Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--With a headset microphone, computer connection and the desire to expand the concept of "classroom," several Mississippi State professors are taking their lectures to cyberspace with the help of the university's information technology experts.
Podcasting, launched last year with three pilot classes, expanded this fall to 14 classes enrolling more than 1,400 students, said Kathleen Olivieri, lead consultant with MSU's information technology systems office.
Since students now can receive lectures on their MP3 media player or desktop computer, podcasting technology essentially is delivering "lectures-on-demand," she explained. Students also may review course materials more easily, she added.
"We knew we wanted to develop a system that was really simple to use and provided a teaching complement," Olivieri said. "Our goal was to create a stress-free system for faculty members, because we know their classroom time is limited."
Because existing technologies are so expensive, the campus ITS team created its own technology infrastructure, said system services manager Jay Burrell. "Faculty members are in the classroom to teach and we don't want technology to get in their way."
The MSU-developed system is based on hardware produced by Barix AG of Zurich, Switzerland. It allows faculty members to walk into a classroom, record a lecture with no additional equipment and publish to the Web automatically.
"Using commercially available products, we were able to create an all-in-one system that requires very few steps," Burrell said.
At a recent presentation in Dallas, Texas, the fully automated system created so much interest that MSU has been approached by 15 other universities requesting the custom computer codes developed to create the system. Among them are the universities of San Diego, Miami and Georgia, as well as Pennsylvania State and others.
Olivieri said "more than 300 people attended our invited presentation" at the national conference of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association working to advance education through information technology. "We were amazed at the interest."
Based on the MSU success, Barix also has featured the university in national publicity about its products, as well as on the international company's Web site.
"We are very happy to be allowed to feature Mississippi State University as a success story," said Barix chief executive officer Johannes G. Rietschel.
"The fact that MSU is a well respected and well known educational institution certainly was one factor," he observed. "In addition, MSU's team has been very technically competent and built a perfect solution based on Barix's products."
At MSU, Michael Brown, head of MSU's music department, teaches a class in the history and appreciation of music, with nearly 300 students enrolled. He is among those who began using podcasting this fall.
"I've been very committed to integrating the technology into my teaching, because I believe it's the wave of the future," Brown said. "I think it is a tool we'll continue to see grow in usefulness."
Chemistry professor Stephen C. Foster, an original user of MSU podcasting, said he's continued to participate because the ITS team "has done a fabulous job of making it easy."
Foster, who teaches an introductory class with nearly 200 students, said his students find podcasting provides a way to review lectures, check notes for accuracy and participate in additional study sessions.
"It's a great reinforcement tool," he said, adding that he will seek feedback on the teaching technique in an upcoming student survey.
Olivieri said the ITS program's ultimate goal is to enhance the overall learning experience at Mississippi State. "Students are the reason we've developed the system and students will determine its success," she said.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information, telephone Olivieri at 662-325-8800 or Burrell at 662-325-0728.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.