Impact of podcasting on student motivation in the online learning environment Doris U. Bolliger a, * , Supawan Supanakorn a , Christine Boggs b a College of Education, Professional Studies, University of Wyoming,1000 E. University Avenue, Education 322, Laramie, WY 82071, USA b Outreach Credit Programs, University of Wyoming,1000 E. University Avenue, Wyoming Hall 315, Laramie, WY 82071, USA article info Article history:Ć Received 5 November 2009 Received in revised form 27 February 2010 Accepted 7 March 2010 Keywords: Distance education Media in education Multimedia Post-secondary education abstract Researchers investigated the impact of podcasting on student motivation in the online environment during fall 2008 and spring 2009. Data were collected from students enrolled in fourteen online courses at a research university in the United States. One hundred and ninety-one students completed a modified version of the Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (Keller, 2006); it has four subscales: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. Strong positive relationships between all subscales were detec- ted. Results indicate students were moderately motivated by the use of podcasts in their online courses. Statistically significant differences in student motivation based on gender, class standing, and prior online learning experience were found. Benefits of using podcasts and recommendations for improve- ment of the multimedia files were offered by users. Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The rapid growth of online distance education has implied the need to rethink delivery structures and pedagogical practices that were once appropriate (Beldarrain, 2006). Although several multimedia software programs have been utilized in the development of instruc- tional material for online courses, each type of multimedia application may offer a unique benefit to a learner. According to (Kozma, 1994), each form of media can support learning based on the capability of the medium and the methods that employ it. Historically, distance education has experienced high drop-out rates. And drop-out rates in online courses are no exception (DiRamio & Wolverton, 2006; Terry, 2001). This has been attributed to the fact that students feel the distance in distance education. The online learning environment can lack face-to-face interaction and social interaction (Carr, 2000). The fact that students feel isolated in online courses has been widely documented (Shaw & Polovina, 1999). Hanuka and Jugdev (2006) indicate that isolation and disconnectedness in the online environment may be to blame for student drop out, as well as the feeling of isolation that may lead to loss of motivation to learn (Inoue, 2007). Podcasts are recoded audio files that can be integrated in educational and training settings in order to deliver personalized content to learners in a specific course during a given semester. For example, if the instructor creates podcasts in each unit to summarize major points made by students in threaded discussions or provides reminders about deadlines or communicates updates. Podcasting is increasingly used to deliver audio recordings of lectures to students in residential college courses (Copley, 2007). These audio files are made available online so that students may download and listen to them in order to review instructional materials (e.g., lectures) outside of class at a time and place convenient to them. The integration of podcasts in fully online courses is also becoming more common. 2. Theoretical framework According to Beldarrain (2006), emerging technologies allow educators to “foster interaction and collaboration among learners” in online learning environments (p. 140). Interaction has long been considered as one of the most important factors in online student satis- faction (Bolliger & Martindale 2004). Student satisfaction is considered one of the five pillars of quality in online education (Moore, 2005). Furthermore, technologies allow educators to personalize and humanize e-Leaning by including rich media components in online courses that endeavor to engage students in active, meaningful learning (Lee, Tan, & Goh, 2004). * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 307 766 2167; fax: þ1 307 766 5638. E-mail addresses: dorisbolliger@gmail.com (D.U. Bolliger), ssupanak@uwyo.edu (S. Supanakorn), CBoggs@uwyo.edu (C. Boggs). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Computers & Education journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compedu 0360-1315/$ e see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2010.03.004 Computers & Education 55 (2010) 714e722