Description
Variable speed playback, or VSP for short, allows the user to speed up or slow down audio/video without distorting the pitch. For example, if a student sets the VSP controller to 2.0, the computer will play the presentations at twice the normal rate, e.g., an hour lecture in 30 minutes.
This concept is actually over a hundred years old. In the 1880s, when the record player (or Gramophone) was first introduced, the rate of the disc could be changed by adjusting the turntable’s speed. However, the pitch would change proportionally. If the turntable were spinning at two times the normal rate, the audio of a human voice would sound very high pitched. Such pitch distortion was not only annoying but also difficult to comprehend.
Today VSP technology employs complex algorithms to change the audio rate without changing the pitch. Now the audio of a human voice sounds like the person is just talking faster.
Our CDs have an integrated VSP module built directly into the main interface of our software, allowing students to change the rate of the presentation with more efficiency.
Although VSP is a relatively new technology, we have been using it in this course for several years. Recently the New York Times asked us to comment on VSP for an article they were writing. Click the link below to read the article.
Effects on Learning VSP appears to affect the brain much like speed-reading. Students learn much faster and are less susceptible to distractions or boredom. We are finding that the brain is capable of consuming so much more information in a given amount of time than we previously thought. VSP forces students to focus on the content.
Students obviously love this feature because they can move through the material in less time with as good or better comprehension. The average student will watch the lessons at about twice the normal rate.
VSP can also slow the rate of speech to slower than real-time speeds— especially useful for students who speak English as a second language. Click the link below for the VSP demonstration of what this sounds like.
Scientific Studies We are currently associated with two independent studies of VSP technology and its impact on learning. One study is being conducted here at BYU and the other at Penn State. Initial findings substantiate what we have observed for many years: students can learn at increased rates—up to 2.5 times the normal speed—with no loss of learning. In fact, there is some evidence that comprehension actually increases at these 2.0+ rates.