lectures via iTunes?
Jeremy Smith writes that Case has been accepted into Apple's iTunes University program, which sounds exciting... as long as it doesn't mean that students stop coming to my class.
I think this is great for large lecture classes, where students might not always get a chance to ask questions. For discussion oriented classes, though, nothing can really substitute for being in the room as the discussion happens. That's why I disagree with the highlighted principle in this teaching manifesto", which asserts that professors should not force or blackmail students "into coming to class through devices such as sign-up registers, pop-quizzes, unavailability of class material in print, etc. Design the course such that students who prefer so can follow the course without attending any lectures." I would argue that the way around that dilemma, at least in classes of under 50 students or so, is simply to avoid lecturing. Instead, work on problems, discuss cases, let students ask questions... then it is worth their while to come to class, and the incentives that you give them just provide some encouragement for doing so.
Comments
Whether lectures become available on an iTunes U site at Case is still to be determined. The good news is that students at Case and around the country continue to ask for more innovative ways to gain access to learning materials. I don't believe the iTunes U project at Case (something I have been involved with from the beginning) will do anything to keep students out of the classroom. At Weatherhead we have recorded more than 5000 hours of lectures, courses, and special events using video and/or audio, and made them available via a faculty website or posting them to Blackboard. I am unaware of a single instance regarding student attendance dropping off because of this. I believe it is because the classroom experience can not be replaced by technology. Use of technology can, however, enhance the classroom experience for review, study, and clarification. iTunes U will give Case another mechanism to make content available to students in a way that they want it; be it classroom, special events, podcasts, or other ways to be determined.
Lectures on iTunes do the opposite for me: they make me want to attend class. I can and do listen to lectures & talks from all over the place. I find myself wishing I was there to ask questions, to interact.
If a class is only a lecture there was no reason for anyone to attend in the first place. One can just as easily read a book or find similar content on MIT Open CourseWare or another service. I don't think students want to pay to be lectured at, they pay for an educational experience.
To me attending class is about discussing content, debating points of view, or learning to work as teams on group projects. If class is only listening to lectures there is no reason to attend college in the first place. I can read a book and receive that same level of interactivity. To me college and classes are about the professor-student and student-student two way transactions.
George, Aaron, thanks for your comments.
I really enjoyed exploring the Stanford iTunesU site, and I can see lots of possibilities here at Case. Certainly, there are days when there are two events scheduled at once on campus, and I'd love a chance to catch up with the one I didn't attend via my iPod at my leisure! I can also see benefits for providing more insights into what's going on at Case for alumni, parents, friends, etc... and I can even envision recording a few of my class sessions. Just not every class. Some discussions flow better when students know they have to be there in person to participate, and when they don't have the angst of knowing their vocal fumblings will be captured "on tape" or "in digital" for posterity.
How exciting! I don't think it would replace attending class for students, but it would be great for staff and other faculty who want to hear a particular lecture, or for potential students trying to figure out what class to take. I listen to some of the Stanford lectures on iTunes, and while some of it is interesting, most of it makes me glad I don't have to take classes anymore. Maybe it will be a good incentive for professors to be better presenters.