Podcasts and Mobile Assessment Enhance Student Learning Experience and Academic Performance

The aim of this study was to combine podcasts of lectures with mobile assessments (completed via SMS on mobile telephones) to assess the effect on examination performance. Students (n = 100) on a final year, research-led, module were randomly divided into equal sized control and trial groups. The trial group were given access to podcasts / mobile formative assessments for lectures on the module. Towards the end of the module, all students on the module completed a ‘mock’ examination on the material in the lectures. Students in the trial group who listened to podcasts of the lectures and completed mobile assessments (n = 31) performed significantly better in the formative assessment (58.1±1, mean ± S.E.M; P<0.05, Student’s t-test) than other students on the module (52.2 ± 2; n = 54). Students accessed the podcasts via iTunes (or similar software; 38%), from the institutional virtual learning environment (31%), or using a combination of the two (31%). Interestingly, only around 21% of students listened to the majority of their podcasts away from a computer. The results of this study indicate that providing supporting resources does have a positive impact on student performance.