iPods and podcasting

In recent years research projects in the UK Higher Education sector and elsewhere have explored the use of mobile technologies to support the delivery of curriculum materials and communication with students (Kukulska-Hulme & Traxler, Reference KUKULSKA-HULME, TRAXLER, Kukulska-Hulme and Traxler2005). These projects have culminated in a number of case studies highlighting the potential of mobile technologies including, for example, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and laptops. The Joint Information and Systems Committee (JISC) note a number of key benefits when using mobile technologies in learning contexts, including their portability and flexibility, their immediacy in communication, their ability to promote learner empowerment and active learning experiences, and their any-time, any-place connectivity (JISC 2005). In addition, mobile and wireless technologies can engage students in learning-related activities in a diversity of locations, can enhance communication and collaborative learning, can engage reluctant learners and also raise self esteem and confidence levels (Liu et al., Reference LIU, WANG, LIANG, CHAN, KO and YANG2003; Attewell, Reference ATTEWELL2004; Naismith et al., Reference NAISMITH, NAISMITH, LONSDALE and SHARPLES2004). Kukulska-Hulme and Traxler (Reference KUKULSKA-HULME, TRAXLER, Kukulska-Hulme and Traxler2005) further note that mobile learning can be informal, unobtrusive, ubiquitous and disruptive. The extent to which the iPod, as a mobile technology within music education, meets these criteria is worthy of further exploration.

Previous research into the use of mobile technologies in music education has observed both positive benefits and challenges. PDAs for example have been used as a means of sharing music amongst students and were found to develop a sense of social bonding (Bassoli et al., Reference BASSOLI, MOORE, AGAMANOLIS, O'Hara and Brown2006). Polishook (Reference POLISHOOK, Kukulska-Hulme and Traxler2005) used PDAs to teach music composition which noted a number of benefits, including their portability and their role in encouraging students to think more creatively about their music. However, the small size of the screen was seen as a shortcoming for students, deterring them from fully engaging with the learning material, while the more widespread use of mobile technologies such as PDAs has been limited by their high cost and limited ownership among students, such that it is necessary to find funding that enables the provision of a PDA to them in order for such work to progress. Other issues of file size, formats and file compatibility continue to restrict the reach of these developments (Trinder et al., Reference TRINDER, MAGILL, RAY, Kukulska-Hulme and Traxler2005). With the launch of MP3 players and their appearance on campus in large numbers, an opportunity presented itself to revisit the use of audio files for curriculum delivery. Audio-visual materials have a long history of incorporation into course content and it is possible to find tape archives and video footage of lecturers who have experimented with these formats. However, it is clear that there is, at present, a renewed interest and level of activity in the development and delivery of teaching materials through multimedia techniques.

The birth of the iPod, in particular, has offered music educators innovative opportunities for engaging students in a multi-media learning experience. The iPod and other mobile listening devices have become an icon of popular culture (Sterne, Reference STERNE2006), to the extent where iPod users use their music players to control their time and space (Bull, Reference BULL2005). O'Hara and Brown (Reference O'HARA and BROWN2006) have commented on how the iPod has changed listening behaviour and ‘affords the social value of the portable device as a projection of a person's musical identity’. The advantage of using the iPod as a learning technology with students is that, although difficult to define, the devices have managed to retain their ‘coolness’ in a market where an abundance of music players exists (Reppell et al., Reference Reppell, Szmigin and Gruber2006). Indeed, mobile technologies such as the iPod have had a major influence on society (Farnsworth & Austin, Reference FARNSWORTH and AUSTIN2005) and become socially accepted devices (Clark & Walsh cited from Chan & Lee, Reference CHAN and LEE2005). Farnsworth and Austin (Reference FARNSWORTH and AUSTIN2005) recognise the iPod as ‘miniaturised hybrid assemblages’ incorporating a combination of audio, image and text technologies, enabling the enhanced flexibility of interaction with different media. Although iPod and MP3 devices are mainly used for leisure purposes, they generate great opportunities for flexible learning (Mellow, Reference MELLOW2005). Many have acknowledged the contribution iPods can make to the process of lifelong learning (Pownell, Reference POWNELL and Crawford2004). Within a classroom environment, Slykhuis (Reference SLYKHUIS and Crawford2006) recognises that the iPod is useful for playing music, for use as a portable hard drive, for displaying pictures, and for recording audio. iPods have also be viewed as a ‘disruptive technology’ (Berry, Reference BERRY2006) challenging the conventional practices of educators. The iPod also has the potential to develop ‘collective’ listening behaviours (Bull, Reference BULL, O'Hara and Brown2006) that offer further scope for the promotion of collaborative learning experiences within music education. American universities have been at the forefront of developments in the educational use of iPods and podcasting. The key characteristic of this landscape is the manner in which the institutions themselves have adopted the new technology and supported it with appropriate structures, staff and funding. The first to lead the sector was Duke University in North Carolina with a well-publicised project involving their entire first-year cohort (Duke University, 2005). The high profile and appeal of this undertaking encouraged other institutions to investigate the iPod and podcasting phenomenon (Blaisdell, Reference BLAISDELL2006).

