Educational podcasts can be an invaluable addition to any curriculum. Their auditory component can open up learning for students who may otherwise struggle with traditional resources like videos or reading material.
Audio recording software enables educators to easily create podcasts for students' mobile devices, making it convenient to listen during a commute, workout session or while cooking dinner. Students can take advantage of podcasts' flexible nature by listening while traveling or cooking dinner!
Accessibility
Students now have greater access to educational content without being limited by campus classrooms alone. Podcasts provide convenient mobile device accessibility, enabling learning whenever and wherever it suits students' schedules - thus decreasing stress and the feeling that something important might have been missed due to time restraints.
Educators can leverage podcasts as an adjunct to lectures by interviewing experts on central or supplementary material related to their courses or fields of study. This will introduce students to the jargon and terminology associated with their subject while helping them feel closer to their lecturer, increasing engagement and motivation among them.
Students can utilize podcasts as a learning resource to craft audio narratives or interviews on topics that interest them, which helps them develop at the highest level of Bloom's Taxonomy - creation - while familiarising them with their future field of work.
Flexibility
Podcasts provide students with an effective means of exploring topics of relevance to them, whether current events, such as an earth-shattering science question or lesser-known history topic, or more personal interests like lifestyle coaching, wellness routines and productivity habits.
Comparatively, webinars focus more on interactive content that allows participants to communicate directly with presenters and other participants in real time, increasing student engagement while leading to increased conversion rates.
Educational podcasts also enable students to create their own podcasts, fulfilling Bloom's taxonomy's highest level - "creation" (Janssen & Van Toor 2023). This allows them to familiarise themselves with language and jargon found within their field of study which can increase motivation to study it further. They can use podcasts as reflective questions which lead to deeper learning and increased engagement (Yilmaz & Keser 2016). Furthermore, creating their own podcast can give students ownership over their education which can motivate further than simply watching the teacher lecturer!
Repetition
As a multi-sensory medium, podcasts allow instructors to introduce students to subject matter in multiple ways. Podcasts may serve as supplement materials to topics too broad for classroom discussion or help deepen student understanding through interviews with experts.
Podcasts can also serve to engage students in their fields by providing access to lectures recorded by lecturers or guest speakers in a particular subject matter. Coupled with good assignments like reflective questioning or discussing podcasts among classmates, podcasts may result in increased motivation and performance for both the student and instructor (Yilmaz & Keser, 2016).
Educational podcasts may not be appropriate for every topic or student; some subjects require more visual illustration, and some students might prefer text books over audio content. But with creativity and inspiration behind you, podcasts can make learning fun, engaging, and accessible to everyone.
Engagement
Podcasts provide learners who prefer learning on-the-go with an engaging learning option, enabling them to consume information in their preferred learning environments such as on a bus ride, during exercise or while doing chores around their house or at work.
Audio learning platforms also offer a more immersive experience when compared to reading text-based material, enabling learners to comprehend concepts more quickly thanks to audio format; speakers often use intonation, inflection and emphasis to further explain complex subjects more fully.
Podcasts offer more than high-quality content; they can also be an approachable means of disseminating current research findings and conference takeaways within a department or professional organization (Use Case 1). Podcasts offer an accessible way of keeping everyone informed while building teamwork and camaraderie among members. By encouraging team discussions, podcasts help develop more critical and creative thinking abilities among its listeners.
