More learning and less teaching? Students’ perceptions of a histology podcast

Abstract

The increased use of new teaching and learning technologies in higher education environments makes it possible for academic staff to meet the challenge of having to teach students who are diverse in terms of academic, social and language backgrounds. This study reports how the incorporation of podcasts to supplement visual histology learning content positively influenced students’ attitude towards the subject and improved their academic performance in the first-semester examination. It is suggested that academic staff capitalise on the potential of podcasts to supplement or replace lectures since it holds the promise of helping students to become more self-regulatory
and autonomous in preparing themselves for face-to-face sessions and for summative assessment. By showing what each of the authors brought to the process of producing the podcast, the idea is propagated that academics who choose to use technologyassisted strategies should collaborate with others who can provide technological and pedagogically oriented assistance.