Evaluating the Relationship between Naturalistic Content Acquisition Podcast Views and Course Performance

Content Acquisition Podcasts for Teachers (CAP-T) are a form of multimedia-based instruction that are supported by an empirical record of effectiveness and are grounded in Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning and accompanying instructional design principles. In this study, 162 students enrolled in an introductory course in special education were assigned to watch CAP-Ts for a variety of topics throughout the semester. Students tracked their viewings per CAP-T and self-reported the number of views during the midterm and final examinations. Researchers included clusters of questions coded to each CAP-T on the exams. Linear regression was used to predict student performance on each cluster of questions based on the number of CAP-T viewings. Results show a positive, predictive relationship between CAP-T views and performance on midterm and final exam questions overall, but some unexpected findings emerged when looking at individual subcomponents of the assessments.