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The role of podcasting in an ESL listening strategies course 169
normalization of CALL, but more on restructuring a course to include technology as an
integral component. For the present course, the instructor created all podcasts and
assisted in the re-structuring of the course syllabus in order to facilitate the integration
of the podcasts.
4.4 The old approach
In the past, the course has been taught in a traditional classroom. The main sources of
listening input in class were the instructor and the audio cassette tapes that came with
the course textbook. Homework assignments centered around freely-available, online
sources designed for ESL listening; students could listen to passages as many times as
they wished, thereby interacting with the computer, and complete the corresponding task
or paper worksheet at their leisure. However, these assignments were rarely tied directly
to the content or the strategies that were being taught in class. Students completed the
homework in their own time, either with their own computer or in a campus computer
lab, and feedback was limited to correct/incorrect. Once students were back in class, the
homework was rarely referenced either by the teacher or by the students. The role of
technology was to provide level-appropriate input, regardless of content. While the
students and teachers attitudes were not assessed during this time, there was clearly a
disconnection between what students were doing with CALL and what was being done
in the classroom. Table 2 shows how the traditional course curriculum contained
elements from all three of Baxs stages of CALL Restricted, Open, and Integrated -
although the role of CALL is predominantly in the Restricted stage.
4.5 The new approach
The revised curriculum seeks to take advantage of the technology available to the
teachers and students in the English department
1
where the integration of technology is
seen as an important goal. Students now meet in a computer lab for each class period,
thereby minimizing the barrier between class and CALL. While the instructor and the
textbooks audio cassette tapes are still sources of input for the students in class, other
sources such as audio or video excerpts from authentic lectures, excerpts from
instructor-produced podcasts or student-produced texts, also serve as sources of input in
the classroom.
Homework assignments now center around instructor-produced podcasts (Academic
Listening Strategies Podcast, 2006) which tie closely to both the content and the
strategies taught in class. The podcasts are integrated in one of three ways: they can (i)
summarize a concept covered in class and provide examples to help students generalize
to other contexts strategies learned in class, (ii) act as a bridge between classes, building
on concepts discussed in class but also helping to prepare students for the next class, or
(iii) introduce new material that will be referenced in the next class (see Figure 1).
Because the podcasts are produced by the instructor especially for these students, they
reference activities and discussions which take place in the classroom, and expand on
1. Both authors are faculty members
A. OBryan and V. Hegelehimer 170
issues that students find especially difficult in class. In this situation, the podcasts are
treated assecondary to learning itself, and used to serve [the needs of the learners];
this is what Bax claims is the most important aspect of normalizing CALL. (Bax,
2003: 24). Table 3 shows how the revised curriculum still contains elements of all three
of Baxs stages of CALL, but the role of CALL is predominantly in the Integrative stage.
4.6 Implementation
Over fifteen weeks of instruction (two hours per week), the learners listen to fourteen
podcasts that have been designed specifically for the listening course (see the
Description column in Table 4). Of these, two are video podcasts, or vodcasts, that can
be played on either a computer or a video iPod; the remaining twelve are strictly audio
podcasts. All of the podcasts are hosted on a course weblog, and students have the
choice to listen to or view the podcasts on a computer without downloading the file,
download the podcasts to their computer or download the podcasts to their MP3 players.
Giving students a range of options regarding how they want to interact with the podcasts
is important, as not all students have personal computers or MP3 players. While the
podcasts are assigned at specific points during the semester to coincide with the topics
covered in class, all podcasts remain online and can be revisited at any time. After
listening to each podcast, students complete a task or quiz over the content in WebCT, a
course management system (CMS), in order to assess their comprehension of the
material presented in the podcasts. Such tasks or quizzes also help ensure that learners
complete the assigned podcasts, which emphasize relevant curricular points.
Students are assigned a majority of the podcasts during the first twelve weeks while
working on explicit strategy instruction in class. During the remaining three weeks,
students spend the entire class period preparing to listen, or listening, to academic
lectures. The podcasts assigned during this time serve to remind students of both
academic and general listening strategies they can use as they listen to the lectures and
take notes, as well as address any difficulties that may come up in class during this time.
