< Back | Home

Houston freshman Brittani Bailey listens to her Zune as she studies for a test. The Principals of Nutrition class is releasing textbook chapters as MP3 files for students to listen to.

Students fire up MP3 players for class

By: Rachel Mehlhaff

Posted: 2/20/08

Students in the online Principles of Nutrition class will soon no longer have to read the material. They will be able to listen to it in an audio book.

It is an "alternative to having to read the text," said Priscilla Connors, an associate professor in the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management.

Connors said she got the idea about a year ago from seeing students carry their iPods at the gym.

The course has 10 chapters, and each of the chapters will be made into an audio file that can be accessed through the class' Web site. The files can be downloaded and listened to on a computer or MP3 player.

This makes it "more accessible to a wider group of students," Connors said.

It is like a podcast, but the difference is in how it is made available, said Amber Bryant, marketing specialist in the Center for Distributed Learning.

"It is the same kind of thing, but right now it is using a URL," Bryant said.

The class will begin using these audio files in the summer.

"They're completing this right now," she said. "Students will be testing this new system this semester."

Connors recruited two NT alumni to record the audio.

She said she doesn't think all students will use it. She said she believes one-third of the students will use it, though.

These audio files offer a different option for those who don't want to read the material and feel they learn better through listening.

A lot of students also commute, Connors said, and they can listen while they commute.

"I am just trying to make it so everyone can be successful," she said.

This is the first time she said she is trying to address aural learners in her class.

She said she hopes it broadens the students' ability to learn.

This program came from a request from students in past semesters. It is not the first time for a class to use audio books for a lecture, but Bryant said she thinks there is a growing trend toward this.

"I am excited to see it all coming together," Connors said.