A podcast is a digital audio and/or video file that is available online for download or streaming. Like radio, they are typically produced as a series or as part of a show where episodes are released over a period of time at regular intervals. They are usually free and can be easily produced by anyone with access to the internet and a personal computer.
Podcasts can be very useful pedagogical tools to capture group discussion and to develop communication skills. They can help students develop writing skills through scripting and presenting research in a journalistic or editorial fashion. They can also be useful in developing creative writing skills through the production of audio plays.
To learn more about the possibilities of Podcasting please see:
- Teaching with Learner-Created Podcasts by Stevie Bell, York University
- Why a Podcast and Which sort of Podcast by Stevie Bell, York University
- What do Students think by Stevie Bell, York University
- Introduction to Podcasting by Brittany Starkman, York University Teaching Commons Webinar
- Audio production equipment (Available via the Scott Media Creation Lab)
- Audio production tools (List of "top picks" for software you can use to record, edit, and distribute audio projects.)
- Open Licence Audio Sources (List of openly licensed audio sources)
- Recording a Podcast (Choosing the right equipment, Choosing the right location, Tips for narration, Tips for Interviewing) from Humber’s Idea Lab
- Uploading a Podcast (Instructions from Humber’s Idea Lab)
- Podcasting Tips and Tricks (From HuronResearch.ca, Western University)
- Storytelling & Narrative (From HuronResearch.ca, Western University)
- Choose a recording location (LinkedIn Learning)*
- Add music to your podcast (LinkedIn Learning)*
*To Access LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda) at York, go to lil.info.yorku.ca, click the "Login" link on the right, and log in using your Passport York.
Introduction to Digital Media
Students are asked to produce a short audio documentary exploring one aspect of how digital technologies or social media are affecting the lives of college students.
AP/WRIT 1004
This course project overview involves working to produce a 20 minute podcast for the course podcast show and includes podcast assessment guidelines. (York University)
Audio Recording & Editing with Audacity & GarageBand
Lesson plan introducing audio recording, and editing with GarageBand, and Audacity, includes presentation slides, in class activities and a quiz. (University of Victoria)
Introduction to Podcasting with Audacity
Lesson plan including presenter slides and in class activities. (University of Victoria)
From Scratch Media
A platform for student produced podcasts, by Stevie Bell. (York University)
Podcast Rubric
Created for self-reflection and peer assessment, this sample rubric was created by Ann Bell (University of Wisconsin)
Georgetown Audio Assignment Rubric (Georgetown University)
Georgetown Audio Project Rubric (Georgetown University)
Hear This! Podcasts as an Assessment Tool in Higher Education
Prof. Chris Buddle, Natural Resource Sciences, writes about a podcast assignment he and his TA designed for a large undergraduate ecology class.
Bell, S. (2019). Learner-Created Podcasts: Fostering Information Literacies in a Writing Course. Canadian Journal for Studies in Discourse and Writing/Rédactologie, 29, 51-63. https://doi.org/10.31468/cjsdwr.747
Andrew J. Salvati, “Podcasting the Past: Hardcore History, Fandom, and DIY Histories”, Journal of Radio & Audio Media 22. N.2 (2015): 231-239
Sterne, J., Morris, J., Baker, M. B., & Freire, A. M. (2008). The politics of podcasting. The Fibreculture Journal, 13. Retrieved from http://thirteen.fibreculturejournal.org/fcj-087-thepolitics-of-podcasting/
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