In addition, students have the opportunity to review any previously assigned podcasts at
any time. It is important that the podcasts, as well as their use in class, be grounded in
second language acquisition (SLA) theory. Table 4 displays each podcasts theoretical
foundations and instructional goals (see columns Relevant SLA findings and Specific
Goals, respectively); a brief discussion of the podcasts instructional purposes follows.
4.7 Input salience
First, the podcasts reinforce strategy instruction received in class through summary,
modeling and practice. As seen in Table 4, the unit summary podcasts summarize
information about language strategies from the book and from class. Based on the
interactionist approach to SLA (Long, 1996; Pica, 1994), making input on listening
strategies salient by rephrasing key words and ideas, as well as directly repeating the
words and phrases used in the course textbook and in class, is a form of enhancing the
input (Chapelle, 2003), which can help to increase the likelihood of learners acquiring
linguistic input (op. cit.: 40), including lexical items. Chapelle (2003) points to
The role of podcasting in an ESL listening strategies course 171
Duquette, Desmarais and Laurier (1998), Kon (2002), and Smidt and Hegelheimer
(2004) as examples of CALL studies that suggested that vocabulary repeated in the
input is more likely to be acquired by the learner (op. cit.: 43). In addition, Rost (2002)
argues that [i]n order for learners to take advantage of strategy training, they need
awareness of the strategy, opportunities to see it demonstrated in actual discourse,
understanding of its potential benefits, as well as targeted practice in using the strategy
and experiencing its effects (op. cit.: 157). Extensive strategy practice can also help
students proceduralize these cognitive skills (OMalley & Chamot,1990: 193).
4.8 Enhanced input
In addition, the course podcasts allow for the provision of information in multiple
modes in order to enhance students understanding and retention of listening strategies.
Much of the research on using multiple modes of input to aid language learning and
comprehension (see Chun & Plass, 1996; DeRidder, 2002; and Jones, 2004) has been
based primarily on both the dual coding theory of memory and cognition (Paivio, 1969;
1971; 1978; 1986) as well as the generative theory of multimedia learning (Mayer,
1997; 2001). Both of these theories suggest that the minds two processing systems the
verbal system, which processes linguistic information, and the image or imagery
system, which processes perceptual information regarding objects and events and
generates corresponding mental images (Paivio & Desrochers, 1980) are thought to
function as alternative coding systems for a single piece of information (Paivio, 1969:
243). When a learner uses these two coding systems and makes referential connections
between them, they are thought to learn and retain the information better than when only
one system is utilized. By providing students with video or audio modes of input, such
as modeling note-taking or demonstrating on-line listening strategies with real examples
in a video podcast (see Table 4), students are gaining access to the same information
they may read in their book or hear in class in a different mode, which can allow for
better understanding and retention of the listening strategies.
4.9 Authenticity
Another function of the course podcasts is to give students access to outside
perspectives, whether from other language learners or professors, that stress the
importance of the strategies they are learning in class. Table 4 displays three such
podcasts (i.e. Student Interview, Outside Instructor Interview, and Interview with
Professor) offered to students in the listening class. One unique feature of delivering
content via the Web is that instructors can invite guests to speak to their students at any
time. The delivery of interviews and tips from guests in a podcast format enables
students to easily download the audio or video file, listen to it at their leisure, and keep
it for further reference later in the semester or even once they have completed the
course.
Finally, the podcasts provide examples of lectures or conversations by native and non-
native English speakers. While strategy instruction is important, language learners need
to practise putting those strategies to use and receive feedback on their developing
A. OBryan & V. Hegelehimer 172
Description Relevant SLAfindings Specific Goals
Welcome podcast Orientation to podcasting, how they Students will become
will be used in class familiar with an integral
component of the course.
Lecture excerpt Targeted practice (OMalley Additional practice on
& Chamot, 1990; Chamot & identification of lecture
Rubin, 1994; Rost 2002); introductions and cues to
(Chapelle, 2003; Rost, 2002) cues such as cues to topic
topic conclusions.
Unit 2 summary podcast Redundancy (Chapelle, 2003; Summary of strategies and
Rost, 2002) concepts covered in unit 2,
as well as examples of these
strategies in use, help make
important concepts salient.
