live presentation, it has a positive effect on students' performance (Traphagan et al. 2010;Wieling and Hofman 2010;Williams et al. 2012), while using it to replace the live presentation does not significantly improve educational results. ...
Using online video presentations is increasingly gaining ground in higher education. Our present paper discusses the initial results of a longer research project and investigates the effect that the availability of online videos introduced to complement live presentations has on learning performance. The quasi-experimental research covered each college year and each course of the college including the business faculty. Results have shown that the availability of online videos resulted in significant improvement in semester grades and it contributed to reducing dropout rates.
... Det kan dreje sig om enkelte timer ud af et laengere forløb, hvor visuel praesentation spiller en vaesentlig rolle (McKinney & Page, 2009). Det kan have form af kompakte praesentationer af grundlaeggende facts, teorier og metoder, der forudsaettes kendt, inden timerne i klassevaerelset, hvor der så bliver mere tid til diskussion og eksemplifikation (Smith & Fidge, 2008) eller på øvelser (Kurtz et al., 2007). Der kan vaere tale om en systematisk realisering af en "inverted classroom model" (det spejlvendte klassevaerelse), hvor al pensum-gennemgang har form af podcasts (Gannod et al., 2008). ...
I disse år investerer de videregående uddannelser ganske mange ressourcer i at understøtte undervisningen med audio‐ og videooptagelser. Især podcasting er i vælten, og det er en almindelig antagelse både på læreanstalterne og i den offentlige debat, at podcasting er til gavn for de studerende. Men hvor meget er forventninger, og hvor meget er hårde kendsgerninger? Det søger denne artikel at give et indtryk af på baggrund af et bredt udvalg af den videnskabelige litteratur, som beskætiger sig med målinger af virkningen af at inddrage podcasting i undervisningen. Artiklen ser påde studerendes generelle oplevelse af at have at have lyd‐ og videooptagelser til rådighed; på målinger af de studerendes resultater ved prøver; samt på nogle af de konsekvenser, som podcasting kan have for tilrettelægelsen af undervisningen.
... Simultaneously, social media platforms have provided interactivity promoting collaborative online learning. This accessibility is further enhanced with the use of tablet PCs [Kurtz et al. 2007]. ...
Computer science (CS) and its enabling technologies are at the heart of this information age, yet its adoption as a core subject by senior secondary students in Indian schools is low and has not reached critical mass. Though there have been efforts to create core curriculum standards for subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Math, CS seems to have been kept outside the purview of such efforts leading to its marginalization. As a first step, using the Darmstadt model from the ITiCSE working group that provides a systematic categorization approach to CS education in schools, we coded and analyzed the CS situation for the Indian schools. Next, we focused on the motivation category of the Darmstadt model and investigated behavioral intentions of secondary school students and teachers from 332 schools in India. Considering the CS subject as an educational innovation, using Rogers’ Theory of Diffusion of Innovations, we propose a pedagogical framework for innovation attributes that can significantly predict-adoption of the CS subject among potential-adopter students and teachers. Data was analyzed to answer research questions about student and teacher intentions, influence of gender, school management, and school location in adopting CS. Interestingly, girls, urban students, teachers, and private schools were seen favoring the adoption of CS. An important issue that needed to be addressed, however, was the interchangeable use of terms like CS, Informatics, ICT, and digital literacy. Through our article, we offer a promising picture of the educational policy directives and the academic environment in India that is rapidly growing and embracing CS as a core subject of study in schools. We also analyze the factors that influence the adoption of CS by school students and teachers and conclude that there is a very positive response for CS among educators and students in India.
... Podcasting and vodcasting to BSc Geography students not own the necessary technology (e.g. personal MP3 players, mobile video players; see Kurtz et al., 2007 for similar results). Of the students who reported the use of mobile MP3 players, many had chosen not to take advantage of the potential for learning on the move, with the podcast and vodcast resources predominantly being used only at home or at university as part of study (Figure 3). ...
