Podcasting Anatomy Lectures Increases Content Accessibility and Learning.

Abstract

An educational research study was conducted to investigate the effect of podcasting undergraduate anatomy lectures on student learning and class participation. It was hypothesized that podcasting would enable students to obtain missed notes if absent and to review lectures for clarifying difficult concepts to learn; both resulting in higher exam scores. The experimental design consisted of comparing semesters that provided podcasted lectures with a control group, which lacked podcasted lectures. Lecture podcasts were made in the lecture hall using TeleTeaching Tool software that screen captured the computerized PowerPoint lectures synched with audio recordings of the professor's lecture. Students were then provided with links to the University's streaming server to download the podcast files to view and/or listen to the lecture content. Data collection consisted of lecture attendance, exam scores, and student course‐evaluations. When lecture podcasting was made available to students, lecture attendance remained similar, the frequency of absent students seeking missed notes decreased, and exam performance and student evaluations increased modestly. These results suggest that providing students with high accessibility to lectures facilitates student autonomy, supports student learning, and counters excuses for lack of achievement.