The Recruiter's Apprentice writes...

It is that time of year again, where lecture halls will be filling up with sleepy students who find early morning lectures a challenge to rise for. But will this soon be made a thing of the past? University College London and Trinity College Dublin are among the universities now uploading lectures to download as podcasts for students.

The idea is to provide students with mobile, flexible and personalised learning. But with audio and video material available at a few clicks of a button, will students bother to attend lectures? Because, while I am all for using technology to help students learn, surely this will be the perfect excuse for students to skip the early mornings?

Yes, for students who attend lectures regularly the podcasts will be useful for later revision. But those who fail to make it to lectures will no doubt become over-reliant on the podcasts, especially during their exams. And will students really be able to concentrate when listening to their lectures on their iPod on the train? Being mobile means more distractions, which means less concentration.

Downloading lectures as podcasts will also mean missing out on the social aspect of learning, the chance to meet other students or departmental staff. And what about subjects where academic interaction is needed, where proper understanding of a subject requires time in laboratories, design studios or language labs? Aren’t the lecture podcasts just another example of people being in danger of becoming more and more reliant on machines and having less contact with fellow humans?

I really think that getting up and about and going in to college, rather than being lazy and relying on technology, is better in the long run for learning. And hey, you may even meet some people along the way – and those connections you make can be as useful in your career as anything actually taught in lectures.

What do you think?

Posted Saturday September 27 2008