podcast analysis assignment example

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Appendix C: Podcast Assignments & Examples

Assignment #1: Ethics Discussion

Prepare for a class discussion on the following issues:

• Are there “good” uses of AI in podcasting, if so, what are they?
• Do you think there are downsides to using in AI in podcasting, and if so, why?
• Since AI is built from existing data bases, do you have concerns over discrimination abuses against individuals or groups?
• Should the listener be advised that AI was used in research, preparing guest bios, doing ads, or any other aspect of producing the podcast?

This exercise could also be used for Discussion Boards, Blog Posts, Podcasts, or written papers.

Assignment #2: Podcast Listening & Deconstruct

The goal of this assignment is to familiarize students with podcast variety and production techniques.

Students should take notes and listen critically, since this is not casual listening for entertainment but to study, think about, and probe HOW a podcast is produced (meaning how it is put together). Make your analysis clear enough that it would inform someone who has not listened to the show.

See Ch. 6 on how to do a podcast deconstruction – if you study how creators put together various podcasts it will help you shape your own because you will have knowledge about a variety of creative storytelling techniques.

Select an interview, conversational, or nonfiction narrative podcast (one example in this genre is This American Life ) and listen to at least the first 20 minutes. (Do NOT include fiction podcasts, unless directed by your instructor) because they are far more complex and expensive to create.

Include a live link to the podcast episode and answer the following questions:

• Identify the podcast name and description ; explain why they do or do not match the show content you heard; describe why the podcast music and artwork (include a link to the artwork) seems appropriate and compelling or not to the topic;
• Discuss whether the content of the show is interesting or compelling by identifying what makes it so with specific examples;
• Identify the show format – how the show is constructed? Is it a single host, co-host, or roundtable? Is it an interview, talk, or nonfiction narrative-where the story is told by the host and in edited audio clips of interviews; identify the genre (crime, investigative, sports, politics, pop culture, self-help, educational, a mix?);
• How well is the technical portion of the podcast done? Think about audio quality of the podcast and about the speaking clarity and energy by hosts and guests;
• Identify one thing that you DO & one thing that you DO NOT want to imitate; if anything.

ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENT : The goal of this assignment is to familiarize students with the multitude of podcast topics available by actively listening to podcasts and critically analyzing the differences among podcasts in content, style, and production.

• Go to a podcast directory and select  two podcasts on different subjects  to listen to for at least 15 minutes.
• Go to a podcast directory and select  two podcasts on the same subject  (hopefully on a topic you expect to cover on your podcast) and listen for at least 15 minutes.
•  Write a 4-5 page critical analysis based on the following criteria:
•  Describe/critique the podcast name, description, music, and artwork;
•  How interesting or compelling is the content? Think in terms of quality, style, format, and genre;
•  How well is the technical portion of the podcast done? Think about audio quality and speaking;
•  Identify one thing from each of the four podcasts that you DO or DO NOT want to imitate.

#3: Podcast Pitch & Post

This assignment has two goals. The first is for students to make a  written pitch  for a podcast show they would like to do, with the information posted on the course Discussion Board.

The second part is to  evaluate the pitch of a classmate  with constructive criticism posted on the Discussion Board.

• Podcast Pitch : Propose a name for your podcast; describe your podcast in 10 words or less;
• Post : Review the podcast pitch of two other students and make useful comments; they may be critical, but your goal is to be helpful.

Assignment #4: Produce & Edit Podcast Open

The goal of this assignment is to create your podcast open. Use music and voiceover narration to introduce your show, edit the audio and upload them to your own free SoundCloud account. There is an audio example at the end of this exercise.

