Podcasting 101 for Instructors

This page is intended for use by instructors who are thinking of incorporating podcasts into their teaching but have little or no experience with the form. It answers the following basic questions:

  1. What is a podcast?

  2. How do you make a podcast?

  3. What are the elements of a podcast?

  4. How do students submit the podcast, and how do I evaluate it?

1. What is a podcast?

A podcast is a digital audio file available on the internet or specialized apps that can be downloaded or streamed online or on an app such as Spotify, Overcast, iTunes, or Podcast Addict. There are hundreds of podcasts out there, and I suggest familiarizing yourself with some of them so that you know the formats and conventions. Some are serialized, while others have standalone episodes. Some have very simple interview formats, while others are very produced (have lots of special effects). Most high-profile podcasts are part of larger families or networks: some of the big ones include Gimlet (fun, witty, hearfelt), Radiotopia (cerebral, creative, eclectic), and Wondery (entertaining, salacious). Many public broadcasters like CBC, BBC and NPR produce high-quality podcasts, often (though not exclusively!) with a newsy or public-affairs angle.

Lately, people have started using podcasts in educational settings. Podcasts can be an innovative way to introduce information to students (you can assign them instead of readings). They can also be a great way for students to showcase their learning: they involve research, writing, critical thinking, and creativity, and are also super fun and easy to make, so they can be a great alternative to more traditional writing assignments.

2. How do you make a podcast?

Making a podcast is actually very easy. At minimum, you need two things: an audio recorder, and an audio editing software.

Basic set up:

 
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You can record audio with your phone and upload it into the free software Audacity. In fact, you can even record directly into Audacity. There are more sophisticated audio softwares, but Audacity is free and many institutions will already have it installed on their computers.

More involved set up:

 
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You can record on a zoom recorder for field recordings, or a Yeti or Lavalier microphone plugged into a phone or computer. The Yeti is good if you’re at a desk. You will then upload it into either Audacity or another paid audio editor like Hindenburg.

3. What are the elements of a podcast?

If you listen to some examples, you will see that there are many different kinds of podcasts out there, and you can experiment with different formats in the classroom. You can record an audio essay, do an interview, use archival audio, or put different formats together. In general, though, your podcast episode is going to have the following elements:

  • an introduction and/or personal narration

  • archival (or already recorded) audio

  • original interviews

  • sound effects

  • music

See the resources section for links to sound effects and music online.

4. How do students submit the podcast, and how do I evaluate it?

Have the students export the podcast from Audacity as a .wav file. You can then get them either to upload to a Google Drive you create or directly into your content management system (Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard, etc.).

You will need to decide what deliverables your students will submit. Will it be just the audio, or will it be the audio + transcript? Or other transcripts of interviews they may have conducted? It’s up to you. You will then need to evaluate the podcast, which can sometimes be tricky. Generally you want to design the rubric with the learning goals in mind, and you may also want to give some grades for production quality. I have included a sample assignment and rubric in the resources section to give you an idea of what a podcast assignment could look like.