Exploring first-year students’ perceptions and challenges of using podcasts and vodcasts to enhance academic writing skills in an ODeL institution in South Africa

Abstract

This study explored first-year students’ perceptions and challenges of using podcasts and vodcast to enhance academic writing skills. Academic writing challenges faced by first-year students at an Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL) institution in South Africa (Unix) are multifaceted. These challenges arise from insufficient writing skills developed in high school, the need to adapt to new writing standards, and limited language proficiency, especially for students who speak English as an additional language (EAL). The impact of these challenges includes higher dropout rates, increased failure rates, and delays in completing qualifications. Specific issues include understanding citation and referencing, developing the voice of the writer, producing appropriate academic text, paraphrasing, summarising, and adhering to academic writing conventions. The online nature of Unix further compounds these challenges and intensifies learning difficulties. Considering the existing gaps and challenges, this study implemented podcasts and vodcasts as supplementary tools, with the goal of decreasing transactional distance and enhancing academic writing support, for the large student population in ENG101 of approximately 18,000 students. The objectives included exploring student perceptions of using podcasts and vodcasts, identifying challenges related to accessing these resources, assessing the impact of podcasts and vodcasts on academic writing skills, and developing guidelines to leverage these tools to enhance academic writing in the module under study. This study utilised qualitative action research methodology, drawing upon Moore’s theory of transactional distance (TTD) and Garrison et al.’s community of inquiry (Col) framework. By combining these frameworks, the study aimed to facilitate collaborative online interactions and meaningful engagement between lecturers and students, culminating in the construction of new knowledge. The implementation of podcasts and vodcasts within the research design proved suitable, as it involved a pragmatic and collaborative approach to systematically explore and improve on the challenges faced by students in academic writing. Through methods such as online open-ended evaluation discussions, focus group discussions, and document analysis, the study gathered data that highlighted improvements in participants’ comprehension of academic writing skills and positive perceptions of podcasts and vodcasts, which were found to be instrumental in aiding comprehension of prescribed and recommended III | P a g e textbooks. Furthermore, these tools helped address the challenges associated with traditional study materials. The ENG101 students demonstrated improved skills in referencing, argumentation, logical organisation of ideas, adherence to grammar rules, and editing after the implementation of podcasts and vodcasts. These findings indicate that the implementation of podcasts and vodcasts has led to a reduction in transactional distance. Furthermore, they have contributed to an enhancement in the teaching, social, emotional, and cognitive presences in the module. Integrating digital multimedia files that cater to diverse learning styles and provide flexibility beyond traditional teaching styles is recommended for lecturers Furthermore, the study’s findings informed the development of guidelines to create high quality podcasts and vodcasts in the context of distance education universities