• Find and select music for your podcast open using  royalty-free tracks  or  original music,  see Ch. 11
• You will submit a  written sheet  that tells exactly where you got your music and that you have followed all copyright rules. i.e., if credit to the musician is required then signal that you intend to do that in oral credits at the end of the podcast and on your show website.
• This show open is the standard podcast open used each week, not the individual opening. It should include the  show name ,  your name  and a brief description of  what the podcast is about . You can voice the intro or have someone else do that. An example is included below.
• Lay down the  music track  on one channel and put the  voice track  on a second channel
• Edit the tracks  so you start with music at full strength, then lower the sound when the voice track comes in with the podcast show title and host. Once you have finished speaking, have the music come back up to full strength and then fade out within a few seconds.
• Export as an  MP3  audio file and send to your instructor.

{Audio Example}

Assignment #5: create & edit a sound story.

The goal of this assignment is to understand how audio storytelling differs from written text. When using sound to tell a story, the listener must be able immediately to identify the sounds being heard. The power of sound in audio storytelling crosses all languages. There is an audio example at the end of this exercise.

• Create a  short fictional audio story  of 50-to-90 seconds that uses sound effects, sounds you record, and uses only one to five words of narration.
• Edit  into an MP3 audio file, upload it to your SoundCloud account and send me the link.

In the example below, the story is that of a person walking to their car, getting in and starting the car, pulling into the street, fiddling with the radio, sighing, texting while driving, then screaming as she gets into a car accident and ends up in the hospital.

https://pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/3202/2022/06/Assignment-3-Sound-Story-1.mp3

Assignment #6: Descriptive Writing & Recording

The goal of this assignment is descriptive writing – which is what audio storytelling is all about. Write to make a scene come alive in the mind of the listener so they can imagine what’s happening from the rich detail you provide.

You will pick a historic photo and use descriptive language but without using words that explicitly tell what is in the photograph. There is an audio example at the end of this exercise.

• Select a photo  from  http://100photos.time.com/
• Research  the photo and  write  about it without telling the audience what the photo depicts. Use descriptive language with adverbs and adjectives that are strong and colorful.
• Record  what you have written, using vocal energy and clear articulation.
• Edit  into an MP3 audio file, upload it to your SoundCloud account and send your instructor the link.

https://pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/3202/2022/06/Assignment-4-Descriptive-Writing-1.mp3

Assignment #7: Deconstructing Audio Stories

The goal of this assignment is to research and analyze how audio in podcasts is used in storytelling. By carefully listening to every use of audio and looking at a story transcript (or creating a transcript yourself), you will dissect how the story was put together. Write your analysis and submit to your instructor.

Analyze NPR podcasts  that use audio beyond just interviews in their storytelling. That may include natural sound from events such as a protest rally, historical archival audio, actor dialogue, news clips, music, person-on-the-street comments, an author reading sections of their book and such.

• Listen to the  NPR podcast , “ Thoroughline ,” in an episode called “The Long Hot Summer,” from July 20, 2020.The podcast recalls the 1960s racial unrest in the context of the racial injustice protests of 2020. You can download the audio file, the transcript is  here .
• Listen to the  NPR podcast , “ Radiolab ” in an episode called “Dispatches from 1918,” broadcast July 17, 2020. You can download the audio file; I did not see a transcript.
• Identify how the story begins : Is it narration? Sound?
• What are the audio sources used and how long are they?  Is it an interview; natural sound from a public event like a protest rally; archival audio from newsreels or current news shows; music; sound effect?
• What do you notice about the writing?  Are descriptions used of what a person or event looks like; is the writing style giving straightforward information or is the style building suspense?
• What observations can you make about story structure?  Does narration last long before you hear audio or is there limited narration; are the audio clips long or short?
• How does the story end?

Assignment #8: Create & Edit a Mini-Podcast

The goal of this assignment is to create a mini-podcast, using previous assignments and putting them together with some new elements.

You will add three new elements – a narration, a bumper, and the show ending. The bumper reminds the audience of the program they are listening to and can be used to break up a long interview or to cover an edit. There is an audio example at the end of this exercise.