The development and spread of second-generation internet technologies has led to a rapid increase in the number of lectures being recorded and podcast (audio cast) or vodcast (video cast) to students. This study discusses a podcast and vodcast trial delivered to Level 3 BSc Geography students at the University of Leeds during 2007/08 and 2008/09 to ascertain the value of the process for learning. The majority of students reported using podcasts and vodcasts whilst sat at computers either at home or at university. Students reported several perceived benefits from podcasts including their use as a revision aid and a tendency towards more reading of the literature. Students were fully supportive of the podcasting experience and suggested useful ideas for improvements for future podcasting initiatives.
... However, the results of experimental studies on the effectiveness of podcasts are varied. Kurtz, Fenwick, and Ellsworth (2007) found a significant improvement in the final project grades of those students who used podcasts. By contrast, some researchers found a similar effect on student learning when using other review materials and did not find that the use of podcasts had a significant effect in enhancing student grades (Copley 2007;Lazzari, 2009). ...
Podcasting is now being used frequently in the higher education sector. Although research has been conducted into the use of podcasting in teaching business, engineering, sciences and languages, little has been done on its use in arts learning. This paper reports on a study that investigated the effectiveness of using podcasts to learn music and visual arts in a teacher-education institution. A total of 128 Year-One to Year-Four students completed a survey and 24 students attended focus-group interviews and gave their feedback on the effectiveness of using podcasts in learning. Generally speaking, the students found the podcasts useful and viewed podcasting as a method which could be used to supplement faceto- face teaching. Results of the study indicated that demonstration of procedures or skills was the most effective type of podcast while reproduction of lecture materials was the least effective. The students suggested that the teachers needed to increase the relevance of the podcast content to what was taught during lessons. The paper concludes with a discussion of the production of effective podcasts and directions for future studies.
... In addition, students believe (Maag, 2006) that repetitive review and the ability to scan through lecture content are useful practices. Kutz, Fenwick and Ellsworth (2007) highlight a significant increase in final project grades of their students when using webcasts. Moreover, Evans (2008) claims that students are more receptive to learning material provided in the form of a webcast than a traditional lecture or textbook and that students believe that webcasts are more effective revision tools than the typical book and than their own notes in helping them to study. ...
Educational webcasts are nowadays widely used by many organizations and institutions all over the world. However, the educational effectiveness of webcasts when used as an autonomous method is yet to be explored. In this paper, the clarification of certain issues concerning their educational effectiveness is attempted. Following specific instructions, an educational webcast was developed, and then a between group evaluation experiment was conducted. The experiment compared traditional learning and an educational webcast. A total of 66 gymnasium (middle school) students were placed in two groups based on a pretest method. The results of the evaluation showed that educational webcasts can be very effective on certain conditions. On the one hand, the educational effectiveness of the webcast was particularly high when applied to tasks that required simple comprehension. On the other hand, the webcast had poor performance in the consolidation of complex tasks.
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... Similar studies report that students believed that podcasts improved their grade (Brittain et al., 2006; McKinney and Page, 2009) but few studies have measured assessment performance in response to podcast implementation. In one study, students who received podcast lectures had higher overall grades than those from a previous cohort who received traditional lectures (Kurtz, Fenwick and Elllsworth, 2007). However, enhanced podcasts did not produce a significant difference in examination scores when compared to the traditional lecture format of the same content (Ogawa and Nickles, 2007). ...
Recent technologies, such as podcasts, have expanded the options available to educators on how information is delivered and on how student engagement is fostered. This increase in pedagogical options may be particularly relevant to the teaching of biomedical science to allied health students as these students typically have large variations in their prerequisite discipline knowledge and in their engagement with basic anatomy and physiology. Podcasting has been shown to increase student engagement and satisfaction scores, but few studies have objectively measured the effect of podcasting on student performance. Podcasting was introduced to a cohort of 215 students enrolled in Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Sports and Exercise Science degree programs at James Cook University, Australia and assessment performance was compared to the previous year in which podcasting was not available. Analysis revealed that 95% of enrolled students accessed the available podcasts during the teaching period. Clear peaks in podcast access rates occurred prior to assessment pieces, strongly suggesting the use of podcasts for revision purposes. 64% of students believed that the availability of podcasts increased their learning either moderately or greatly, although this perception was not supported by assessment performance, where there was no significant difference between students who accessed podcasts and those that did not. Additionally, there was no significant difference in mean assessment performance between the study cohort of students with access to podcasts and those in the previous enrolment year (without podcasts). This study demonstrated that while podcasting increased student satisfaction, perception of learning and flexibility it did not directly increase grade performance during intra-semester or summative assessment items.
