Assessing the effectiveness of podcasts for teaching global climate change in the college classroom

Background/Question/Methods

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Environmental Studies 101: Forum on the Environment typically draws 150 to 250 students from more than 50 majors. Finding instructional materials to effectively help students of such diverse backgrounds relate to the often-foreign concepts in the environmental sciences can be a challenge. Podcasts have gained popularity as tools to better inform students, but little research has been done to determine their overall effectiveness at achieving desired learning goals. The objectives of this study were to 1) assess student preferences for using podcasts in course assignments, and 2) determine the effectiveness of podcasts in achieving course learning objectives. During spring 2007, 250 students enrolled in UW-Madison’s Environmental Studies 101 were assigned to listen to two podcasts on global climate change. Pre- and post-assignment surveys were conducted to determine changes in student podcast preferences and knowledge regarding global climate change.

Results/Conclusions Results suggest that students found podcasts to be a useful tool for learning (76%) and easy to use (86%). In addition, 84% of students reported that the podcasts in the course assignment increased their understanding of global climate change. Student learning objectives included having students understand that 1) popular media does not always portray climate change accurately, 2) scientific consensus suggests that climate change has been caused by human activity, and 3) climate change is having an effect on sea ice. In the pre-assignment survey, 16% of students agreed that the popular media portrays climate change accurately, compared to 28% in the post-assignment survey. The pre-assignment survey resulted in 88% of students agreeing that climate change has been caused by humans, compared to 94% of students in the post-assignment survey. Finally, 95% of students in the post-assignment survey agreed that scientists have shown climate change is having a major impact on sea ice. These results suggest that podcasts can be a valuable tool for helping students understand certain issues in environmental studies courses, but the choice of podcasts in course assignments is very important as indicated by an overall increase in students beliefs in the accuracy of popular media with regard to climate change. The increasing availability of podcasts on environmental topics can provide tools in the college classroom, but educators must be clear with learning objectives when choosing podcasts for course assignments.