• This podcast pilot show begins with your  podcast open , then adds the  audio sound story;
• Make a  voice recording  of your  descriptive writing-photo story , then add that to the audio file;
• Create a  bumper  for the podcast by writing a short reminder of what the audience is listening to, for example: “You are listening to “Home Gardening Newbies’ – the show to help you develop a green thumb,” and then add that to the audio file. You could also use the name of the host.
• End your show by  thanking the audience  for listening and giving them a  call-to-action  – how to find your podcast or website. You could also tell them what the topic will be for your next episode if you know that. But every story needs an ending.

Once all of the various audio clips are edited into an  MP3  audio file, upload it to your SoundCloud account, and send your instructor the link.

https://pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/3202/2022/06/Assignment-5-The-Final-Mixdown-1.mp3

Assignment #9: Create an Original Podcast

The goal of this assignment is creation, writing, hosting, producing and editing your original podcast episode.

• Create an 8-10 minute podcast using at least one guest interview. Required elements include a show open with music, interview(s), bumper and show end.

Assignment #10: Create a Podcast Trailer

The goal of this assignment is to create an audio trailer to promote your podcast on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

• Create a :30-:50  trailer  of your podcast that showcases the best of what you have to offer.
• Free tools to create  audiograms  are outlined in  Ch. 8 , using the Headliner app. A  video tutorial  shows the process of how to do this.
• Examples  of audio (and video) trailers are included in  Ch. 9 .Assignment #10: Create a Podcast Website/Blog

Assignment #11: Create a Podcast Website

The goal of this assignment is to create a website for your podcast.

• Create a  blog  or  website  for your podcast using WordPress or another blog tool.
• Embed  the podcast audio.
• Include a host  bio ;  photo ;  contact  information;  name  &  description  of the podcast; use of the podcast artwork.
• Include a show  transcript ,  show notes ,  links  to additional resources.

Tools for Podcasting Copyright © by Jill Olmsted is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Making a Podcast That Matters: A Guide With 21 Examples From Students

This step-by-step format takes you from finding the right topic to researching, outlining and scripting, all illustrated with examples from the student winners of our previous Podcast Contests.

By Nicole Daniels and Katherine Schulten

There is no better way to understand what makes a successful submission to one of our contests than to study the work of the previous winners. And even if your students aren’t planning to send their final compositions to our competition, showing them the successful moves kids their own age have made can encourage them to experiment themselves.

That’s why we’ve gone back and listened to past winning podcasts and used them as examples for every step of the process of making your own.

What can you learn from the way one teenager interviews members of her family who have been incarcerated? From how another marks the transitions between the beginning, middle and end of his podcast about a famous April Fool’s hoax? From the way two young women have a seemingly unscripted conversation about “Their Eyes Were Watching God” on their podcast about Black writers?

We hope you’ll find many ideas here to borrow and adapt for your own work, and we hope you’ll submit it to our annual Student Podcast Contest when you’re finished.

Step I: Choose a topic.

First, make a list. What are your favorite podcasts? Do you love them because they explore a topic you’re passionate about, because you’re interested in the hosts or guests, or for some other reason?

Then, categorize your list by topic and style. Would you describe the formats of the podcasts you enjoy most as chiefly news reporting, or are they better described as interviews, conversations or storytelling?

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• Teaching Multimodal Composition

Adapting the Framework: Podcasts

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Introduction

Podcasts, sound essays, and audio essays are an increasingly popular media for storytelling, education, reporting, commentary, and more. From recent hits like Serial and S-Town, to old favorites like Radiolab and This American Life, the wide variety of podcasts available represent an exciting and approachable opportunity to integrate new types of media into the classroom. (1)

As a writing assignment, podcast composition can help students to grasp key concepts such as audience, purpose, and context; as Jennifer L. Bowie argues, podcasts prove particularly effective at helping students to find purchase in classical rhetoric, including Aristotle’s five canons (invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery). Students’ understanding of these concepts will help them not only to create better podcasts, but to develop a transferrable approach to writing in a variety of contexts.

