Developing a Mandarin learning podcast for flexible learning / Tan Teow Ghee, Lim Teck Heng and Chin Shuang Goh

Learning by means of mobile devices is becoming more popular. Efforts are being made in all
academic disciplines, including foreign language teaching and learning to provide learning
opportunities anywhere and anytime. This paper reports the attempt of a foreign language class
which utilized Web 2.0 tools to create a flexible learning environment which could also be used
to encourage mobile learning. The development of a series of podcasts to be used as a
supplementary tool in learning Mandarin is the main concern of this paper. The students who
were involved in this study were asked to evaluate the content and suitability of the podcasts.
They were asked to complete a set of questionnaire and some of them were also randomly
selected for an interview session. The findings showed that the use of podcasts as a learning tool
was beneficial and podcast-based learning can be implemented as one of the creative ways to
teach or learn a foreign language.