Ágúst Magnússon, Senior Teaching Faculty in Philosophy creates podcasts for his students to engage with course material differently, in ways that fit into student schedules and do not keep them tightly connected to their screens.
How does he do it? He records an audio file using Audacity (which is free to download and use online) that he deems is an easy audio recording and editing software. While the sound is fine with a basic microphone, if preferred, nice recording equipment can add a more formal and finished touch to the podcast.
What does he record? He records his hour lectures and then lightly edits them before saving the file and uploading it as an MP3 file into Canvas. The final product lives in MyMedia. He has heard from students that they like and appreciate it, and some students even find his lectures popping up via shuffle when listening to other things. The ease to engage with the content is appealing because they can fold laundry, make dinner, all while listening to the lecture.
What trips or tricks does he recommend for faculty interested in trying a podcast? He believes the strength is in the format because it is straight forward and can run on any platform. There are no instructions to the students needed, it does not require much editing on the part of the faculty, and the format appeals to students for its authenticity. He does not use a script or make it feel overly produced to maintain that sense of conversation and authentic dialogue.
For faculty interested in trying podcasts as opposed to video recorded lectures, he encourages the use of intro music to help draw in the listener. Intro music may be found in the internet archive free to use audio files – Ágúst even includes old time ad breaks (e.g. hot dog ads from drive-in movies) so that students feel like it sounds more like a podcast.
While he does also have a PowerPoint that accompanies the lecture, students are not beholden to sit in front of a computer and advance the slides. He provides audio alerts, telling students he is on slide 3, for instance, so they can either look at it before and then walk away and listen, listen and then look, or look at it at the same time. The student gets to choose what works best for them.
Lastly, he recommends creating a short welcome or introduction video at the beginning of the course so students can see his face and feel a connection before moving into the podcast recordings.
Have an innovative approach to sharing content with students you would like to share with others? Let us know at cetl@uwm.edu