Podcasts in our Toolkits
In the summer of 2006 weekly podcasts were added to the suite of learning materials available in the Arrive UK toolkit. Podcasts were chosen to serve a number of purposes:
- To enhance the range and register of English language listening practice material available for the students to use in a variety of ways
- To provide increased connectivity between different elements of the course
- To increase the scope for discussion activity, enhancing the etutored dimension delivered through the chat room and discussion board activity
Each podcast was made by a different speaker (university tutor or British native speaker) and presents a 3-5 minute interview or extended monologue, delivered in informal style using a radio-style format. The podcast themes take up many of the topics dealt with in the learning materials, focussing, for example, on travel stories and experiences; tutors’ tips concerning specific academic skills. Examples of podcast content include:
- An anecdotal account of an adventure after boarding the wrong train at a London railway station
- A tutor’s recommendations on the best way to approach academic reading and note-taking
The etutor set various listening comprehension tasks in relation to
the podcasts and these also formed the starting point for a number
of the discussion board activities
(e.g. students asked further questions about a podcaster’s travel
story or study tips and/or posted their own travel adventures
for each other to read and comment on).
Research into podcasting
Research into the student reaction is still in progress but early indications from student feedback collected so far and analysis of course tracking suggest that the podcasts were highly appreciated and extensively used by students. The podcasts were frequently downloaded, and students reported listening to each several times over both for the listening practice they provided as well as for their entertainment or informational value.
Student comments:
"I downloaded all podcasts"
"I listened to the podcasts several times until I can understand them"
"I downloaded the podcasts every week and put them into my Mp3 and listened to them"
"I really enjoyed the podcasts"
Various research projects are investigating the use of podcasting in education. Details of these can be found on the website of the IMPALA project, a Higher Education Academy research project into podcasting.
eLanguages Podcasting in the future
Current plans include introducing a podcast strand to all in-sessional academic skill courses being delivered online cross-campus.