Jacqueline Nicol and Karen Campbell Edinburgh Napier University

1. Implementation of podcasting project targeting key stages of the three year undergraduate programme Jacqueline Nicol and Karen Campbell Edinburgh Napier University

2. Learning Outcomes • Explore the merits of developing a podcasting site to provide “just in time” support to students • Appraise the strategies used to promote staff and student engagement in production and access to podcasts • Evaluate the impact of podcasting as a way of staff providing support and information to students

3. Why develop a podcasting site? • Developed as a response to the National student survey (3 year nursing students) and internal audits of the three year nursing programme • Students said they would like more support • Two other podcasting projects run in the university • Podcasts generally well received by students (Fernandez et al 2009)

4. The first step • To engage with students and staff • Focus groups held with students and staff separately • Information gathered was used to inform a variety of topics to be used in the podcast series • The undergraduate programme had 3year students, HNC joiners and those doing a shortened programme for graduates (SPG) - important that all groups had a voice

5. students and staff had different ideas The team agreed it was important that both groups could benefit from the podcast series to ensure engagement As the podcasts were to be released during the theory trimester their timetable was used as a guide to decided what topics were relevant at what time Staff viewed the podcasts as a means of giving information Students wanted information but this differed from the staff’s ideas Having previous students giving tips was deemed very useful Ensuring each group of students were represented was also crucial for engagement What did we find out?

6. What we did next • The project team developed a series of podcasts targeting the key stages of the three year undergraduate nursing programme in provision of Initial, articulating, and completing support. • The project targeted students in the September cohorts who were entering 1st, 2nd and 3rd year studies. • Topics to be included were agreed • Staff/students identified to be recorded for the series • A professional journalist was employed to record and edit podcast to give a professional and corporate feel to the podcasts. • Podbean site purchased

7. Topics chosen • Welcome message – Head of school and Jackie • Student voice – welcome • Pastoral adviser - settling in • Role of module leader - lecturer • Student voice – work/life balance • Librarian – library and referencing • Student voice – juggling - preparation for assessments • Mitigating circumstances – student affairs • Preparing for practice - Student voice and charge nurse • Role of link lecturer/practice education facilitator – 2 staff members • Essay writing skills – student support • Academic conduct – AC officer • Farewell – Jackie

8. Recording of podcasts

9. Promoting the project • The podcasts were publicised in Trimester 1 via programme and cohort leaders. • Each leader was approached by a member for the project team (JN) and asked to highlight the project to the group of students. • A standard powerpoint slide was developed to aid this process.

10. 1st year nursing students (adult): http://nursingnapier.podbean.com 2nd year nursing students (adult): http://nursingnapier2.podbean.com 3rd year nursing students (adult): http://nursingnapier3.podbean.com/ All new first year students: http://edinburghnapier.podbean.com/ All new entrants from college: http://college2uni.podbean.com/ Pastoral support Advisor Kev Head Listen to the welcome from head of School Student Voice Preparation for assessment Library and Referencing Work/life balance Additional support for learning Preparation for practice Role of link lecturer/PEF

11. Uploading Releasing Web browsers Technical trouble shooting Channels Cost Podbean site- technical aspects

12. So what do they sound like??? • Time to listen! - Welcome podcast welcome Pastoral Module leader

13. The Evaluation • Use of voting system for gathering data for 3rd year students only • Qualitative data provided by paper questionnaires • 1st and 2nd year cohorts were asked the same questions but were paper based. • Findings from the paper based questionnaire • The data was gathered in week 1 for the students preparation for practice to increase the response rate • The following slides offer a view of the questions and responses