Note-taking vodcast Demonstration (Chamot &Rubin, Demonstration of how to
shows a student taking 1994; Rost, 2002); Multiple modes visually represent relationships
notes while listening to a of input (Paivio, 1969) in their notes makes this
lecture (both a good and strategy salient and provides
a bad example) students with another mode
of input. This demonstration
will likely increase motivation
based on the SLAliterature
(i.e. Brett, 1995).
Student interview: Tips Outside perspective-other This authentic input serves to
on taking notes in class international students increase the salience of
(UW-Madison, 2006); strategies learned in class, such
Understand potential benefits of as noting key words and
strategy (Chamot & Rubin, 1994; re-reading notes immediately
Rost, 2002) after the lecture is finished, as
well as additional strategies the
interview adds, such as comparing
notes with other students.
Unit 3 summary podcast Redundancy (Chapelle, 2003) Summary of strategies and
concepts covered in unit 3, as
well as examples of strategy
use with authentic lecture
excerpts, helps make important
concepts salient and generalizable
to other contexts.
Outside instructor Outside perspective This authentic input also serves
interview: Tips on (UW-Madison, 2006); to make strategies learned in
listening to numbers and Understand potential benefits class, such as paying attention
statistics podcast of strategy (Chamot & Rubin, 1994; to word stress and using context
Rost, 2002) clues, salient.
Listen to a situation: Targeted practice (OMalley Additional practice on listening
Grocery store podcast & Chamot, 1990; Chamot & to numbers and statistics, focusing
Rubin, 1994; Rost, 2002) on listening for word stress.
Unit 4 summary podcast Redundancy (Chapelle, 2003) Summary of strategies and
concepts covered in unit 4,
as well as examples of strategy
use with authentic lecture
excerpts, helps make important
concepts salient and generalizable
to other contexts.
Table 4 Course podcasts
The role of podcasting in an ESL listening strategies course 173
listening comprehension. By receiving these lectures and conversations in a podcast
format, students can listen to them as often as they like, and instructors will be able to
use valuable class time to help students practise using strategies, and for additional
listening practice. After listening to the podcast, comprehension quizzes delivered
within the CMS will allow students to test their understanding of the lecture or
conversation as many times as they wish and receive immediate feedback.
Description Relevant SLAfindings Specific Goals
Interview with professor re: Outside perspective-other This authentic input also
organizing/giving lectures international students serves to make strategies
(UW-Madison, 2006); learned in class, such as how
Understand potential benefits of awareness help students
of lecture organization can predict strategy content,
(Chamot & Rubin, 1994; salient.
Rost, 2002)
Unit 5 summary podcast Redundancy (Chapelle, 2003) Summary of strategies and
concepts covered in unit 5,
as well as examples of
strategy use with authentic
lecture excerpts, helps make
important concepts salient
and generalizable to other
contexts.
Online-listening strategies Demonstration (Chamot & Rubin, Students will become familiar
video podcast 1994; Rost, 2002); Multiple modes with both freely available
of input (Pavio, 1969) and customized online
listening resources. Training
on how to effectively
exploit these online
resources will help students
to benefit from interaction
with online materials
encountered both in class
and in the future. In
addition, this podcast provides
students with a visual mode
of input.
General listening Provide awareness of general An introduction and review
strategies podcast listening strategies (Chamot of listening strategies, such
& Rubin, 1994; Rost, 2002) as paying attention to content
words, will help increase the
salience of these strategies.
End of semester podcast Redundancy (Chapelle, 2003) Summary of strategies and
concepts covered in the
course, as well as examples
of strategy use with authentic
lecture excerpts, helps make
important concepts salient
and generalizable to other
Table 4 Course podcasts contd
A. OBryan and V. Hegelheimer 174
4.10 Motivational appeal
In addition to the podcasts instructional goals, the instructor-produced podcasts also
serve to motivate students by given them control over the input they receive and taking
advantage of a popular technology that has potential for helping students improve their
listening comprehension. Ehrman, Leaver and Oxford (2003) cite two primary models
of motivation: intrinsic, when tasks are interesting and challenging [and] the reward is
the enjoyment of the activity itself (op. cit.: 320), and extrinsic, when grades or praise
are the reward for learning. The podcasts used in this course are likely to increase
intrinsic motivation by including both authentic texts, such as interviews with guest
speakers, as well as by embracing the motivational appeal inherent in many multimedia-
based language learning tools. Future podcasts may offer a broader selection of topics,
which Ehrman et al. (2003) feel will also contribute to increased intrinsic motivation.