But podcast composition involves much more than just reading an essay into a microphone. The framework below, adapted from Sweetland’s Basic Framework for Sequencing and Scaffolding Multimodal Composition Assignments , offers specific approaches to creating effective podcast composition assignments in any college-level course.

Scaffolding Your Podcast Composition Assignment

Step 1: Help students analyze model podcasts that you provide:

Whatever kind of media work you want your students to create, it’s useful to find examples of work in that media. (Both good and bad examples can be equally helpful!) Then you can guide students in identifying the features of the genre, the audience(s) it appeals to, where and how it’s used, and how it makes its points. This process helps students “reverse engineer” the models to see how they work.

The model podcasts you choose may depend on your particular assignment. In some cases, it may work best to choose a variety of models representing popular podcast genres (e.g. investigative journalism, interview, comedy, educational, radio drama).

If you are asking students to create podcasts in a particular genre (e.g., history education podcasts), you might choose multiple models within this genre (e.g. Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History and Revisionist History ) and have students compare varying approaches to similar material.

Regardless, you’ll want to offer students some basic vocabulary with which to analyze the model podcasts. As with any writing assignment, a great place to start is with a discussion of audience, purpose and context . That means asking questions such as:

Who is this podcast for, and what are the signs that it’s aimed at this particular audience? What stakes does this audience have in the content of the podcast?

What is the purpose of this podcast? Does it aim to educate, entertain, persuade?

What is the context of this podcast? Who writes/records it? How is it distributed? What similar podcasts exist, if any? How do these factors inform our analysis of this podcast’s content?

Sweetland’s resources on Supporting Multimodal Analysis offer useful concepts and vocabulary for analyzing podcasts as multimodal texts. The primary modes involved in podcast composition are:

Linguistic – word choice; delivery of spoken or written text (tone); organization into sentences, phrases, paragraphs, etc.; coherence of individual words and ideas.

Audio – music; sound effects; ambient noise/sounds; silence; tone; emphasis and accent of voice in spoken language; volume of sound.

In Navigating The Soundscape, Composing With Audio , Rodrigue and co-authors propose five “sonic strategies” applicable to podcast composition. These are music, silence, sound effects, sound interaction , and voice . For Rodrigue et al.’s “microexaminations” of these five strategies in the podcast composition process, see their excellent webtext .

Step 2: Have students find and analyze models they want to base their own projects on:

After working with students to guide them through the analysis process, let them find and analyze their own samples, with particular attention to work they want to emulate (or avoid!). Many students will arrive already familiar with podcasts—encourage them to draw on their existing knowledge, and to explore new podcasts, too!

During Steps 1 and 2: remind students that the purpose of analyzing models is to inform and inspire their own podcast compositions. Some effective activities during these steps include:

Write a how to. Working alone or in teams, have students write a set of instructions for “How to Make a Good Podcast.” Challenge them to use the vocabulary from Step 1—for example, how should aspiring podcast creators go about integrating sound effects? How should they think about the role of silence?

For each instruction in students’ “how to” manuals, have them provide examples from the model podcasts they find (or from models you present).

Example: When integrating sound effects, podcast creators should avoid overly obvious effects that simply replicate the spoken narration. At 4:55 in Model Podcast, you can hear the sound of tires squealing right after the host says “the car squealed away;” this kind of redundancy adds little to the listener’s experience.

Model the peer review process (see Step 7) by critiquing a less effective podcast. Ask students how they might improve the podcast, again challenging them to use the vocabulary from Step 1--for example, how could this podcast improve its sound interactions? Its use of silence?

Compare a podcast with another type of source that covers similar material. For example, you might compare an episode of Hardcore History about the Spanish-American War with a chapter from a history textbook on the same subject. What are the affordances and limitations of communicating information in a podcast versus a textbook? Why would a historian or educator choose to use one form instead of another?

