Teachers to offer lectures via podcast

14 September 2005 0:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Teachers are preparing to put downloadable lectures on the internet for $5 per lecture so students unable (read bothered) to make a lecture won't miss out.

Pick-A-Prof, an online service that allows students to anonymously review their teachers, has linked up with three advertising professors at the University of Texas at Austin to record and offer downloadable audio files titled "Coursecasts."

According to The Texan, the college's newspaper website, Half of the revenue from the downloadable lectures will goe to running the service, while the other half will go to the professors, who said that they would donate the money to the University.

"We're not looking to replace attending class," said Karen Bragg, the director of university relations for Pick-A-Prof to The Texan. "Most students will agree that you'll learn more through attending than by just listening to the lecture."

Although they have not noticed any drop in attendance, all three professors acknowledge that it's probably too soon to tell. Nonetheless, the professors will continue to administer pop quizzes to keep the students coming.

The students it seems have different ideas, with one suggesting that "I think that people will definitely start skipping classes, because it'll be easy to just think, 'Oh I'm tired, this class is early, and I can just pay five bucks and get it later.' It makes an easy out."

Full tags

Audio, Online, Podcasts