Survey results

Some brief results from a survey of 202 first years (carried out in Week 2).

• Almost all owned MP3 players (188), with most owning iPods (143)
• About a quarter (46) used their MP3 players to listen to podcasts
• Only 17 had encountered podcasts in an educational context before arriving at BSU
• Of these, all but one found them useful. Most accessed them on a computer rather than via their MP3 players.
  
• 63 watched the induction screencasts put together by staff in Historical and Cultural Studies. These were short (about 3 minutes) screencasts introducing the various modules on offer.
• The majority (42) found these 'quite' or 'very' useful. Only one found then not be useful at all.
• 104 (I was surprised at this!) said they hoped to see podcasts and screencasts included in the teaching materials on their modules. 61 said they weren't sure, and only 6 said they would not want to see them used.

I have data from a survey of third years which I need to enter and analyse. The first-year survey did suggest that where students have encountered educational podcasts, they have largely found them helpful (though this needs to be interpreted carefully - see 'perception and reality' below...). It certainly suggests that there is little anxiety from new students about the use of podcasts in a university context. I hope to explore these issues in more detail in conversation with students later on.