Podcasts are digital audio that you can download or stream onto a computer or mobile device. They are convenient, portable, reusable, and do not require particularly high-tech devices or connections. They are also popular. According to a 2022 Infinite Dial survey, "Seventy-three percent of the U.S. 12+ population (an estimated 209 million people) have listened to online audio in the last month, up from 68% in 2021" (Edison Research, 2022). While podcast use declined slightly in 2022, returning to pre-pandemic levels, the medium is still burgeoning, with plenty of room for further growth.
Predictably, educators have begun to incorporate podcasts into their course spaces, from K-12 to higher education and from synchronous on-ground learning to asynchronous online courses. Instructors are curating podcasts from third-party sources, creating their own, or having students produce them. This post focuses on podcasts from third-party sources to complement instructional materials; however, instructors should not discount the benefits of creating audio as a class assessment or activity. Visit our Audio-Only Content to Support Learning piece for more information on the latter.
In conjunction with these trends, a swell of research has begun to elucidate podcasts' benefits (and occasional drawbacks) as supplements to instructional materials. On the one hand, according to a systematic review of studies on the effectiveness of podcasts in education, students who listened to podcasts scored higher on assessments and reported higher levels of engagement than those who only participated in "traditional lectures”; on the other hand, one study found that "podcasts are not effective learning tools for mastery of content" and "that students who read the course text outperformed students who listened to supplemental podcasts” (Gunderson & Cumming, 2023, pp. 6–7).
Despite these shortcomings, podcasts are well-suited to supplement, complement, and enrich course content (Hennig, 2017). They can increase student motivation and engagement and reduce anxiety and cognitive load (Conroy & Kidd, 2023). But they are far from able to replace lectures and required readings. It is not surprising, therefore, that many students prefer podcasts and readings in tandem (Gunderson & Cumming, 2023).
In this post, we will focus on incorporating instructional podcasts into online, asynchronous courses at the university level, discussing advantages and recommendations for best use.
Advantages
Various adjectives crop up in studies of podcasts: versatile, portable, low-tech, efficient, reusable, and more. In the context of education, students can easily access and listen to podcasts in the car, at the gym, on a lunch break, or while doing the dishes. Moreover, since online higher education boasts a higher proportion of nontraditional students balancing family and work responsibilities with their coursework, podcasts are well-suited to assist their learning as they fulfill other responsibilities.
Podcasts also align with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, an approach to course development that "ensure[s] that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities” (CAST, 2018, para. 1). UDL is structured around three principles: engagement, representation, and action and expression. The goal of UDL is to provide as many means of engagement, representation, and action and expression as possible to accommodate the diversity of learner abilities and preferences. Because of their audio format, podcasts conveniently fulfill the aim of providing multiple means of engaging with and representing course content (Gunderson & Cumming, 2023). For example, uploading a relevant, optional article for your students is a great way to increase course relevancy. But offering an optional article and podcast allows students to engage with the content in different formats, creating a learning environment that is more amenable to students with learning disabilities and non-native speakers, all the while increasing choice, autonomy, and the diversity of perspectives in your course.
In addition, podcasts may reduce the cognitive load on students. The American Psychological Association defines cognitive load as "the relative demand imposed by a particular task, in terms of mental resources required" (American Psychological Association, n.d.). So, if a student spends significant time watching lecture content and reading required texts for a course, a podcast can provide the student a chance to take a break and change gears, all the while continuing to learn about issues, context, or supplementary ideas that keep them interested in the subject matter.
Here is a short list of other potential advantages of podcasts:
- Podcasts can extend learning beyond text and video to the auditory preferences of students (Dailey-Hebert, 2018).
- Podcasts are typically free and already created, increasing the amount of high-quality content in a course without any significant investment (Dailey-Hebert, 2018).
- They can be easily played back and repeated (Dailey-Hebert, 2018).
Recommendations
The advantages of podcasts, from affordability to portability, must be balanced with some drawbacks. To that end, below are some of the recommendations we have when introducing podcasts into your course:
- Podcasts should almost always be supplementary to required instructional content such as text readings. This is not only because students perform better when reading course texts, but because the instructor’s expertise and their own materials should be front and center in the course.
- Podcasts could consist of bonus lecture examples and stories, interviews with those experienced in the subject professionally, and other types of content that center perspectives other than those students encounter in the main course content.
- Because audio-only podcasts raise accessibility concerns, ensure that podcasts either have a transcript or that you have provided another text-based resource with the same information.
- Provide visual aids with any podcasts that attempt to communicate complex material, since podcasts tend to deliver a "passive, one-way" learning experience (Dailey-Hebert, 2018, Table 9).
- Send out an optional or extra credit podcast in a course announcement to increase the feeling of course relevancy. This is an additional opportunity to center diverse voices and perspectives on the subject matter.
- Encourage students to relax while listening to a podcast in your course. The combination of relaxation with continued exposure to your course’s subject matter can reduce their cognitive load while increasing enthusiasm for the subject.
- Consider providing platform-agnostic links when feasible. This means linking directly to the podcast's website, which will often provide access to various platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. This approach allows students to use their preferred listening platform.
Conclusion
Podcasts are engaging, low-cost resources for an online course space. They're easy to access, portable, and convenient, enriching the learning experience and increasing learner engagement and motivation while relieving anxiety and cognitive load. In addition, podcasts produced by third parties can help generate a feeling of course relevance—that your course touches on real-life topics and concerns—while introducing diverse perspectives into your instructional materials. While preferably optional, podcasts are a powerful tool you can use to build a student-centered learning experience.
References
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Cognitive load. In APA dictionary of psychology.
CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning guidelines version 2.2.
Conroy, D., & Kidd, W. (2023). Using podcasts to cultivate learner–teacher rapport in higher education settings. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 60(6), 861–871.
Dailey-Hebert, A. (2018). Maximizing interactivity in online learning: Moving beyond discussion boards. Journal of Educators Online, 15(3).
Edison Research. (2022, March 23). The Infinite Dial 2022.
Gunderson, J. L., & Cumming, T. M. (2023). Podcasting in higher education as a component of Universal Design for Learning: A systematic review of the literature. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 60(4), 1–11.
Hennig, N. (2017). Podcast literacy: Educational, accessible, and diverse podcasts for library users. Library Technology Reports, 53(2), 5–9.