Step 3: Provide a list of resources that students can use to seek help with technologies/platforms they’ll need to work with:

You should plan enough time for students to build competency in the technologies/platforms you are asking them to use. The ISS Media Center offers a variety of personal assistance, access to technology, and tutorials. The U of M Library’s Research Guide on Podcasting and Audio Storytelling is another great resource, aimed at students (but useful for instructors, too). Sweetland also works with students on multimodal composition projects of any kind in our Writing Workshop and Peer Writing Centers .

Step 4: Have students formally propose their projects:

Proposals provide an opportunity for students to articulate what they want to accomplish with a project as well as generate feedback from you and/or their peers. For instructors, proposals offer a chance to course-correct if students’ plans seem unviable or off-task, or to offer guidance about potential resources, strategies for success, etc. A good podcast proposal includes:

An overview of the podcast’s topic, genre, and goals (including a working thesis, hypothesis, or line of inquiry)

Students might ask themselves questions such as: what is my podcast about? Who is its audience? What similar podcasts exist, and how does mine follow/depart from the conventions of this genre? What do I hope listeners will gain from my podcast?

A plan detailing how the podcast will create and support the argument, what technologies it requires, where help with those technologies is available, and how those technologies will illuminate the research/line of inquiry

Here, you might reinforce the analytical vocabulary used in Steps 1 and 2 by prompting students to think specifically about how they will work with music, silence, sound effects, sound interaction, and voice. (While students may not have definitive answers to these questions at the proposal stage, asking them to think early and often about these specific “ sonic strategies ” and rhetorical approaches will reinforce the notion that podcasts are not simply essays read aloud!)

A justification for why and how a podcast is well-suited to the goal and audience of the project

A timeline for completion

This proposal could be formally written, and you could provide feedback in writing, in class, or in face-to-face conferences. Alternately, you could have students “pitch” their projects to the class for on-the-spot feedback.

Step 5: Have students script their podcasts:

Scripting allows students to seek and incorporate feedback before they go through the painstaking process of recording and editing their material. (As an early rough draft, writing a script is the podcaster’s equivalent of a mock-up or storyboard for a visually-based multimodal project, such as a poster or TV ad.)

The purpose and conventions of podcast script writing can vary depending on the type of podcast. An interview-based podcast might outline the basic line of questioning, but ad-lib as needed throughout the conversation. A radio drama, on the other hand, would likely have every line scripted exactly as it is to be spoken in the final recording. In either case, podcast scripts typically include some indication of other audio elements, such as music and sound effect cues.

Clearly define the script writing process with your students, again being specific about what kinds of elements, and what level of detail, their scripts should include. We recommend that podcast scripts include all text to be read or spoken during the podcast, and brief descriptions of other sounds that students plan to include.

One helpful exercise is to have students listen to a few minutes of a model podcast (ideally one that includes not just spoken text, but also other elements) and reverse engineer it as a script. Emphasize that students should not simply transcribe spoken words, but also include other cues for things like music, tone/volume of voice, extended silences, etc. In addition, a quick Google search for the type of podcast script you’d like students to create can yield many helpful examples--though you’ll also find that there’s no one right way to write a podcast script!

Step 6: Have students create rough cuts:

Rough cuts are one step further in development than scripts. Like scripts, they provide an early draft of most of the project’s basic elements, in order, but without everything yet in place. A rough cut provides what some people might call a “prototype” of the project--complete enough to understand, but still early enough to allow students to seek feedback and fine-tune their work as they go.

Note: A rough cut of a podcast will be impossible to create without engaging students with the necessary technology for recording and editing sounds. We recommend introducing this technology early in the scaffolding (see Step 3); if you haven’t yet, we recommend doing so before assigning rough cuts.

Two possible approaches to rough cuts are as follows:

Make an actual rough recording of the podcast. At this stage, students shouldn’t worry about smoothly editing in songs or sounds; depending on time and availability of equipment, they might even just read their descriptions of sounds (instead of including the actual sounds), or approximate the sounds in some other way (e.g., saying “sound of rainfall--shhhhhhhhhhhhh” as a placeholder for where they will eventually add the actual recorded sound).