Brett (1995) cites a number of advantages to using multimediabased language
learning tools, one being degree of learner control. In multimedia, and certainly online,
language learning tools, learners can often choose modes of input that cater to their
learning styles and learn about what ways of learning benefit them the most (Brett,
1995: 84). Because new podcast episodes are automatically downloaded to students
computers once they have subscribed, students can control when to listen to/watch the
episode and how often to listen to/watch it. One other advantage Brett cites is that of
motivation. In the piloting of a multimedia program, Brett found that Initial reactions
of learners suggested that the use of this program was more attractive to them than
combinations of books, tapes and videos. This may be due to the way in which
individuals can tailor their learning or may be a case of novelty, a matter for further
investigation (op. cit.: 84).
4.11 Classroom integration: unit excerpt
While Table 4 shows an overview of all of the podcasts offered to students throughout
the semester, a sample excerpt from one unit (see Table 5 for complete unit syllabus)
describes how CALL has been integrated into the syllabus. The goal of this particular
unit, which focuses on taking notes, is to provide students with strategies they can use
while listening to an academic lecture, including noting key words, using symbols and
abbreviations, and visually representing relationships in their notes. Therefore, class
discussion centers around these strategies and time is spent practising them in class. The
Notetaking vodcast that students watch in preparation for day two briefly reviews
strategies for taking notes discussed in class and in the textbook, and then shows two
students, one after the other, taking notes while listening to an authentic academic
lecture (the Spider lecture) on spider silk. After one student ends up with a good set
of notes (i.e., one where key words were written down, abbreviations were used, and
relationships were visually represented), while the other has a not so good set of notes
(i.e., the student tried to write every word and wrote in a paragraph format rather than
visually representing relationships), the learners can download both sets from WebCT
and put their notes to work as they take a short quiz over the content in the lecture. In
the next class, students are prepared to talk about the differences between effective note-
taking and ineffective notetaking. The instructor is able to launch into a discussion on
The role of podcasting in an ESL listening strategies course 175
visually representing relationships in notes and then have students practise this new skill
in class without needing to spend a substantial amount of time reviewing it.
5 Evaluation
Two important aspects which shape the degree to which CALL can be integrated into the
course are teacher attitudes and applicability to students needs (Bax, 2003; Warschauer
& Healey, 1998). While the evaluation of this project is on-going, it is worth sharing
preliminary feedback, which is collected on a continuing basis from the instructor
(through a reflective journal) and from the students in class (through structured
interviews and surveys).
One of the main benefits the instructor has reported is that the podcasts have allowed
her to extend class time. The limited contact hours (two per week) contrast with the
expressed need of students for more audio input to practise their listening skills. The
podcasts allow students to spend additional time working with the concepts taught in
class outside of class. A related advantage is the option to include portions of the
listening passages covered in class in the teacher-produced podcasts, thereby reacting
immediately to the perceived needs or difficulties of the students. This is facilitated by
the ability to narrate the podcasts to encourage students to think about how to apply the
strategies addressed in class. Thus, the students work on concepts taught in class when
they listen to the podcasts, which extends the limited class time to work on
understanding and using strategies in class. A second benefit the instructor has reported
is that through the podcasts, she is able to give the students an opportunity to gain more
exposure to different types of spoken English since some of the speakers on the podcasts
have heavier accents than others, some are native English speakers and some are
international students or non-native English speakers.
While the instructor kept a reflective journal throughout the semester, students
completed two semi-structured interviews in which they discussed both how they felt
Topic Homework (due on date assigned)
Unit 3: Key words, symbols and abbreviations Read unit 3
Unit 3: Visually representing relationships Download notes for podcast from WebCT, or get
notes in class; Watch video podcast Taking
notes during a lecture; complete quiz with the
notes you downloaded in WebCT
Taking notes: In-class Practice Review video podcast
Taking notes: In-class Practice Listen to podcast Tips on taking notes in class
Unit 3 quiz; Non-academic English Listen to Unit 3 summary podcast and watch
part 2 of the Spider lecture. Take notes, and
bring notes from video podcast and also your
notes to class
Table 5 Sample integration
A. OBryan and V. Hegelheimer 176
about using the podcasts for class and how they interacted with the podcasts. During
these interviews, students were also asked to fill out a survey ranking each podcast on a
variety of factors displayed in Table 6; any questions students had about the survey were
addressed by the researcher at that time.
