An article at Campus Technology reports that the pedagogical value of podcasts depends almost entirely on student motivation and the learning “context” of the application.

“Podcasting does not contain any inherent value,” said researcher Ashley Deal. “It is only valuable inasmuch as it helps the instructor and students reach their educational goals, by facilitating thoughtful, engaging learning activities that are designed to work in support of those goals.”

In a survey of the latest academic studies on the impact of podcasting on learning and teaching, Deal, a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, found that podcasting follows the pattern of many campus technology innovations.

“As with any educational technology, whether and how podcasting impacts the quality of the learning experience and/or educational outcomes depends largely upon how the technology is put to use,” Deal wrote.