... There has been a variety of conflicting evidence with respect to whether the use of lecture capture technologies affects academic performance. In a broad survey of the area, Heilesen (2010) cites a number studies that show no effect on performance (Abt and Barry, 2007;Baker et al., 2008;Hodges et al., 2008) as well as a number that show a positive effect (up to 9.5%) depending on the kind of evaluation being given (Carle et al., 2009;Kurtz et al., 2007;McCombs and Liu, 2007;McKinney et al., 2009;Smith and Fidge, 2008). Heilesen ends his survey considering the lack of consensus of the efficacy of lecture capture (which he refers to as podcasting) with an insightful point: ...
The literature is mixed as to whether the addition of lecture capture technologies provide for better student success. In this work, we consider not just the broad effect of lecture capture technology on academic achievement between cohorts, but whether this effect is related to patterns of viewership among learners. At the centre of our interest is determining whether there are strategies learners take in their reviewing of content week-to-week that may result in better achievement. To investigate this, we describe a method for modelling learners based on their interactions with lecture capture systems. Unlike investigations done by others, our models emerge from the activities of the learners themselves, and are based on the results of applying unsupervised machine learning (clustering) techniques to student viewership data. These models describe five different classifications of learner interactions, and we show that one of these is positively correlated with academic achievement. We further validate our results through repeated experimentation, and describe how such models might be used by early-alert systems.
... The most commonly reported use of podcasting has been to increase students' preparedness and readiness for exams and to complete assignments (Copley, 2007;Evans, 2008). Kurtz, Fenwick and Ellsworth (2007) report that students who received podcasts of classroom lectures for review received higher course grades than students who only listened to class lectures while in their classrooms. While these are useful benefits, additional benefits may be provided as a result of other, more innovative, uses of podcasting technology. ...
Integrating Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) technology (personal multimedia players, cell phones, and handheld devices) into the foreign language curriculum is becoming commonplace in many secondary and higher education institutions. Current research has identified both pedagogically sound applications and important benefits to students. In this paper, we present the results of an initial study which compares the academic benefits of integrating podcasts into the curriculum against using them as a supplemental/review tool. The study’s findings indicate that when instructors use podcasts for multiple instructional purposes (e.g., to critique student projects and exams, for student video presentations, for student paired interviews, to complete specific assignments, dictations, in roundtable discussions, or for guest lectures), students are more likely to use this technology and to report academic benefits. While the study is limited by small sample sizes and by some within-group variation in instructional techniques, the study provides initial evidence that podcast technology has the potential to provide greater benefits if it is used more than simply as a tool for reviewing. The study’s positive findings indicate that additional research to examine the effects of specific instructional uses of podcast technology is merited.
... It can especially enhance the learning experience in demanding hands-on educational environments such as in medicine (Boulos et al, 2006). Although such podcasting uses are closer to traditional passive learning and web paradigms, they can free class time to be used for problem-solving, project sessions and other active learning activities (Kurtz et al, 2007). An example of using podcasting to support collaborative and active learning can be found in the initiative of the Duke University, where podcasts are created both by teachers and students, covering not only formal educational material, but discussions as well as feedback comments on assignments etc. (Belanger, 2005). ...
In recent years, advances in information and communication technology and especially the Internet have acted as catalysts for significant developments in the sector of health care, having a strong impact in supporting medical diagnosis, enabling efficient and effective patient and healthcare management and reforming medical education. There is currently an international trend to involve computers and the Internet heavily in medical curricula, in continuing life-long medical learning, as well as in general health education of the public. However, effective technology-supported interventions are usually created when there is a successful alignment of the specific requirements with the potential end use of technology. And it is just such a juncture we are currently facing with the emergent paradigm of Web 2.0. This chapter elaborates on the potential of Web 2.0 for active and, potentially, effective learning in medicine and in health and reviews current practices and trends in the field. The discussion focuses on research directions and emerging applications that fully exploit the potential of Web 2.0 for advancing medical education. Finally, the envisaged merit of merging with Web 3.0 technologies is also discussed.
