Podcasts Make You Smarter

Well, sort of. In a recent study conducted by Dani McKinney, a psychologist at the State University of New York, university students who downloaded digital lecture material fared better than students who went the traditional route- sitting in a classroom.

In a class of 64 students, half were chosen to attend lecture in person. The other half were sent home to download its podcast episode. After administering a test on the introductory psychology material, to examine how effective learning was via each method, results showed that those who attained the podcast received a 'C' average while those who attended the in-person lecture scored a 'D' average.

While it is still too early to take these results and start reformatting every college curriculum in the country, they do show some promise. We have increasingly become aware of the current shifts in styles of educational delivery and reception. In order to keep up with these shifts, it is important for those involved to adapt and apply these new methodologies to the traditional educational setting.

You can find the article here.

Learn more about what Rutgers is doing with Podcasting here.