2
Student interview data (see Appendix A for a
list of interview questions) in week five, after the students had listened to four podcasts,
suggests that the students viewed the podcasts as a very positive component of the course
(see Table 6). Of the four podcasts, students indicated that, on average, the Notetaking
vodcast was the most interesting, while the Unit 2 summary podcast was the least
interesting. This may be a result of the modes of information in which the material was
presented the Unit 2 summary podcast was audio only, while the Notetaking vodcast
was audio and video. In addition, the Notetaking vodcast provided a demonstration,
where the learners were watching a student taking notes as she listened to a lecture, while
the Unit 2 summary podcast contained concepts largely covered in class.
On the second survey question, how informative was the podcast, the Notetaking
vodcast again ranked highest, followed by the Lecture Cues podcast. All four of the
podcasts provided students with some degree of new information, although the
Welcome podcast and the Unit 2 summary podcast primarily reviewed and expanded on
concepts covered in class. The two that were the most informative to the students were
ones where the focus of the entire podcast was to either demonstrate how students could
put the strategies learned in class to use in an authentic situation (Notetaking vodcast),
or provide input for the students themselves to demonstrate how they could put to use
the strategies learned in class (Lecture Cues podcast). Therefore, students seemed to
Prompts Welcome SD Lecture SD Unit 2 SD Notetaking SD Total SD
podcast Cues summary vodcast
1. How 4.17 1.33 4.00 1.48 3.83 0.98 4.33 0.82 4.08 0.31
interesting?
2. How
informative? 4.00 0.89 4.17 1.73 4.00 0.63 4.67 0.52 4.21 0.55
3. How closely 4.50 0.55 4.17 1.73 4.33 0.52 4.50 0.55 4.38 0.60
tied to class?
4. How often 3.17 0.98 3.33 1.00 3.00 0.63 3.50 0.84 3.25 0.17
did you listen?
5. How much 41.67 44.35 50.83 41.89 44.17 40.05 46.67 38.82 45.8 2.41
time? (minutes)
Table 6 Survey responses. Note. The first three questions were rated on a Likert type scale, with
1 meaning not at all and 5 indicating very much so. Question 4 asked students to indicate
frequency and the last question time in minutes; N = 6
2. As stated earlier in the paper, the authors had two separate roles. While one was the primary
instructor for the course and designed the podcasts, the other conducted individual interviews
with each of the six students. We believed having students interviewed by a neutral party was
essential in obtaining honest feedback.
The role of podcasting in an ESL listening strategies course 177
feel that the podcasts with a demonstration component of some sort were more
informative than the podcasts which summarized and expanded on concepts previously
covered in class.
Interestingly, students felt that the Welcome podcast and Notetaking vodcast were
most closely tied to the course content, and the Unit 2 summary podcast did not follow
far behind. Again, the Welcome podcast and the Summary podcast were primarily
informative, as they repeated information discussed in class and expanded on it with
additional examples. The Notetaking vodcast was a demonstration of a concept covered
briefly in class before students were assigned to watch it. Only the Lecture Cues
podcast, where the focus was on an applying strategies to an actual lecture rather than
on concepts, contained completely new information. While the underlying concepts in
this podcast were the same as those practised in class listening for a series of
designated lecture cues in order to facilitate predicting content and taking notes
because the entire podcast did not focus on this directly, perhaps it was not seen to be
tied as closely to the course content as were the others. Indeed, what was tied to the
course content was not so much the material in the podcast, but the task students were
assigned after they listened to the podcast. In WebCT, where the companion website for
the course resided, students were asked to complete a written cloze activity in which
they listened to the lecture specifically for the lecture cues discussed in class and then
typed these words into the cloze box. Perhaps students were focusing more on the
material in the podcast rather than the podcast and accompanying task when ranking the
degree of connection between the podcast and the class.