Chan and Lee (Reference CHAN and LEE2005: 65) suggest that podcasting ‘combines the broadcasting nature of radio with the flexibility, learner control and personalization afforded by recorded audio’. Huann and Thong (Reference HUANN and THONG2006) note the ‘bottom up’ approach to podcasting where internet users have the potential to develop and publish podcasts to the net quickly and easily without having to know complicated HTML code. They convey this as a sequential process encompassing three phases; content creation, publication and subscription. Three types of podcast have been developed so far – audio, video and enhanced. The audio podcast is a speech only file, presented in an MP3 format. The majority of recorded lectures currently utilise this. The video podcast is a full motion video file usually presented in a MPEG or MP4 format. There are few limits to what can be included in a video podcast since anything that you can see on television can be utilised in this format. The enhanced podcast is a speech-only file but with the inclusion of more interactive elements such as images, hyperlinks and chapterisation. These files are presented in an M4a format and are viewable using iTunes on both PC and Mac platforms. The enhanced podcast is not as common as its audio and video counterparts, largely because the authoring of such files is currently almost exclusively an Apple-based activity. Podcasts are then published via a web-based subscription service, the RSS protocol, which ‘pushes’ the information out to listeners (subscribers) automatically rather than asking them to check the place where the podcast is being hosted, for example a website or on a virtual learning environment (VLE).

Previous research into podcasting within educational contexts has found a number of advantages. These include meeting the needs of students with different learning styles (Alexander, Reference ALEXANDER2005), particularly those who like to learn ‘on the go’ and take a ‘bite size’ instrumentalist approach to learning (Dale & McCarthy, Reference DALE and MCCARTHY2006). Furthermore, podcasting can promote flexibility in accessing learning materials (Chan & Lee, Reference CHAN and LEE2005; Levy, Reference LEVEY2006), generate greater inclusivity (Cebeci & Tekdal, Reference CEBECI and TEKDAL2006), enhance student engagement and reflection (Baird & Fisher, Reference BAIRD and FISHER2006) and can develop communication, time management, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills (Hargis & Wilson, Reference HARGIS and WILSON2005; Huann & Thong, Reference HUANN and THONG2006). Research has also found that podcasting can alleviate student anxiety levels towards the subject matter (Chan & Lee, Reference CHAN and LEE2005), enable a better understanding of the taught material (Lane, Reference LANE2006) and have a positive effect on exam performance (Abt & Barry, Reference ABT and BARRY2007).

The research project

The University of Wolverhampton has been actively involved in investigations into Technology Supported Learning (TSL), having launched its own VLE called the Wolverhampton Online Learning Framework (WOLF) in the 1990s and developed an electronic presence for almost all of its courses. In an institutional context that continues to sponsor research into mobile learning and the use of mobile phone and text-based functions, it was a natural extension to create a team to explore the potential of mp3 players. Thus, since 2005, and with the support of the Institute for Learning Enhancement at the university, a team of performing arts tutors have been engaged in research into the broader use of iPod technologies promoting diverse approaches in teaching and learning. The broad project was entitled ‘Podagogy’ (www.podagogy.co.uk) which the team have broadly defined as the use of iPod technologies to develop pedagogical practices in learning and teaching. The Podagogy research was based around three projects in music, drama and dance, each of which took a different approach to using the iPod with their students. Within the context of this research the music project is the focus of the discussion.