14. Please indicate which programme you are on

15. Did you know about the podcast series

16. Please indicate which podcasts you listened to, tick all that apply

17. What have you listened to the podcasts on

18. What did you think of the technical quality?

19. What did you think of the length?

20. The podcasts were easy to access

21. Listening to the podcasts felt more personal than reading from the website

22. The podcasts were easy to understand for my stage in the programme

23. The podcasts helped me make sense of the theory trimester:

24. The podcasts were relevant to my learning / experience at university

25. I enjoyed listening to the range of podcasts

26. Please indicate which podcasts you found most relevant

27. Please indicate which podcasts you found most relevant

28. Please indicate which podcasts you found least relevant

29. Which Podcasts were most relevant? • The common themes across the 3 cohorts were: • Welcome message • Student welcome message • Essay tips • Interestingly 1st year students also clearly valued: • Work/life balance – student voice • Role of pastoral adviser • Role of module leader

30. Which Podcasts were least relevant? • The common themes across the 3 cohorts were: • The majority had not listened to the podcasts however • 3rd year students – work/life balance, student voice • 2nd year students - work/life balance, student voice • 1st year students – academic conduct

31. Make them easier to find Need a reminder to listen Had to many other things to look for! More obvious Remind students about them Not enough information about them Access Advertisement – regular emails Being played in class Prominent on portal / webCT More podcasts about placement Put all lectures on podcast Teaching refreshers Pathophysiology Anatomy Ward experience/tips Intro music too loud Suggestions on how to improve: common themes across the 3 cohorts

32. The majority of students in all 3 cohorts said YES A great support tool A change fro text format More required More description Easy listening-enjoyed them ! Only for library information Allowed you to be taught in a different way Additional clarification In preparation for exams Not really everything is online anyway Just adds more stress – something else to listen too! Do you think the podcast enhanced support during your theory trimester ?

33. The majority of students in all 3 cohorts said NO but comments included “Saw the app advertised but can’t find the app when looked for it” Would not open on my home computer. A little to long Too fast always stopped on my computer No pictures diagrams to support words. If you can’t learn through listening it is pointless! Access- “ An increasing over reliance of the university on technology which is out-with the spending power of students! I can’t pay my bills let alone afford the phone, laptop, house access to those services and am increasingly being excluded by the university reliance on this technology”. I thought it was only for ipods Would have preferred video Too much to look up on line. Napier website regularly crashes !! Are there negative aspects to podcasting ?

34. Lessons learned to inform the next run! • To ensure podcasts are advertised more effectively • All students informed about the podcast series in week one activities • Students encourage to save the link as a favourite • Module leaders in all 3 years added a link to the menu in WebCT for easy access whilst accessing module materials • Announcements put on WebCT with links • Welcome podcast played in one of the core modules for each year • All students emailed every week there was a podcast and included a link each time • PDTs all emailed and advised of the podcast series and highlighted how using/directing students to them could save time!

35. Hello It is time again for this weeks podcast – please click on the link: http://nursingnapier.podbean.com/ You may have noticed on your FONS module, Roseanne has added a link on to WebCT as another quick and easy way for you to access the weekly podcasts! See image below: Kind regards Jackie

36. Following the feedback we....... • The February/January cohorts were given access to the same podcasts using the series used for the previous September cohorts • No changes made to the content and the series was evaluated as before however, all were paper based.

37. Please indicate which programme you are on

38. Did you know about the podcast series

39. Please indicate which podcasts you listened to, tick all that apply

40. What have you listened to the podcasts on

41. What did you think of the technical quality?

42. What did you think of the length?

43. The podcasts were easy to access

44. Listening to the podcasts felt more personal than reading from the website

45. The podcasts were easy to understand for my stage in the programme

46. The podcasts helped me make sense of the theory trimester:

47. The podcasts were relevant to my learning / experience at university

48. I enjoyed listening to the range of podcasts

49. Which Podcasts were most relevant? • The common themes across the 3 cohorts were: • Welcome message • Student welcome message • Essay tips • Work/life balance – student voice • Mitigating circumstances • Any with a student voice • No time to listen to them – mainly 2nd year students • Xxxx denotes same as previous cohorts

50. Which Podcasts were least relevant? • The common themes across the 3 cohorts were: • 3rd year students – academic conduct • 2nd year students – most as did not supply any information not known • 1st year students – none