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[June 03, 2006]

Students tuning into lectures via their iPod

(Leicester Mercury Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Students are getting hi-tech support for their studies by downloading information on iPods and MP3 players.

Leicester University researchers have put together 10-minute lectures including news, updates and feedback and even subject-related jokes for classes to use.

The scheme, which is unlike anything else tried before, means a condensed version of any lecture can be made available as a study aid.

The pilot study - involving 30 engineering students - has proved such a success the university has now been given a GBP40,000 grant to look at expanding the idea.

The cash will help fund a year-long study, launched today which will look at increasing the broadcasts - known as podcasts - to include more subjects and more information.

Professor Gilly Salmon, who is behind the research, said: "The idea came from observing all the students around the campus with their ears glued to their MP3 players.

"I developed this fantasy that as they were coming into university on the bus they were listening to work for their courses instead of music.

"Now, we've achieved that by doing a pilot to see exactly how it would work.

"We wanted to find whether people would be interested in using them for learning, and it turns out they would.

"They've been a tremendous success." Researchers will now work with the Royal Veterinary College, University of Gloucestershire and Kingston University on a project called IMPALA - the Informal Mobile Podcasting and Learning Adaptation - to see how the scheme can progress.


Leicester University's head of learning technology Richard Mobbs said: "The teaching and learning process is very complicated but we know that we learn best of all when we want to learn, and that requires having easy access to the learning materials." Professor Salmon said the podcasts would be unlikely to completely replace traditional lectures.

"They do make learning much more flexible, and students who have difficulty with some aspect of the course can listen to the podcast over and over again.

"They are always going to be something additional - they won't replace lectures." The scheme has already been welcomed by students using it.

Henry Mwai, 23, a fourth-year engineering student, said: "It has been really useful. It is like having a lecture, but you can listen to it again and again to make sure you've got all the material right.

"I definitely think it would be a good thing for other people too." Student Jaewao Toon, also 23, added: "It is quite refreshing because you get to study in your own time in the comfort of your home, but you need to have a bit of self-discipline not to leave it all to the last minute."

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