Podcasts are an increasingly popular tool for teaching and learning in higher education (e.g., Newman et al., 2021). These audio recordings often couple narration with sound bites, or excerpts from interviews. To date, little-to-no research has been conducted on the cognitive effects of educational podcasts. This lack of research, in combination with the structure of podcasts, begs the question: Does the use of sound bites in podcasts affect information retention?
Using the limited capacity model of mediated message processing (Lang, 2006), this study uses a between-groups experimental design to investigate if the use of sound bites affects retention of information. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three podcast groups: (1) Long sound bites, (2) Short soundbites, and (3) No sound bites. A post-test about the podcast content was administered directly after exposure to the podcast, and each participant received a score out of 10 representing the total number of correct answers. Data have been collected and the authors are currently in the process of cleaning and analyzing the data. Results will be discussed with regard to their implications in both applied and theoretical contexts.

Authors:
Emily Dolan, Slippery Rock University, United States
Brittany Fleming, Slippery Rock University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Emily Dolan is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Slippery Rock University, United States

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