The virtual opening of iTunes University almost two years ago means that students worldwide have access to university lectures on a variety of topics. It marks the beginning of a changed learning experience for students, who now have the ability to rewind lectures and ensure that crucial points are no longer lost in the haze of messy, hand-written notes.

In fact, a study entitled “iTunes University and the Classroom: Can Podcasts Replace Professors?” conducted by the State University of New York Fredonia found that students who attended a virtual lecture did better than those who sat in on a classroom lecture. The results found that students who listened to the podcast scored 71 percent on average, compared with 62 percent on average with those who attended the lecture in person. Those students who listened to the podcast and took notes fared even higher, with a score of 77 percent on average.

Listening to lectures online allows students to start, stop and rewind when they please, and this seems to be the determining factor in achieving higher results than sitting in on a lecture in person. The head researcher of the study, Dani McKinney, says that, “Listening passively doesn’t get anything accomplished. It’s not enough to just do rote memory and repetition”.

Darren Griffin, a geneticist and education researcher at the University of Kent in the UK, also celebrates the convenience of podcast lectures for lecturers themselves. He believes that allowing students to listen to podcast lectures enables more quality time for communication and discussion with the students.

The beauty of podcast lectures is its mobility. Students can listen to lectures using their mobile phone whilst commuting, instead of having to sit in front of their laptops. Podcast lectures make it easier for students who fall ill or have work commitments to catch up with the curriculum. They can listen to the lecture themselves and make their own notes, instead of having to rely on their friends.