This month, our guest editor is Duncan McHugh, Sessional Lecturer and Digital and Instructional Media Producer in the UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems. He shares his experience demonstrating the benefits of podcasting as a pedagogical tool for teaching and learning, and provides resources for instructors looking to use this medium in their courses.
In the last 20 years, podcasting has gone from a niche audio pursuit to new media bonanza to celebrity chat circuit. It can be tough to look past the hype.
However, if you are a devoted listener, you likely already appreciate the benefits of the podcast as a medium. Being able to listen to experts, storytellers or compelling speakers as you move throughout your day can enrich and entertain. And audio can be deeply immersive – Sound and narration can transport us to new places and into rich discussions: a theatre of the mind.
To take a step back: What exactly is a podcast? We used to have a pretty sturdy understanding. A podcast was audio on the internet, typically on a syndicated feed one could subscribe to. For the sake of our discussion here, we’ll stick to that definition, although it’s clear that video has become a part of many people’s podcast experience.
I’ve been a part of podcasting initiatives at UBC since 2005, when I started working at the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. The three main approaches of podcast I’ve heard at the university have been in the form of teaching material, student-created work, and external-facing podcasts, either in service of marketing or knowledge dissemination.
The podcasting form I’ve spent the most time with is student-created audio. In my course LFS 400: Audio Storytelling, and in workshops I’ve given to classes across campus, I’ve taught, coached and encouraged students to try podcasting for themselves. This empowers students to create and express themselves in a form some are very passionate about. They get to draw upon the work that they do at UBC and share their knowledge and passion with the world.
I have found a few common challenges for students as they get started with audio:
- Writing for the ear is very different than writing for the eye (such as essays). For the sake of those performing the script and those listening to the narration, the writing needs to be simplified. Sentences should be shorter. Avoid jargon the listener might not know. Keep it concise and conversational, none of the overstuffed writing that is designed to bulk up a word count.
- Students who are accustomed to completing their assignments with one all-nighter are in for a rude awakening. The technical demands of audio editing and the creative demands of an unfamiliar form can be difficult to rush. Scaffolding assignments can support students throughout the process. Try first assigning a smaller audio assignment, and assess their proposal and a rough draft before moving on to the final project. That will give students both an idea of how they are doing and flag any snags they might hit in their production.
- There are four tools that an audio producer can draw upon: voice, music, silence and sound. Students understand the first one well, but it can take a bit of coaxing to make use of the other three. Through examples in class, assignments and activities like soundwalks (PDF), I encourage students to think of the potential for sound to add to their work.
I was a Universal Design for Learning fellow in 2023, and it was heartening to hear how well podcasts, as course materials and assignments, can fit with a UDL approach and support student learning.
In addition to students, I’ve helped researchers and professors in the creation of podcasts as well. A few broad tips:
- Identify your audience. This is crucial for all communications, and in podcasting it will inform many of the decisions you make about your approach: tone, language, format, length, guests, etc.
- What will the scope of your podcast be? Think of the questions you’re trying to answer. Pick topics and guests that will align with that inquiry.
- Starting a podcast with no end in sight can be overwhelming. I recommend to opt for a season. Figure out what’s achievable, map out the episodes, and assess how it went when it’s done. Then, if you have to switch up your approach, it will feel more natural; it’s just what you’re doing for the new season.
- Borrow from the podcasts you enjoy. What makes you a devoted listener? What segments or style appeals to you? Pay attention to that and bring it to your work.
As for video, I still prefer my podcasts in audio form. For me, the whole point of podcasts is that I can listen while commuting or running errands or doing chores. Also, for some, being in front of a microphone can be intimidating enough as it is. Adding lights and cameras can be overwhelming and stifle conversation.
The one place where I see the real benefit of video is for promotion. Being able to clip video excerpts to post to social media is very useful for getting attention to your podcast. Is it worth recording an entire conversation, and all the technical headaches that go along with that much video production? I’m not sure. The approach I’d take would be to record a quick video teaser with my guest for the purpose of posting to social media platforms, but with the intent of driving potential listeners to the audio podcast.
Additional resources
Introduction to audio and podcasting workshop
This is the condensed three-hour version of the 13-week course that I teach, LFS 400: Audio Storytelling. I try to touch on everything that you or your students would need to get started. I lead this workshop in-person every now and then as part of the Do-It-Yourself Media Series, a series of workshops run by the Digital Media Community of Practice.
UBC Community Engagement: How the Nuxalk Nation Is Working with UBC’s Museum of Anthropology to Host the First-Ever Exhibit of Their People
Oliver Mann was with the Office of Community Engagement when he produced this podcast, and it’s an excellent example of both sharing knowledge and supporting audio with documentation and a transcript. He deservedly won a President’s Award for this work.
UBC Farm Podcast: Growing a Farm: The 20-year Journey of the UBC Farm
This two-part podcast made by Anisha Sandhu and produced by Melanie Kuxdorf does a great job of weaving together many different voices and as it covers 20 years of history.
UBC Medicine Learning Network Podcasts
Led by Stephen Gillis, the UBC Medicine Learning Network is a remarkable example of how academic podcasting can be done at scale, publishing six high-quality podcasts.
Transom
Transom is a public radio training institute based in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. I’ve learned so much from their online resources and Sound School podcast. All Hear is their monthly newsletter covering funding opportunities and conferences in audio storytelling.
The Podcast Studies Podcast: Scholarly Podcasting: Why, What, How? with Ian M. Cook
A podcast interview with Ian M. Cook, the author of Scholarly Podcasting: Why, What, How?
Amplify Podcast Network
A SSHRC-funded collaboration between Wilfred Laurier University and SFU led by Dr Hannah McGregor and Dr Stacy Copeland to support, develop and promote scholarly podcasting.
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