Using podcasts in online learning!

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Happy New Year! 

Our Spring semester starts in two weeks. In thinking about my up coming courses, I have been taking some time over break to research podcasts that address content I cover in my classes. Whenever I have used podcasts, students always say how much they like them. They will comment in student evaluations about a podcast they listened to at the beginning of the semester . . . they remembered!! Besides remembering the podcast, they more frequently refer to the podcast in discussion groups and in papers than other additional readings I may use. Though this is just anecdotal information, it is enough to encourage you to try out podcasts in your next discussion post.

Podcast as defined by the online Merriam Webster Dictionary: 

podcast

noun

pod·​cast | \ˈpäd-ˌkast  \

Definition of podcast 

: a program (as of music or talk) made available in digital format for automatic download over the Internet

What is great about podcasts is students can listen to them anywhere after they download it to their phone, tablet, or computer. When I use podcasts, I make sure that we have either talked about in the previous class or I have questions and/or context around the podcast to give it relevance to our class, content, and the lives of my students. Students should be asked how this applies or integrates into their learning and what new questions they have after listening to the podcast. In addition to illustrating or augmenting content, podcasts are great to stimulate thought or introduce a new topic. Have students listen to a short podcast before they do the reading or listen to your lecture for the week. You can then reference the podcast throughout the week as a common point between you, your students, between students, and the relationship with content.

Using podcasts is a great way to bring in voices other than my own. Because of this, I look for people who are not middle aged white cisgender straight females. Getting other voices into our classes is essential for the quality of our courses, student learning, empowering marginalized voices, de-centering instructor authority and identity, having experts that reflect our students identities, and much more. Make sure when you are searching for podcasts that you don’t just stop at the first page of results. Look deeper for voices of the community as they often don’t appear on the first page of searches in Google or iTunes.

In addition to listening to podcasts, students can make short podcasts for assignments. The format of podcasts is that they often interview different folks on a certain topic, an audio research paper. Have students listen to a couple of podcasts and then create a short (no more than 10 minutes) one of their own. This way, students really learn from one another, and the author of the podcast is forced to get out and interact with others in the making of their podcast.

There are many more uses of podcasts in the classroom, so GIVE IT A TRY!

  • Search for podcasts that are relevant to the topic you are covering (Google, iTunes, NPR, APM, etc.)
  • When searching, see if you can find diverse or marginalized voices to tell the story.
  • Listen to the podcast and create discussion questions that integrate your course readings or previous content.
  • Post/link the podcast in your discussion and see what happens.

Make sure to account for the time it takes to listen to the podcast in your requirements for the week and be clear with students what is expected. Below I have an example of a podcast discussion post I used and a list of my favorite sources for podcasts!

Have fun and welcome to Spring 2019!

Ann Obermann

[email protected]

Example from an ethics module and linked discussion board post: 

This week for the discussion board you need to listen to: 

2018 NASW Code of Ethics (Part 2): Interview with Allan Barsky, JD, MSW, PhD

After listening, please respond to the following questions: 

  1. What types of ethical issues does texting with clients present? Give an example of why you may need to text with a client and its overall purpose in treatment? List any ethical issues you can think of that may arise in the texting interaction with your client. What safeguards would you put into place in order to follow the NASW Code of Ethics? Specifically, how would you protect yourself, your client, your agency/organization, and the profession of social work?

Podcast Ideas: