Tech savvy students are used to using their ipods or MP3 players to download their favorite music and television shows. But now, some are downloading podcasts of their Biology 101 lectures.
The podcasts featured at Stanford University in California, Calhoun Community College in Alabama and Indiana University are currently meant as a supplement to attending traditional lectures, not as a substitute. For example, if students oversleep and miss an early morning class, they will no longer have to scramble to find another student’s notes. It will also come in handy before finals, allowing students to cram or review information that they just don’t quite grasp. Officials at Calhoun also allow students to log on to the net to view many of the visual aides professors use in class.
Calhoun officials are currently stressing the value of attending the classes in person with some professors offering “attendance incentives,” and likening the service to “a tutor in a pocket.”
But it may be just a matter of time before the tutor is upgraded to a full-time professor. In fact, Even Calhoun is investigating the feasibility of integrating the service for their distance learning students in the future.
So the next time you see someone wearing headphones, don’t assume they are jamming to their favorite tunes. They may be studying.
By David Plowman