Podcasts

Teaching online classes comes with challenges. Having experience with live streaming as a hobby, I assumed I would easily be able to engage students in an online class. I quickly realized that there is a difference between viewers who are choosing to be online for entertainment and students who are enrolled in an online university class. I eventually learned that I had to respect that the various reasons students choose an online class may inhibit their active participation during the class. At first, I expected students to have their cameras on and participate actively in online discussions. I was trying to force engagement, and when the level of engagement I expected did not play out, I was very frustrated with myself. I then considered what I could change that might encourage students to participate in their own way. Podcasts became my entry point and have evolved to become a key teaching and assessment tool in my online course design.

What did you change?

My online course was scheduled as a three-hour class. Knowing the challenges of staying engaged for three hours online, I decided to deliver half of the class ‘in person’ through our synchronous virtual format and the other half through a podcast. The podcast content varied but primarily provided me with a platform to:

• discuss deeper concepts in the lesson

• talk about the supplementary course book that students were reading

• review case studies and link ideas to course content

• interview people in the industry about textbook content vs. reality

Using this format, students can listen to the podcast immediately, during the last half of the class time, or at a time that works better for them. Initially, I asked students to reflect in a written response, and I found that they really disliked this. Because students were so concerned with formatting expectations and the pressures of writing conventions, the spirit of the assignment was lost. I wanted to know if the students cared about the content and if what I was providing was creating deep thinking and growth. In response, I explicitly explained the soul of the task and removed the barrier of writing. I asked them to record themselves on their phone for about three minutes, reflecting on what they learned, what they enjoyed, and what they did not like about the lesson’s delivery or topics. I asked them to tell me how the conversation with the guest might change their perspective and how this new thinking might impact them in the future. This dramatically shifted the way that the students engaged with the class.

What was the impact?

The invitation to respond to the lessons and podcasts with a video changed engagement immediately. Suddenly, students who had been mouse silent were actively engaging in thoughtful, descriptive monologues. I told them that I would never punish them for being honest. As a result, I had students express when topics inspired new connections and revised thinking about their future career and when they felt topics were boring and resulted in little impact. I appreciated and respected all this feedback, knowing it was a true window into how my instruction was influencing learning.

Student feedback was very positive. Students noted that they loved the flexibility of the podcasts, choosing to listen on the bus, during household chores, or while walking to school. Their video responses were captured everywhere. I would have students, for examples, make videos in their car after they finished listening to the podcast or while walking on campus. The reflections were so organic and so real. I loved how the students were open to engaging in this way.

What opportunities exist:

I have recently flipped the script to include an assignment where students create their own podcasts. I forced students to get a bit uncomfortable and seek out someone in industry to talk to, just like I have done in my podcasts for them. The outline is very open, and I encourage informality. The intention is to engage in a natural conversation that enlightens thinking for listeners. I upload all submissions on our Spotify account for easy access.

What stands out about this new assignment is how people in the business industry are embracing our podcast series. They love it! Podcasts are popular and an important tool for giving businesses an edge when they are building their brand. When people in the industry hear that university business students are creating a podcast series, they are very eager to be involved. Many University of Lethbridge alumni are involved as participants on the student podcasts, and I often hear how meaningful it is for them to connect with students who are in the same spot they were years ago. It builds connections in the community and often, incidentally, results in job opportunities for the student.

Because the evolution of podcasts in my course design has been so responsive to the students in the moment, I previously deleted the podcasts once the class was over. Having a clearer idea of how both my podcasts and student podcasts are being received, I am planning, moving forward, to have the podcasts held in perpetuity. Next steps will involve branding and marketing, which aligns directly with the topics in our course. By establishing our podcasts as a legitimate series, students can engage with this as more than an assignment. Student voice is held in high esteem, and they are perceived as knowledge producers which is an authentic, transferrable learning experience.

Encouraging Risk-Taking

Many students seem afraid to take risks or engage with new opportunities. There have been students who are very nervous about finding and interviewing someone they do not know. I talk with my classes about taking risks and moving out of their comfort zone. I tell them that some of the people they reach out to will say ‘no’, but someone will say ‘yes’. I assure the students that the experience will be well worth it and talk to them about how being rejected is part of marketing and sales. Because this trepidation is so common, I composed a student guide for this assignment to support students through the process. From the struggle comes fulfillment. Student feedback affirms that the interview podcast assignment is incredibly meaningful as it gives students voice and builds confidence.

What challenges exist?

This has been a learning experience for me, as well as for my students. My original system for sharing the podcasts was messy. I attempted to use Moodle to share the audio files until a student suggested I use Spotify. I assumed this would be expensive and cumbersome, but it was actually very simple and there were no financial barriers. One could choose to invest in a higher-quality microphone, which can be quite inexpensive, but most phones are perfectly suitable for this task. Most students have their own personal technology that provides easy access to the tools needed to engage with podcasts. Those who do not can find easy access in various locations like public libraries. Filtering through the many technical options for creating and using podcasts took some time but was well worth it when I see the impact it has had on student engagement.

Links:

Engaging Students Through Educational Podcasting: Three Stories of Implementation

Podcast: Clear Not Clever