Podcasts More Effective Than Lecture Alone: Study

Though podcasts can’t replace actually going to class, research suggests that students who download recorded versions of lectures get better grades, Ars Technica reports. Being able to repeat tricky parts of the lecture seems key; a group that attended a lecture and downloaded it later scored 9% higher than those who just attended the lecture—and those listening more than once and taking notes did 15% better.

"It isn't so much that you have a podcast, it's what you do with it," said the study’s lead author, who isn’t urging a wholesale switch to virtual classrooms; rather, supplementing lectures with podcasts benefits students and professors, who won’t spend as much time answering repeat questions.