... It can especially enhance the learning experience in demanding hands-on educational environments such as in medicine as suggested by Boulos, Maramba, and Wheeler (2006). Although such podcasting uses are closer to traditional passive learning and web paradigms, they can free class time to be used for problem-solving, project sessions and other active learning activities (Kurtz et al, 2007). An example of using podcasting to support collaborative and active learning can be found in the initiative of the Duke University, where podcasts are created both by teachers and students, covering not only formal educational material, but discussions as well as feedback comments on assignments, etc. (Belanger, 2005). ...
The evolving shift from 'teaching' to 'learning' in contemporary education is strongly related to an increasing involvement of information and communication technologies and the Web. Although the latter was initially of a static nature and merely required passive human viewers, this is currently changing towards a second generation of dynamic services and communication tools that emphasize on peer-topeer collaboration, contributing, and sharing, both among humans and programs. In this chapter, this revolution, usually known under the collective term Web 2.0, is reviewed from an educational as well as a technological point of view. The issues and controversies arising are backed up by case studies from diverse educational contexts to illustrate the potential of the proposed solutions. The discussion is finally concluded with some exciting speculations on the envisaged arrival of Web 3.0 and collaborative content sharing with semantic technologies.
From past times, there is strong link between finances, currencies and
economic growth the future and progress of humankind. Now a days, the future of economic development is dictated by fortunes and vagaries prevalent in share stock markets. Researchers have found that it is possible to make forecasts with large historical data on stock market and up-down in prices of share values. So, the fact
that stock markets play a really vital role in national and global economy, which is today undeniable. Stock markets can be profitable by speculations provided, of course though the future behavior can be forecast with a constant degree of accuracy. In this study, the authors propose a model which help to guess stock market trends
consistently and with minimal of error value. The model discussed here makes the use of sentiment analyses based on financial news and also historical patterns of stocks in share markets and can offer more accurate results to analyses data from multiple news sources and historical price movement of individual stocks. By using a two-step process, the model offers a minimum prediction accuracy value of 72%. In the first step, Naïve Bayes algorithm is used to evaluate text polarity to obtain a fix on public sentiment based on news feeds collected and received. In the second step, the future stock prices are forecasted by combining the evaluation results on text polarity with historical data on stock value price up-down.
The study investigated the impact of using podcasts as instructional tools on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning, and to evaluate their attitude towards listening to podcasts. A vocabulary pre-test was given to 60 male intermediate-level EFL learners which indicated that they were homogeneous regarding their vocabulary knowledge. The participants were divided into two groups; the experimental group were instructed by podcasts, but the control group continued with the routine instruction. The results revealed that the podcast group outperformed those in the control group in the post-test. To find out the students' attitudes towards podcasting, an 8-item Likert-type questionnaire was given to the participants in the podcasting group; through face-to-face interviews with 8 participants from the same group, a thematic analysis was conducted and four themes emerged: (1) vocabulary achievement, (2) learning by listening, (3) learner choice and flexibility, and (4) podcasts as useful instructional tools. The findings suggest that podcasts enhance learners’ vocabulary learning, thus emphasizing the pedagogical merits of podcasts on the enrichment of EFL classes. The results may provide implications for curriculum development and L2 vocabulary teaching and learning.
This qualitative pilot study investigated how 19 students enrolled in an entry-level college writing course responded to the use of video technology to supplement and flip class curriculum. Students were provided 10 video podcasts to augment course content and flip four class lessons. Collected through six student surveys and video download data, the results, including students' podcast viewership behaviors and attitudes toward the videos, are presented. The data revealed the college writing students involved in this study were generally satisfied with the flipped classroom and preferred it over the traditional lecture format. Download patterns indicated, however, less than half of the students watched the podcasts. Despite low viewership, the results suggest that the incorporation of video technology brings writing teachers opportunities to optimize class time by delving deeper into course content and by expanding the number of course assignments.
