Podcasting+to+Support+Students+Using+a+Business+Simulation

A CASE STUDY OF THE USE OF PODCASTING TO SUPPORT STUDENTS USING A BUSINESS SIMULATION

**Case Title:** Podcasting to Support Students Using a Business Simulation

This case study involved the use of podcasts to supplement the traditional course material in a second-year class at Leeds Business School in London, England in 2009. The class is called Business Analysis and Practice and uses computer business model software for students to start and manage an automobile manufacturing company. Researchers wanted to find what students and faculty found to be the most and least useful aspects of podcasting in what had been a paper and lecture based course. Faculty involved in the study were interviewed at the start of the semester, again at about half-way through, and at the end. The advantages they saw included the fact that much of the material used in this course was used again in a third-year course, as well as in post-graduate studies. The ease of recording and editing the podcasts caused them to see the value of not having to present the same material live in many different classes. The audio podcasts were recorded and edited into seven different modules to coincide with the lecture material. Video enhancements were added using slides and screenshots from websites. Faculty’s main concern was a need to ensure the podcasts supported all students and not just the highly motivated. Students were interviewed and asked questions using a scale of usefulness from “not at all useful” to “most useful.” The elements of podcast usage they found most useful were being able to replay the podcasts and the ability to study in their own time. Somewhat surprising to the developer of the study was that a large majority of the students preferred viewing from their laptops and desktops rather than on mobile devices. The students’ concerns were ease of access to the podcasts and making revisions when needed. Students also enjoyed that the podcasts added another method of presentation to keep the class from seeming “stale.”
 * Case Description: **

This case study was a good study in that it sought both faculty and student feedback on the use of podcasting in instruction. As the class already involved computer modeling software, students were likely technologically inclined, so using an emerging technology to supplement the business simulation added another exposure to the value of technology in the classroom. The case study was very student-focused so that the developers could gain insight on what students felt about how the podcasts supported their learning experience. The case study was also designed to revisit these students after their completion of their programs to determine how the podcasts may have been used in other classes. One way Group D feels the study could have been improved was to include using video podcasts alongside the visually enhanced podcasts to study if the video podcasts were seen as more or less effective.
 * Case Evaluation: **

=**References: **= Gorra, A. and Finlay, J."Podcasting to Support Students Using a Business Simulation" //Electronic Journal of e-Learning Volume 7 Issue 3 2009 (pp 257-264)// available online at [|www.ejel.org] 