Lecturers involved in the project were interested in exploring the reinvigoration of the use of audio and visual materials in a manner that exploited developments in technology. This is in line with current trends in HE that seek to engage learners through a blend of approaches to curriculum delivery (Hughes, Reference HUGHES2007). More specifically, the broad research areas under investigation included; firstly, generating ideas on how iPod technologies can be applied to a popular music degree programme; secondly, examining how these technologies could be used to support curriculum delivery; and thirdly reflecting on the experience of students in relation to their response to using iPod technologies to support their learning.

The research focused upon a cohort of Level Two students studying the BA (Hons) Popular Music programme. This group consisted of 24 students and presented a mix of male and female students, young (18–21) and mature students and a diversity of economic and racial backgrounds. Following initial investigations into various approaches it was decided that the package presented by the combination of Apple's iPod Video and the iTunes software provided the advantages of wider ownership, seamless integration of mp3 player and computer, cross-platform availability and as previously explained the motivational characteristics accrued due to the iconography of the iPod.

The project encompassed three phases which are outlined in Table 1.

Table 1

Project Timeline

Findings and discussion

Conclusion and reflections

The article has discussed the use of iPods and podcasting with a sample of students studying an undergraduate Popular Music degree. Overall, it can be concluded that the use of iPods and podcasting had a beneficial effect on the overall student experience. Although it is acknowledged that these benefits may not necessarily be exclusive to this technology, the portability, flexibility and active learning experiences that can be encountered through the use of the iPod confirms previous research into the use of other mobile learning technologies (JISC, 2005). Furthermore, the findings suggest that the iPod, as a mobile technology, is an informal, unobtrusive and ubiquitous device (Kukulska-Hulme & Traxler, Reference KUKULSKA-HULME, TRAXLER, Kukulska-Hulme and Traxler2005) that can make a significant contribution to learner engagement within music education. The research has, therefore, revealed a number of useful and informative findings that can be summarised as follows: Firstly, students have little desire to relisten to an entire lecture but prefer to utilise podcasts to build on and revisit lecture concepts with relevant exercises and examples. Secondly, the blend of podcast material along with the lectures was an enriching and motivating experience. Thirdly, those students who receive podcasts via RSS demonstrated greater engagement with the material. Fourthly, the podcasts enable students to time shift their learning, choosing when, where and how they listen and relisten to materials in order to meet personal need. Fifthly, the iPod culture is not bound by gender barriers and develops a combination of ‘work’ and ‘fun’, confirming the thoughts of Prensky (Reference PRENSKY2001) and the way in which the contemporary student learns. Finally, the challenge for the podcast creator is to evaluate consistently the balance of length, delivery style, tasks and degree of difficulty to ensure that whilst podcasts are downloaded, they are also listened to by their intended audience.

It should be acknowledged that a limitation of the research is the small-scale nature of the survey and therefore further research needs to be conducted with a wider sample of students involved in different programmes of study. Further research also needs to be conducted into the extent to which podcasting can meet the different learning styles of students and contribute effectively as part of a blended learning approach. Also, the use of collaborative podcasting as an assessment technique and its potential as a medium for offering assessment feedback could be more fully explored.

From the research a number of recommendations can also be proposed. Institutional frameworks need to be developed in order to support staff and assist them in the process of podcast production and publication. Podcasting as a delivery mechanism is more likely to continue and develop if institutions develop supportive frameworks. Indeed, as an increasing number of educators begin to use podcasting, peer pressure amongst students, (i.e. ‘. . . my other lecturer gives us podcasts . . .’) is likely to act as a catalyst to its further adoption as a supporting delivery mechanism. Policymakers need also to understand that podcasts can add to a diet of activities within a blended approach to delivery but should not act as a replacement for the traditional lecture/tutorial session.

Further information

The following video podcast contains further details about the project. http://home.wlv.ac.uk/~in8246