Research gathered from approximately 179 students over five semesters demonstrates how using the flipped classroom to teach composition in a face-to-face classroom improves students' writing. Included is the contrast between student learning via the traditional model versus the flipped model, and a theoretical basis for why the flipped classroom model is successful is established. The author champions the many advantages of the flipped classroom but concedes it is not without its challenges. These challenges are explored and strategies for creating and using screencasts effectively are recommended so that other instructors may successfully flip their own classrooms.
The efficacy of courses that mix face-to-face and online instruction, such as blended, hybrid, flipped, and inverted courses, is contested in the literature. Some studies find that they improved learning outcomes and some do not. We argue that these unreliable results are due to inconsistent definitions of these courses. To address this problem, we propose the Mixed Instructional eXperience (MIX) taxonomy to define hybrid, blended, flipped, and inverted based on two dimensions. To test the usefulness of the taxonomy to organize the literature, we reclassified research using the taxonomy. The analysis of the literature after reclassification revealed themes that illuminate how mixing face-to-face and online instruction affects learning. These findings validate the taxonomy as a useful tool for classifying literature and further knowledge in this field.
There is considerable research on “who” is creative, how they think, and the organizational cultures that foster both the generation and the application of creative ideas. Creative leaps, whether small or large, may be thought of as the connection of two or more disparate ideas or concepts within the mind of an individual.
Research gathered from approximately 179 students over five semesters demonstrates how using the flipped classroom to teach composition in a face-to-face classroom improves students' writing. Included is the contrast between student learning via the traditional model versus the flipped model, and a theoretical basis for why the flipped classroom model is successful is established. The author champions the many advantages of the flipped classroom but concedes it is not without its challenges. These challenges are explored and strategies for creating and using screencasts effectively are recommended so that other instructors may successfully flip their own classrooms.
This qualitative pilot study investigated how 19 students enrolled in an entry-level college writing course responded to the use of video technology to supplement and flip class curriculum. Students were provided 10 video podcasts to augment course content and flip four class lessons. Collected through six student surveys and video download data, the results, including students' podcast viewership behaviors and attitudes toward the videos, are presented. The data revealed the college writing students involved in this study were generally satisfied with the flipped classroom and preferred it over the traditional lecture format. Download patterns indicated, however, less than half of the students watched the podcasts. Despite low viewership, the results suggest that the incorporation of video technology brings writing teachers opportunities to optimize class time by delving deeper into course content and by expanding the number of course assignments.
Internet acceptance has exponentially risen globally in the last decade with the advent of collaborative and interactive Web technologies. E-learning techniques are extensively used by medical educators to impart learning to their patients and caregivers. E-Learning 2.0 has appeared as amalgamation of traditional e-learning model and capabilities of Web 2.0. It is a supplement to treatment provided by doctors, used for educating patient and equipping them to handle preventive and disease-specific conditions resulting in affirmative patient experience. The contemporary medical practices emphasizes building patient experience and not restricting patient treatment. This chapter explains the need of shifting e-learning focus from the software product design to service design and drawing the comparative model between the two. It reviews existing E-Learning 2.0 practices being used in medical education and recent stateof-the-art technologies including webcasting, virtual learning environment, mobile technology, etc. The focal point of the chapter is how to use technology to promote patient-centered culture.
Because of the insufficient teaching hours and the limited time for practice reading in a classroom, using internet can eliminate the restriction of when and where to teach. Through the publishing and broadcasting functions of the new online broadcasting media, podcast, teachers and students can post and share their reading experiences, which can supplement the insufficient reading instruction in a classroom. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of applying podcast, the educational broadcasting media, to reading instruction. From the students checkout records and the results of the survey, the conclusions derived are: 1. Incorporating podcasting in reading instruction has a positive impact on students reading behaviors. 2. Incorporating podcasting in reading instruction sparks students curiosity and motivates them to learn. 3. Student checked out at libraries more often. 4. Incorporating podcasting in reading makes students love reading.
