Available online http://octel.alt.ac.uk/course-materials/

Maximising learning for minimum cost: iTunes U as an example

Fernando Rosell-AguilarocTEL, 4th June 2013

@FRosellAguilar

Outline

• Personal experience of podcasting• Podcasting as a learning technology• Teaching strangers• The OU on iTunes U• Survey of iTunes U users• Results• So what?

Personal experience

• Interested in teaching and learning

• Innovation• Geek• Create videos –

transferred to iPod 5th Gen

• Research

Potential for learning

• Convenient and easy to use format

• Attractive• Motivating (“Not feel like

studying”)• Easy access • Portability • Value for money• Publicity / Face value

© Matthew Martin (The Times 5/5/2006)

Embedding podcasting in teaching

• Self access• Directed learning

– In class– Out of class

Taxonomy of learning podcasts

• Self-developed– Teacher-developed: for own established audience – Student-developed

• Using existing resources– Authentic materials– Specialised “courses”– Other people’s self-developed materials

Previous research• Liked – novelty?• Supplementary to main teaching• Low level of transfer to mobile devices • Perceived as academic activity• Contradiction of potential benefits of

podcasting vs actual use: Context• Difference internal / external learners

iTunes U

• Launched in 2007 (US & Can)• June 2008: Australia, NZ,

Ireland, UK• Jan 2009: France, Germany,

Switzerland• 2013: 1 billion downloads• Oxford University 60,000

downloads in its first week

OU on iTunes U• Over 62 million downloads • Over 8,402,400 visitors downloaded files • 434 collections containing 3,422 tracks (1,630

audio, 1,792 video). 97% of the tracks have transcripts (in PDF format)

• 423 OpenLearn study units as eBooks (ePub), representing over 5,000 hours of study

• 79 iTunes U Courses • Different type of resources: chunking

iTunes U resources = OER?

• Making materials available as podcasts fits with the principle of using technology to provide educational resources

• © mainly remains with the providers. No permission to modify or repurpose the content.

• This is changing: Oxford University, Stanford and MIT now offer some of their materials under (CC) licences.

BUT

• Teaching strangers– Don’t know who’s listening– Don’t know what they do– Don’t know what they think

Survey• Link on all OU on iTunes U pages• 21 months between 2009 - 2011• 2129 responses collected• 1891 analysed (ticked “use for learning”)

– Profile of OU on iTunes U users– Use of resources– Interest in the resources– Listening habits– Rating of materials

Here comes the interactive bit!

• Male or female?• Age?

Under 25/25-55/55 over

• Where are they from? UK/Rest of Europe/US/Asia

• OU students?• Why interested in OU iTunes U resources?

Personal interest / work / relevant to studies

• Transfer to mobile device? – listen on the go?

My own hypotheses

• Gender: more males / difference by subject• Age: teenagers, older users• Employment status: students (few OU)• Mobility: despite previous research - YES• Rating: good• Paying: no• Enrolling: no

User profile: age

User profile: gender56% Male / 44% Female

Profile: where they liveLanguage learners Non-language learners

Profile: occupation

Profile: OU students?

Profile: OU students?

Why interested in OU resources?

A mobile technology?

Transfer to mobile device

A mobile technology?

Where do they listen?

Rating for OU on iTunes U resources

• Quality:

• Do they think they’re learning: 97.2% YES

The future of our teaching?

• 45% of respondents would consider paying for the content.

• 69.1% would be interested in taking some form of assessment (for a fee) leading to a qualification based on a fuller version of the current content on iTunes U at the OU.

My own hypotheses

• Gender: more males than language courses• Age: teenagers, older users• Employment status: students (few OU)• Mobility: despite previous research - YES• Rating: good• Paying: no• Enrolling: no

So what?• First ever large scale study of iTunes U learners• Personalising the stranger: information on the

type of user, what they do, and what they think• Some as expected / some surprises• Differences between subjects• Difference internal and external learners• Mobile learning• Casual learning

So what?• Replicability: difficult• Applicable to external learners from other

institutions• If you know your audience, you can make informed

decisions: design, delivery strategy• Not research: enrolment, brand, exploring new

revenue generation• Still unanswered: learning outcomes, measurable

results, engagement… • BUT DO WE NEED MORE?

Podcasting for teaching and learning

• Proliferation of resources• Personalised learning (high / low brow)• Up to date• Convenient / just in time learning• Place and pace• Low cost• BUT: digital literacy, appropriate level,

quantity, quality, format

Graciasfernando.rosell-aguilar@open.ac.uk

@FRosellAguilarPublications:

http://tinyurl.com/PubsFRosellAguilar