Comparative Analysis of the Effectiveness of Oral Versus Podcasting Reviewing

The purpose of this study was to compare the use of podcasts to traditional delivery of information in classrooms. Four podcasts were created on the topics of asthma, diabetes, seizure disorders, and acute infections to aid students in reviewing for quizzes. Knowledge retained of students using podcasts was compared to the knowledge retained of those using traditional in-class review. A convenience sample of 174 undergraduate students was used. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design was utilized. By conducting t-tests and an ANCOVA the results showed the podcast reviews were as effective as traditional oral in-class reviews of selected health education topics. In this study the main effect for the review method was not significant (F(1,143) = .682, p>.05), with the intervention groups not scoring significantly higher 51.45 (sd= 4.72) than the control group 50.79 (sd= 4.88). This study also revealed that students support the concept of using podcasts as a review tool. All but one student (98.6%) felt that having pictures accompany the audio portion of the review was helpful in retaining the information. Given that podcast reviews were shown to be as effective as traditional review and with the majority of students reporting they would use podcast reviews again in the future more studies there remains a need to focus on podcasting technology and student outcomes.

Learner Objectives: After seeing this presentation participants should be able to discuss the pros vs. cons of podcasting review techniques. After seeing this presentation participants should be able to generate ideas and plans for using technology in classrooms. After seeing this presentation participants should be able to listen critically and interpret and evaluate this study and the findings.