Tablet ownership has grown rapidly over the last year. While market research surveys have helped us understand the demographics of tablet ownership and provided early insights into usage, there is little comprehensive research available. This paper describes a multi-method research effort that employed written and video diaries, in-home interviews, and contextual inquiry observations to learn about tablet use across three locations in the US. Our research provides an in-depth picture of frequent tablet activities (e.g., checking emails, playing games, social networking), locations of use (e.g., couch, bed, table), and contextual factors (e.g., watching TV, eating, cooking). It also contributes an understanding of why and how people choose to use tablets. Popular activities for tablet use, such as media consumption, shopping, cooking, and productivity are also explored. The findings from our research provide design implications and opportunities for enriching the tablet experience, and agendas for future research.
Electronic books (ebooks) are becoming commonplace and widespread. Highly interactive ebooks actively engage the reader and have great potential to increase student learning. With the recent release of Apple's iBooks Author application, instructors can develop highly interactive ebooks. This paper reports on our experience of creating an interactive Prolog programming ebook using iBooks Author. A particular focus is placed on ebook features pertinent to undergraduate computer science instruction including code listings, coding tutorials, and integration with course management systems and automated grading systems. This work is supported, in part, by two NSF grants.
Software engineering education traditionally relies on a standard lecture-and-readings format to teach students about the discipline. This paradigm is comfortable for instructors, as it is the accepted standard in most disciplines in higher education. However, software engineering contains many subjects that rely on tacit knowledge. By definition, this knowledge is difficult to transfer through traditional communication, such as reading and lecture, instead necessitating practice and learning-by-doing. Furthermore, traditional software engineering courses do not teach students business concepts, instead couching the program in core computer science and the study of abstraction. Without understanding business context, students are less able to see the impact that their work makes throughout their careers and require more on-the-job training in their initial positions once out of school. This research addresses the problems of using traditional methods for teaching software engineering and excising business education from the technical discipline. Two contributions are made.
First, this thesis describes a novel curriculum for teaching enterprise software engineering. By grounding the curriculum in a constructivist philosophy, the curriculum transforms the instructor into a facilitator for learning, rather than a lecturer. The course is restructured as an inverted classroom, pushing the concept of lecture into the student's
study time and focusing the in-class time on active learning games, discussion, and case studies. This allows the course to contain more material, enabling it to begin with two units focused on business context. This refocusing encourages students to think beyond the software, considering how their work affects the position of the business and the people that will use it.
Second, as a portfolio of curriculum evaluation measures its efficacy and the strength of the individual teaching methods used within. This evaluation contains three separate studies. The first study is a preliminary evaluation of the course that verifies its effectiveness. Additionally, the study elicits research questions for further examination. The second study is an in-depth look at the experiences both students and instructors have in the inverted classroom. By evaluating the individual components of the course, including the active learning games, discussion, and prerecorded lectures, this inquiry analyzes student reactions, the effects on instructor preparation, and acceptance of the format. The third study measures the effectiveness of the curriculum's major active learning game, a Lego-based workshop on agile development. Through using a questionnaire that measures student engagement and tracks their internalization of the course concepts, this study shows that the active learning game is as effective as the prerecorded lectures for teaching agile development concepts. This is a significant result because the concepts the workshop teaches are known to be tacit knowledge that is difficult to transfer in traditional fashion. The thesis then concludes with an analysis of future work to improve the curriculum and better measure its efficacy.
Closed labs have become a common feature in computer science education because they provide hands-on experience in a supervised setting. Microlabs extend this approach into the lecture format with very short hands-on activities in the "middle of the lecture." The programming microlab approach was developed for a distributed computing course that integrated all levels of parallelism (multicore, cluster, and grid). Since that time we have developed logical microlabs where students solve conceptual problems that do not involve programming. These are integrated into a Microlab Learning Cycle. We want our microlabs to be usable with a wide variety of computing devices, including tablets. After experimenting with different development environments we have adopted the Google Web Toolkit (GWT). After presenting the current status of our activities, we discuss future directions for microlab development. This work is supported, in part, by three National Science Foundation grants.
As corporate and higher education settings increasingly use Web 2.0 tools, the time has come to think about preparing K–12 in-service teachers to find ways in which these tools might support classroom teaching and learning goals. This article describes a graduate course designed and taught in spring 2007. Using a modeling and situated learning framework, the article discusses Web 2.0 tools, K–12 education, and the course design. It also presents a summary of course participants’ survey responses concerning their perceptions of their learning experience. Survey responses demonstrated that teacher-learners appreciated and endorsed the design of the course and felt their learning experiences scaffolded their ability to use Web 2.0 tools in their classroom and school context. The article concludes with several design recommendations and examples of classroom applications.
