Webcasting: casting the web more widely.

In the search for a cost-effective method of delivering teaching to dispersed groups of students, webcasting is proving successful. By taking video streams and transmitting them over the Internet it allows events such as lectures, seminars, webinars and tuition sessions to be made accessible to participants in many different, remote locations. Moreover, the webcasts can be stored on a normal PC to give, those unable to see the original broadcast, the opportunity to watch it at a later, more convenient time; similarly it can be used by students for revision purposes. New developments have allowed a useful level of interactivity between presenters and students, and between students themselves. As part of a recent project at a UK dental school, webcasting was trialed amongst undergraduates and postgraduates to measure its value for dental education. The results have been very encouraging, with the latter group especially benefiting from being able to see the webcasts in their own time, on their PCs at home or work. However, as befits an ever-changing scenario, a new web-oriented facility is beginning to play a role in education: podcasting provides a more personal, individual interaction with the web.