The students also indicated how many times they listened to each podcast and how
much time they spent on each podcast. Interestingly, all of the students listened to each
podcast more than once. On average, students listened to the Notetaking vodcast more
frequently than the others. Again, this distinction between the more informative or
summative podcasts and the demonstrative ones is seen in the students responses.
Perhaps because of the task associated with each podcast, or perhaps because of the
actual content in the podcast, students chose to view these demonstrative podcasts more
often than the purely informative ones. Importantly, students listened to the Welcome
podcast, the first podcast which provided a brief overview of what podcasts are and how
we were going to be using them in class, more times than the Unit 2 summary podcast.
This may be because this component of the course was explained in detail and students
felt they needed to pay special attention. They may have also listened to the first podcast
more often because students wanted to make sure they were able to actually listen to the
audio file. Time of engagement with the podcast was assessed through the last question,
where the students indicated how much time they had spent (in total) listening to each of
the podcasts. This estimated time ranged from 120 minutes per podcast to 10 minutes,
resulting in the high standard deviation reported in Table 6. This table also shows that
students estimated they spent more time listening to the two demonstrative podcasts
than the two informative podcasts.
Additional anecdotal evidence suggests that the present approach appears to be
successful in integrating podcasts into the listening course. For example, one student
who initially reported not owning a portable MP3 player has purchased one and has
downloaded the podcasts to the MP3 players so he can now listen to the podcasts on the
bus, in the apartment, and before going to bed.
A. OBryan and V. Hegelheimer 178
6 Conclusion
The podcasts were viewed, overall, very positively by the students, and there were
relatively few technical problems during the implementation phase of the new syllabus.
Chiefly, some students remarked on initial technical difficulties when accessing the
podcasts. Although the small number of participants in this research (6 students and 1
instructor) is a limitation, this paper provides a detailed example of how CALL
integration might be achieved.
In reorganizing the listening course curriculum, a number of important issues were
raised, and suggestions for future research were identified. For one, the instructor needs
to be well-trained in realistic uses of CALL in the classroom, which can help to alleviate
the attitude of fear or awe that Bax (2003) sees as inhibiting normalization.
Additionally, being in a computer lab for each class period helped both the instructor
and the students bridge the gap between what goes on in class and what they are doing
outside of it. Thus, daily access to computers and multimedia files (e.g., videotaped
lectures and role plays) allows the instructor to make podcasts and CALL an integral
part of the course. Echoing Chambers and Baxs (2006) call for an illumination of ways
in which factors such as the technology, the teacher, and the setting can impact CALL
normalization, future research could investigate classroom CALL integration in settings
that are not in a computer lab each class period. In addition, because the podcasting
technology is inherently mobile, future research could look at how using MP3 players
outside of a lab setting affects the integration of podcasts into the language classroom.
Additional curricular integration research using qualitative and quantitative data can
shed light on the successful integration of this type of CALL into a study program and
inform similar efforts.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments that
helped improve the paper, as well as the Liberal Arts and Sciences Center for Online
Learning at Iowa State University for providing us with support for the creation of the
podcasts.
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Appendix A: Student Interview Questions
1. What are your strengths and weaknesses with regard to your listening ability
2. In the past, how have you approach listening comprehension how have you tried to
improve your listening comprehension? What strategies have you used?
3. What were your goals for the course before you started the course?
4. Has the content and the activities in the course helped you to achieve some of these goals?
5. How much time do you spend on this class outside of it?
6. Do you listen to the course podcasts?
7. How many times do you typically listen to them?
8. Do you listen to the podcasts even when theyre not assigned for that unit?
9. How do you listen to the podcast? For example, do you download them to your computer?
To your MP3 player? Do you pause, repeat, etc. ?
10. When and where do you typically listen to the course podcasts?
11. What do you like/dislike about the podcasts?
12. Are the 4 podcasts youve listened to informative? If so, what have you learned from
them?
13. Are the podcasts interesting? If so, why?
14. Have you noticed a relationship between class and the podcasts? What do you feel the
podcasts add to the class?
15. What kinds of listening strategies have you learned about so far?
16. How did you learn about them-in class, through podcasts, or both?
17. Are you using any of these strategies in your other classes? Which ones?
18. Do you feel that the strategies are helping you with your listening comprehension?