Partly owing to the status of podcasting as a buzzword and subject of much recent media attention, educational technology researchers and practitioners have been using the term very loosely. Few studies have examined student perceptions and uptake of “podcasting” in the true sense of the word, whereby a syndication protocol such as Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is used to allow students to subscribe to podcast feeds or channels, facilitating the automatic download of new content as it becomes available. The small number of studies that have covered this aspect of podcasting suggest that students generally do not tend to make use of this functionality, but instead prefer to simply download the media files manually. By drawing on research into the usage of RSS and podcasting both inside and outside the field of education, as well as extant literature on university students' usage patterns and behaviors with respect to information and communications technologies (ICTs) and the Internet, the authors postulate a number of possible reasons why podcasting syndication services have not experienced substantial levels of uptake among students to date. They argue that it is premature to dismiss RSS as a distribution mechanism for digital audio content in teaching and learning, and describe a number of examples of educational applications that could potentially make the use of such services worthwhile and valuable to both teachers and students. The authors conclude with suggestions for research to test the theories set forth in the article.
Many schools have introduced, or are considering, a programming course targeting mobile devices to satisfy student interest in programming smart phones. In addition, a new class of mobile devices are appearing that combine the functionality of an eBook reader with a web browser, and many of them are based on the same programming frameworks as the smart phones. We report on the successes of mobile device programming courses at two schools. In addition, we report on the accomplishments of students developing software to leverage these newer, multi-function devices in supporting broader computer science education initiatives. In particular, we have developed a service-oriented application that allows students to compile and test programs written in Java and C++ that can be invoked from these devices. We have developed other software allowing these devices to function like Tablet PCs. After describing these important tools, we discuss our current efforts to use these mobile devices in computer science education.
Podcasting may be an answer to some of the challenges to higher education to modernize, to open up, and to develop a competitive edge. However, over the years there have been many high claims for new technology, and not all of them have been redeemed. In terms of academic performance, it may therefore be asked if podcasting really is worth the investment? Looking for at least a tentative answer, the present paper reviews an extensive body of scholarly literature published 2004–2009 on experiences with podcasting in higher education.It is concluded that purely in terms of assessing student performance, indications of the efficacy of podcasting are as yet fairly weak - admitting for a general lack of longitudinal studies. Still, podcasting does seem to have a general positive impact on the academic environment. One such effect is opening up for experimentation with known forms of teaching. Another effect is that many students experience podcasts as a genuine improvement to the study environment, and that they use the new tool rationally as a supplement to their study activities.
In this paper we describe a study of the effectiveness of mobile learning (m-learning) in the form of podcasting, for teaching undergraduate students in Higher Education. Podcasting involves downloading a series of audio or video broadcasts (files) onto a digital media player, via a computer, over a period of weeks. These can then be watched or listened to when, where and as often as students choose. The use of digital media players, popularised by Apple’s iPod™, is widespread amongst undergraduate students. A pilot survey of Business and Management students indicated that over 74% owned some form of digital media player, with a further 7% indicating that they intended to purchase one in the next six months.
The purpose of this study was to investigate Iranian university students’ readiness towards using podcasting technology. One hundred and twenty university students completed the podcasting readiness questionnaire which measured their readiness through three sub-scales: access, familiarity, and experience. The results showed that a majority of students reported owning a portable device and more than half of them had easy access to these devices. They had a high level of familiarity with podcasts and only a few of them never downloaded a podcast. Most of them downloaded podcasts for listening to materials not related to their university courses. Although they had experienced classes that rarely provided them with podcasts, they believed that using podcasts would contribute to their learning in university courses.
Podcasting represents a new and exciting learning paradigm within an academic setting. Materials such conference reports, research manuscripts, and course lectures can be recorded as audio and video files and delivered to subscribing users automatically. A minimum skills and effort is requiring for involved parties to accomplish the knowledge transaction. The ease of use and seamless transaction between users enable more efficiency in resource consumption. Minimal time and effort is wasted for both knowledge distribution and acquisition. In addition, podcasting can be utilized in various types of knowledge management practices including, a collaborative and social networking activities. This paper provides a technological overview of podcasting, and examines the potential podcasting usage within educational settings, podcasting contributions to academia, and future podcasting research suggestions.
