Article: Teaching and Learning with Podcasts

by Mary Young, Instructional Designer II, Learning and Educational Center

Podcasts are digital audio or video files available on the internet that cover a range of topics. These recordings are available on various platform and often consumed on a mobile device, making them available anytime, anywhere. They are versatile and can be used in various course formats across all disciplines. Whether you create them yourself or curate existing podcasts to support your course content, podcasts provide a unique way to engage students, appeal to various learning styles, and teach skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork. In this article we discuss how instructors can use podcasts to enhance teaching and learning and offer useful resources for anyone who is interested in creating their own podcast.  

Incorporate Existing Podcasts: There are numerous high-quality educational podcasts that may already exist that can complement or introduce your course content. You can select a podcast that starts with an interesting story, a question that inspires learners to think critically, or an interesting fact that resonates with students. The first step is to think about what existing podcasts might be a good fit for your learning goals. For example, the podcast, This American Life, focuses on engaging, investigative, story-based journalism on political, social, and human issues. This American Life, could be suitable for a variety of course disciplines due to its variety of topic narratives and how they could connect with listeners’ sensibilities. Another example is The Art of Mathematics, which is designed to help listeners see the importance and relatability of mathematics. For instance, in a recent episode called, “Math and the Law” Attorney Lee Kraftchick, discusses how he uses math for statistical analysis in many legal cases involving affirmative action and drawing lines for voter jurisdiction.  

Podcasts can offer a different approach to honing critical thinking skills and fostering objectivity. Some podcasts can serve as a source of intrigue for students, encouraging them to further explore STEAM subjects like science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. These podcasts typically delve into how these subjects are applied in the real world.

Interview Guest Speakers: If you are interested in creating your own podcast, consider an interview format. For example, you can invite guest speakers to be interviewed by you as the content for a podcast. This type of interview format can engage students and bring fresh perspectives and real-world insights into the classroom. In addition, it can give your students exposure to current industry trends and practices. 

Encourage Students to Create Podcasts: Podcasts can help provide students space to find their voice. There may be quiet learners who may not desire to speak in class, but they may feel comfortable enough to sit down and speak in front of a microphone. For example, a literature teacher might notice that some students are interested in writing fan fiction about well-known characters from popular works of fiction. As a result, they could be inspired to make a podcast story as an assignment that they can share with their classmates for feedback and discussion. Students could also be given the option to create a podcast episode or podcast series as an alternative to writing research papers or essays. Students can listen to or view a selected podcast episode and share comments that they found particularly interesting, thought-provoking, or significant. It might be helpful to ask them to include a time stamp with their comments so that other learners can easily find and listen to those specific comments in the episode. 

Supplement Study Material: Instructors can curate a podcast playlist or create their own podcasts to support their course content. These supplementary resources can help students learn and reinforce key concepts at their own pace. For example, instructors could create a “recap and retrieval” style podcast as an engaging technique to help students recall previous course content. Recaps are often used to help viewers remember what previously happened in serial television shows. This type of podcast could help listeners remember key moments from previous course content as short replays.  The podcast episodes might open with a friendly voiceover that says, “Previously on…” much like a TV show recap (Lom & Staynezer, 2019).  

Create a Group Project: Instructors can assign group projects where students work together to research, script, record, and edit episodes on a course-related topic. This type of teamwork can encourage communication and problem-solving skills. 

Encourage Professional Development: Instructors can guide students to podcasts that can support their professional development. For example, there are podcasts that focus on specific careers, leadership skills, and industry insights. These podcasts can provide current and work-related content to help students prepare for future career opportunities and stay informed on current trends and issues in their field. 

Resources for Creating a Podcast  

There are a few simple options for creating a podcast, but first, you will need to ensure that you have a good microphone that can deliver a clear, crisp sound. Be sure to monitor your audio while you’re recording, make sure that the sound can be heard, and the quality of the sound is suitable. For instance, if there is only one person speaking, then you could use Kaltura to record the audio. However, if you are intending on recording multiple people remotely such as a discussion or interview, then using Zoom  for recording may be a better option. Audacity is a free audio editor that is available in the NSU app store for easy download and installation. It can be used to create and edit the audio sound for your podcast.  Spotify for Podcasters (formerly known as Anchor) is also a free tool that provides unlimited free hosting. Spotify for Podcasters offers the   ability to record parts of a podcast at different times and from different individuals.  Groups of students can be assigned to collaborate as a group through Canvas. The LEC Faculty Studio is also available to faculty for recording podcasts. Students can use the Ann Porterfield Digital Media Lab in Alvin Sherman or the IDEA Lab in HPD and the TBRC Library Studio in Tampa Bay for recording podcasts.

Conclusion  

“Conversations for learning can help us to negotiate differences, understand others’ experiences, and create interpretations of the world”  (Sharples et al., 2016). Podcasts can be a fun way to get students involved and share knowledge in the classroom. Podcast assignments offer students a unique opportunity to develop their writing, collaboration, and creativity skills. The podcasting format allows students to develop strong communication skills while also exploring technology. They can also be a creative way for institutional departments to share knowledge, research, and build community. 

Resources:  

Why people listen: Motivations and outcomes of podcast listening  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8985929/T  

The Beginner’s Guide to Educational Podcasting  

https://www.codlearningtech.org/2016/06/21/the-beginners-guide-to-educational-podcasting/

References:  

Sharples, M., Taylor, J., & Vavoula, G. (2016). A theory of learning for the Mobile age. The SAGE Handbook of E-Learning Research, 63–81. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529716696.n4

Stavnezer, A. J., & Lom, B. (2019). Student-led Recaps and Retrieval Practice: A Simple Classroom Activity Emphasizing Effective Learning Strategies. Journal of undergraduate