Several Universities are making it easier for students to keep up, should they miss -- *cough-skip-cough* class.

John Hopkins University, Berkeley and George Washington University are just 3 of the 10 who are allowing students with iPods or any other digital music players to listen to lectures via podcasts.

For those who do not know, Podcasts are multimedia files (video and/audio) which can be distributed via internet and can be played back using computers or music players. It's a technology which most students are very familiar with.

I find it great that they are using technology to help students cope but, on the other hand, this could also affect students' sense of discipline and responsibility. With lectures on podcasts, students can do whatever they want, whenever.

I guess, Greenberg was right. "Good students will use this to supplement the class. Bad students will use it as a substitute."

source