The 2010 ASHS Annual Conference
3776:
The Impact of Audio Technology On Undergraduate Instruction in a Study Abroad Course On English Gardens
3776:
The Impact of Audio Technology On Undergraduate Instruction in a Study Abroad Course On English Gardens
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Springs F & G
Abstract. The use of digital technology in higher education can provide students with an effective supplement that enhances learning of course content outside the traditional classroom. This study investigates the effectiveness of audio podcasts as a means of disseminating course content to students in informal learning environments like public gardens and parks. The investigation is organized into three major areas: (a) student’s utilization of audio podcasts; (b) the effects of audio podcast on knowledge gain; and (c) students’ perceptions of audio podcasts.
Twenty-two undergraduate students participated in a 21-day study abroad course on the history of the English landscape, garden design, and horticulture, a course that included instruction in both the classroom and on-site at public garden locations throughout southern England. All 22 students were provided with two to four pages of written text describing key historic and horticultural information regarding 12 English gardens. Instructional audio narratives for iPod of 20-30 min duration were developed for each of these 12 historic gardens. These gardens varied substantially in overall complexity, from small gardens with limited interpretive content, to massive gardens having a very long history and more intense management philosophy. Three gardens of high, moderate, and minimal complexity were selected to test the effectiveness of these audio narratives as a supplement to classroom lecture and available written text. The students were divided into two groups of 11, with one group provided an audio narrative, and the other having audios withheld. Immediately after the site visit to each of these three gardens, all 22 students were given both a written and oral exam covering both historical and horticultural aspects of these gardens. Written exam scores differed little between audio users and non-users. However, students with the audio narratives scored significantly higher on two of the three oral exams. Rather than multiple choice questions as in the written exams, the oral exams utilized more open-ended questions that required the students to integrate course content in order to demonstrate a higher level of overall meaning. In a subsequent survey, the audio users expressed positive reactions to this learning technology, and these reactions, together with the positive learning outcomes, suggest that audio can enhance teaching effectiveness in informal learning environments like public gardens and parks.
Twenty-two undergraduate students participated in a 21-day study abroad course on the history of the English landscape, garden design, and horticulture, a course that included instruction in both the classroom and on-site at public garden locations throughout southern England. All 22 students were provided with two to four pages of written text describing key historic and horticultural information regarding 12 English gardens. Instructional audio narratives for iPod of 20-30 min duration were developed for each of these 12 historic gardens. These gardens varied substantially in overall complexity, from small gardens with limited interpretive content, to massive gardens having a very long history and more intense management philosophy. Three gardens of high, moderate, and minimal complexity were selected to test the effectiveness of these audio narratives as a supplement to classroom lecture and available written text. The students were divided into two groups of 11, with one group provided an audio narrative, and the other having audios withheld. Immediately after the site visit to each of these three gardens, all 22 students were given both a written and oral exam covering both historical and horticultural aspects of these gardens. Written exam scores differed little between audio users and non-users. However, students with the audio narratives scored significantly higher on two of the three oral exams. Rather than multiple choice questions as in the written exams, the oral exams utilized more open-ended questions that required the students to integrate course content in order to demonstrate a higher level of overall meaning. In a subsequent survey, the audio users expressed positive reactions to this learning technology, and these reactions, together with the positive learning outcomes, suggest that audio can enhance teaching effectiveness in informal learning environments like public gardens and parks.