Outcomes

In our experience, creating and using instructional pod Casts in the laboratory classroom was successful. With our small number of prototypes we have been able to more adequately prepare students for the experiments they have to perform in the laboratory. This reduces confusion for students who have little lab experience and gives the class more time to discuss the background information and implications of the topic at hand.

The student involvement in the production of these pod Casts has been rewarding for both students and instructors. Students were able to explore creative and artistic elements alongside the science. Any set of students who produced a video walked away with a far deeper knowledge and understanding of the lab than if they had done it in a traditional way using textbook instructions. Students also feel a sense of ownership and pride in the material they produce. The reward of a Power Point Presentation seen once versus a video pod Cast that will be shared with their fellow students and a broader community is readily evident.

Three aspects we wish to improve upon are:

1. Increasing student participation by creation of future pod Casts
2. Replacement of traditional Power Point presentations with more student produced pod Casts
3. Disseminating these pod Casts to the scientific and science education community as widely as possible
4. Collect and analyze further evaluations of using pod Casts in laboratory classrooms and incorporate any possible improvements into the teaching methodology.