Today's learner arrives on our campuses with certain expectations, among them are technology innovation and availability, and the use of modern and efficient technology solutions to communicate and coexist. Meanwhile, institutions of higher learning across the country struggle with increased operating costs, decreasing legislative funding, and diminished returns on endowments. The need for innovative instructional delivery methods has become fodder for discussions in boardrooms everywhere as administrators struggle with identifying appropriate speed of adoption and allotment of resources.
Mobile Learning, also known as M-Learning, is an exciting and emergent curriculum delivery method that is growing increasingly popular in many learning environments. M-Learning is dynamic and allows both educators and students the opportunity to leverage a variety of technologies, such as podcasting, in the course of academic content delivery and consumption. One major challenge for M-Learning is the inability to consistently satisfy the overriding anytime-anywhere definition because of the lack of Internet connectivity as a constant in the time continuum. This is, perhaps, one reason that podcasting is both unique and popular as a channel of curriculum delivery in a mobile learning environment. Podcasting is an instructional technology successfully used in M-Learning initiatives because its ease of use, and because it satisfies the underlying dynamic Mobile Learning definition.
A study was conducted to examine the influence of podcasting as a mobile learning curriculum delivery channel on student learning outcomes. A cross-sectional non-experimental research design was used to collect data and to test the influence of a set of attitudes and perceptions related to podcasting on student mobile learning. The data were collected through an electronic survey to students enrolled in both traditional and nontraditional sections of an Information & Communication Technologies undergraduate course.
Research questions for this study: RQ 1 : What attitudinal and perceptual domains (dimensions) underline podcasting as a latent construct? RQ 2 : What impact do those dimensions have on student mobile learning? The sample was comprised of 1,345 students representing a population of 1,509 undergraduate students enrolled in an upper- division course. The course was delivered in multiple formats: traditional lecture, online, and a hybrid (50% traditional, 50% online). The majority of participants were between 20 and 25 years old (72.3%). More females (61%) participated in the study than did their male counterparts (39%).
The results of the factor analysis revealed a total of five statistically significant latent constructs underlying the items in the survey instrument. These constructs include Efficacy of Podcasting, Podcasting Preferences and Perceptions, Podcasting Attitudes and Behaviors, Podcasting Flexible Mobility, and Podcasting Frequency of Use.
Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the explanatory power of variables identified through factor analysis on student learning outcomes. Results of the multivariate analysis revealed no significant variance explained by any of the variables entered into the regression equations.
Given the strong interest and universal, innovative nature of podcasting use in today's traditional and non-traditional learning environments, understanding student preferences and perceptions surrounding the use of this ubiquitous medium can ultimately help educators create better learning materials and experiences for students. (Author's abstract)
