STUDENT PERCEPTIONS ON THE NEW TEACHING METHODS FOR ENGINEERS: THE INFLUENCE OF PODCASTING ON EDUCATION

摘要

This paper presents the perceptions of engineering students who followed podcasted courses during their higher education. Podcasting is widely used in remote education, but it also benefits on-campus students because it supports flexible and personalized teaching. The first three generations of students from an international Master's degree program participated in a survey to give their impressions about the use of podcasting in their program. This preliminary survey targeted three aspects of podcasting: the format, the effect on learning experience, and the effect on student isolation. Results showed a majority of students considered recorded lectures a very helpful tool to support traditional on-campus lectures. The students appreciated the opportunity to pause and re-watch the videos to learn at their own pace. However, few students would consider a purely remote education; they felt less engaged in their education because of the lack of direct contact with teachers and peers. This highlights the importance of the social networking that happens on-site. In conclusion, the main advantage of podcasting is to compensate for the lack of individually adapted teaching in higher education. However, it will not completely replace traditional lectures without the development of both new tools to facilitate the professor-student interactions, and of teaching techniques to keep students engaged in their studies.