One hobby I have is to listen to Podcasts of my favorite radio shows.  I love the radio and my schedule is very busy.  Sometimes I miss the shows I would normally listen to.  I usually listen to some of the conservative talk shows, some stuff over at NPR, and some technology-based shows such as Technology Bytes and Web Talk Radio and others.  This is a great thing!  I sit in front of my laptop, pounding out research papers, and listening to my favorite stuff.

At Kaplan, our content is delivered via the web.  This probably applies to most, if not all online schools.  At Kaplan, the student signs into the school web site, we get our weekly assignment, take part in message boards, and get our weekly reading assignment.  Furthermore, there is a one-hour (optional) online seminar where everyone gets together to go over the coursework for the week and ask any questions they have of the instructor. 

During my associates program, the weekly online seminar was required and we were graded on our attendance and participation.  In the last two years of the degree program, the online seminar is optional.  I think this is a good idea.  I don’t usually take part in the seminars anymore because of working long hours and other obligations.   But in my experience, these seminars have been either a forum for questions that can be asked via e-mail and the answer sent to all students, or an unorganized groupthink where not much is accomplished.  Luckily I have maintained a 3.6 GPA without the need to attend these seminars. 

One thing I wish Kaplan had is a Podcast or streaming video of the professor lecturing about the weekly assignment.  An hour-long MP3 file can be as little as a few megs in size and can be downloaded quickly by those students with broadband Internet access.  Even for those students with dial-up access, it can still be downloaded in about an hour or so.  I think by doing this, the class would have more direction, students would not have as many questions, and it would add a positive aspect to the online learning process. 

There are a lot of great sites out there that offer Podcasts (including eLearners.com).  I love to have the flexibility to do what I need to do on my own time.  I think offering a Podcast would not only provide a new level of flexibility to the students, but also add to quality of the content of the coursework.  And because I am traveling a lot between Houston and Austin (a three-hour drive), I would be able to listen while I was making the drive.  What a concept!  Maybe I will make the suggestion to Kaplan. 

Does your school offer Podcasts of the weekly lecture?  Let me know.  I’d be interested.