This paper focuses on a rapidly growing population on many college and university campuses today: students equipped with laptop computers capable of wireless connection to the Internet. More and more departments are requiring that students enrolling in certain courses bring laptop computers to class. The course instructor is some times overwhelmed by the prospect, asking How should I change my lesson plan in order to integrate the laptop in my daily lecture? This paper first describes the effort to bring the laptop to campus at a number of colleges and universities around the country. It then offers concrete suggestions based on the experiences of several professors who either have taught, or are now teaching, laptoprequired courses. The paper concludes with a summary and a look toward the future. 1
This paper focuses on the emerging technology of wireless networks, and their use in education. This paper discusses some advantages of wireless networks, as well as some concerns that need to be addressed before implementing a wireless network. Wireless networks are being implemented in both K-12 institutions and post-secondary institutions, though it has been found that they are being used in a different manner. In K-12 settings they are being used primarily to integrate technology and its use into the classroom setting, replacing the standard computer lab that is located outside the classroom. At the university level, the wireless network is utilized more as a means of convenience. The students and teachers are able to access resources for learning regardless of their location. They can use laptops and PDA's to expand their learning capabilities to any location, not just the classroom. The ideal wireless network needs to bring more technology into the classroom and in turn enhance the learning experience, as well as provide the opportunity for students to access resources outside the classroom, which would provide those who are interested a way to obtain knowledge any time they are willing and able.
The Quiver (QUIz VERification) System is an Internet server for building, maintaining, and administering programming quizzes. It is similar to the online judges used for programming contests but differs in that it targets the classroom use of programming quizzes as a teaching aid and evaluation tool. It can provide very detailed feedback regarding quiz behavior so that the student can debug her program. This system is developed as part of the grant "Intra-Curriculum Software Engineering Education" funded by the National Science Foundation (DUE 0127439).
We have been funded by the National Science Foundation [6] to investigate the feasibility of distributing large software engineering projects across multiple universities at remote locations. This paper reports on the use of web services to make such inter-university cooperation feasible. The TRavel Itinerary Planner (TRIP), a year long project, was implemented at three universities: Appalachian State University, North Carolina A&T, and DePaul University. After discussing our methodology based on web services we describe the inter-university cooperation that was achieved on this project. We then describe problems encountered and their solutions and conclude with a brief description of a different project that we will develop during the 2006-2007 academic year.
There has been much research on the benefits of active and collaborative learning and on its use in computer science courses. As classroom technology becomes more prevalent it is natural to develop systems that support the use of these techniques. We have developed such a system as an extension to Classroom Presenter [2], a Tablet PC-based presentation system. In our system students (or groups of students) are equipped with tablet computers and at various points during the lecture, are asked to solve a problem or respond to a question. Students respond by writing their solution on the tablet and submitting it wirelessly to the instructor. The instructor can view all student responses, select one or more to display to the class, and annotate responses with ink as they are being displayed. Student responses can be saved for review after lecture by the instructor or made available electronically to the students. In this paper we describe the system and our initial experiences using the system in two classes (CS1 and Computer Ethics) at the University of San Diego in Fall 2003.
In this paper we describe our experiences of exporting our introductory programming courses to community colleges. We used Tutored Video Instruction (TVI) as the mode of instruction where recorded versions of our lectures were shown to groups of students with local instructors periodically stopping the lecture for questions and discussion. We have offered a total of 16 sections of TVI courses, 11 were of our first quarter programming course (CSE142), and 5 were of our second quarter programming course (CSE 143). The courses were offered at seven institutions. Approximately 180 students completed the courses. We identify factors which contributed positively and negatively to the use of TVI for introductory programming courses. The two most important changes to our TVI program based on these experiences will the use of studio produced lectures and the abandonment of centralized course administration.
Data Structures with Java
- William Ford
- William Topp
- Ford William
William Ford, William Topp, Data Structures with Java, Prentice Hall, 2005