You might think of podcasts as a good way to while away your commute or an accompaniment to a workout or household tasks – but have you considered using them in your teaching? As The Open University’s “Innovating Pedagogy 2023” report explains, podcasts can be a great way to deliver up-to-date information and ideas in a flexible, inclusive, informal and engaging way. Students can listen in their own time and on the go, and the use of voice and conversation can promote connection and engagement. Creating their own podcasts can help students develop their communication, critical thinking and collaboration skills (Besser, Blackwell and Saenz, 2021).
Here are three ways you could incorporate podcasts into your teaching.
1. Ask students to create podcasts
Why not incorporate podcasts into assessment tasks? For example, students could create podcasts, individually or in pairs or small groups, to communicate concepts, share their research or personal narratives or report key learnings (e.g. Bolden and Nahachewsky, 2015; Kemp, 2010; Kurniawan, 2022).
As long as the creative and technical aspects of podcast production are scaffolded and supported, podcasting can be an engaging and inclusive assessment approach which allows students to experiment with creativity and self-expression, and develop their communication and collaboration skills (Bolden and Nahachewsky, 2015; Kemp et al., 2012).
Check out NEXTUK, a QMUL series of podcasts created and hosted by students
2. Use what’s already out there
There are lots of high-quality medical and health education podcasts already available. Many of us regularly listen to podcasts to stay informed about new developments, ideas and current trends in our fields, so why not encourage our students to do the same? Incorporating these into our teaching will not only enhance our students’ learning but give them effective tools for lifelong learning.
Start by pointing students in the direction of high-quality and relevant podcasts to help them begin to navigate the genre (Berk et al.,2020a). Ask students for suggestions and recommendations too – they might have found some you are not aware of!
Lomayesva et al. (2020) recommend the following medical education podcasts:
- The Clinical Problem Solvers
- KeyLIME
- The Curbsiders
Many recognised journals also have podcasts - check out The Lancet Voice.
3. Record your own
You might also like to create your own podcast or audio-only materials for your learners. Conversation-based podcasts, such as interviews with external experts, debates, or recorded seminars, are a great way to bring external perspectives into the module and build a sense of community and belonging (Kukulska-Hulme et al., 2023; Hansch et al., 2015). You could ask a colleague to join you to discuss some of the key research or their work on one of the topics covered in your module. Inviting people working in the types of roles your students might be aiming for, to discuss how particular ideas or concepts are relevant to or used in their work, is a great way to highlight the relevance of module content and make learning more meaningful.
When deciding where to use podcasts in your teaching, it’s important to think about what you are trying to achieve. Podcasts are most effective as a complement to face-to-face, synchronous sessions or reading material, rather than a replacement for them (Abate, 2013). If students are learning something for the first time and would benefit from visual aids or need to be taking notes, podcasts are not the way to go. They can however work well for giving an initial overview of a topic (painting a picture of what is to come), reinforcing learning, helping clarify understanding, or revision (Kukulska-Hulme et al. 2023; Daniel & Woody, 2010; Luna and Cullen, 2011).
Check out Orthomasters podcast from QMUL’s Peter Bates and Kash Akhtar available on Google, Spotify, Google podcasts.
Ready to get started?
Check out the following resources to help get you started on your podcasting journey:
- The guide to academic podcasting by Copeland & McGregor (2021)
- Twelve tips for creating a medical education podcast by Berk, Watto and Williams (2020)
- Ten tips on how to make a great podcast by Siobhan McHugh (2023)
- TELT invites registrations of interest for training sessions
References
Abate, K. S. (2013). The effect of podcast lectures on nursing students’ knowledge retention and application. Nursing Education Perspectives (National League for Nursing), 34(3), 182–185. https:// doi.org/10.1097/00024776-201305000-00010
Berk, J., Trivedi, S.P., Watto, M., Williams, P. and Centor, R. (2020a), “Medical Education podcasts: Where we are and questions unanswered”, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Vol. 35 No. 7, pp. 2176–2178
Besser, E.D., Blackwell, L.E. and Saenz, M. (2021). Engaging Students Through Educational Podcasting: Three Stories of Implementation. Technology, Knowledge and Learning. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-021-09503-8.
Bolden, B., & Nahachewsky, J. (2015). Podcast creation as transformative music engagement. Music Education Research, 17(1), 17–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2014.969219
Daniel, D., & Woody, W. (2010). They hear, but do not listen: Retention for podcasted material in a classroom context. Teaching of Psychology, 37(3), 199–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/00986283. 2010.488542
Hansch, A. et al. (2015) ‘Video and online learning: Critical reflections and findings from the Field’, SSRN Electronic Journal [Preprint]. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2577882.
Kemp, J., Mellor, A., Kotter, R., & Oosthoek, J. (2012). Student-produced podcasts as an assessment tool: An example from geomorphology. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 36(1), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2011.576754
Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2023). Innovating Pedagogy 2023. [online] Innovating Pedagogy. Milton Keynes: The Open University. Available at: https://prismic-io.s3.amazonaws.com/ou-iet/4acfab6d-4e5c-4bbd-9bda-4f15242652f2_Innovating+Pedagogy+2023.pdf [Accessed 20 Oct. 2023].
Kurniawan, R. (2022). A case study utilising podcasting for educational purposes in online teacher education, Jurnal Muara Pendidikan, 7(2), Available at: https://ejournal.ummuba.ac.id/index. php/mp/article/view/996 (Accessed 08/03/23).
Lomayesva, N. L., Martin, A. S., Dowley, P. A., Davies, N. W., Olyha, S. J., & Wijesekera, T. P. (2020). Five Medical Education Podcasts You Need to Know. The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 93(3), 461–466.
Luna, G., & Cullen, D. (2011). Podcasting as complement to graduate teaching: Does it accommodate adult learning theories? International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 23(1), 40–47