Podcasting takes root at the UW

Some UW students can now shuffle oceanography, anatomy and political science into their MP3 playlist.

Three classes in Kane Hall are now offering downloadable podcasts of classroom lectures, with all the classes being recorded automatically.

A podcast is an online subscription service that allows anyone to "get content from sources in a non-interactive way," said Brad Bell, a UW computer support analyst.

Podcast subscriptions are made using an online aggregator, such as Apple's iTunes. When new files associated with the podcast become available, they are automatically downloaded to the subscriber's computer, and can be used anytime afterward, whether the subscriber is online or not.

Subscribers can also sync any number of portable mp3 players with their computer to take the files with them and listen on the go.

"That's a huge advantage -- you don't have to find your content," said Classroom Support Services (CSS) Manager David Aldrich.

The podcasting program arose from a summer Meeting between CSS officials and Odegaard Library staff to come up with a way to make viewing and listening to lectures easier. The goal was to find something that would "enhance student learning," Aldrich said.

The result was a trial podcasting program developed in Kane Hall with instructors Richard Strickland, Douglas Merrell and Matt Barreto.

Previously, lecture recordings where made available at the Odegaard Media Center, but producing them took time, personnel and materials -- all of which are limiting factors for students wanting to access the material.

CSS's newly installed devices in several Kane classrooms cut out the middlemen. The devices record lectures based on a set schedule and automatically send audio files to a server where it is accessible to students.

"[The program] shifts the responsibility [for the recordings] to someone else," said Strickland, who teaches Oceanography 102.

Provost Phyllis Wise also took advantage of the new podcasting program at the Town Hall meeting that took place in Kane on Nov. 3.

"There's no disadvantage at all to the way it used to be," said Tim Batzel, a technology support assistant for CSS.

Students said podcasting, when available, presents many opportunities.

"I think that it is nice that there is a podcast for this class. It does help and allows me to make up if I have missed class," said a student participating in an anonymous online survey for a class that offers podcasting.

Aldrich and Strickland said podcasting also allows professors to review and alter the content of their lectures and notes that are made available to students.

So far, the program has had its fair share of use. More than 3,200 audio downloads were recorded before Oct. 31.

"It's hard to know how big

The scale will go, but it seems very popular," Aldrich said.

Since this program is only a trial, students should not expect a wide-sweeping expansion soon.

However, "It's hard to put the genie back in the bottle," Aldrich added. Pending this quarter's successful trial run, there are plans to expand the program to all Kane lecture rooms, but expansion beyond that will need to be looked at more critically.

For more information on podcasting visit the CSS Web site at www.css.washington.edu/content/.