Have students collect audio elements and note their place and function in their scripts. Have students create a sound library keyed to specific moments in their scripts, focusing on collecting music and sound effects rather than recording voiceover text. In this approach, the rough cut would take the form of a script and an accompanying set of audio files.

Step 7: Have students peer review each other’s scripts and rough cuts along the way:

As with any writing project, peer review of multimodal compositions can provide students with helpful insight into how their project is working, and where they may need to make adjustments.

When peer-reviewing podcasts, be specific and explicit about the form students’ feedback will take. Should students take notes as they listen, or afterwards? Should they timestamp their feedback? Should they write directly on scripts, or in a separate feedback document? If in-class peer review activities are planned, will students be able to listen to the piece they are reviewing during the class period? These questions depend on a number of factors, including class size and location.

For more on peer review, see Sweetland’s Using Peer Review to Improve Student Writing resource.

Step 8: Have students create final cuts:

Ask students to revise their podcasts, to the extent that they can, given the time and resources available, incorporating feedback they’ve received along the way.

Step 9: Assign a final reflection:

Because few students’ podcasts are likely to be at an expert level in the short time they have to create them, it can be useful to ask students to submit reflections with their final cuts. These reflections should explain and justify the rhetorical choices they made as they planned, researched, designed, executed, and revised their podcasts. In other words, this step asks students to make an evidence-based argument about what they were doing and how it met or didn’t meet their aims for the project. You can then use this reflection to inform your own assessment of their projects.

Some podcasts are presented online with supplementary materials such as behind the scenes audio clips, additional interviews, images, videos, and other forms of further reading/listening/viewing. Though these supplementary materials will likely need modification or adjustment for a classroom setting, they often model reflective practices, especially when podcast creators are interviewed or asked to discuss their creative processes. Asking students to imagine a “real world” role for their reflection in the production of their podcast can help students to feel invested in the reflection assignment.

For more on reflection, see Sweetland’s Cultivating Reflection and Metacognition resource.

Step 10: Assessment:

As Step 9 suggests, assessing multimodal composition assignments presents special challenges--are you grading based on who made the best podcast, or whose podcast best reflects the learning goals of the class? Once again, we recommend using consistent terminology throughout this 10-step process; for example, you can crowdsource evaluative criteria from students’ analyses of podcasts in Step 2, use these criteria during peer review, and then use them again in a final assessment rubric. For a broader consideration of effective multimodal assessment practices, please see Sweetland’s Some Considerations for Multimodal Assessment resource.

Further Reading

Bowie, Jennifer. “Rhetorical Roots and Media Future: How Podcasting Fits into the Computers and Writing Classroom.” Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy , vol. 16, no. 2, Spring 2012, http://technorhetoric.net/16.2/topoi/bowie/index.html

Cordulack, Evan. “Four Mistakes I Made When Assigning Podcasts.” The Chronicle of Higher Education , 18 Jul 2012, https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/four-mistakes-i-made-when-assigning-podcasts/41377 .

Rodrigue, Tanya K., et al. “Navigating The Soundscape, Composing With Audio.” Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy , vol. 21, no. 1, Fall 2016,   http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/21.1/praxis/rodrigue/index.html

(1) A note on terminology: podcasts vs. audio essays. A podcast is technically a means of distribution for a show that is “cast” (or streamed) online. Many podcases consist of one or more segments. The types of segments are often determined by the genre of the podcast; for example, a radio drama podcast might have a segment called an “audio story” or “audio fiction.” An “audio essay,” then, is a segment that its authors classify as an essay, perhaps because it includes research or makes an argument.

However, we found that many podcast creators, listeners and educators use the term “podcast” to refer to the segments or content of the podcast itself. So, for the purposes of this resource, we use the term “podcast” to refer to any kind of audio or sound essay you might have a student create.

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McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning

Podcasting assignments.

Podcasting has recently been discovered by educators as an attractive and flexible medium for class assignments. Podcasting assignments can encourage creativity, collaboration, and provide a sense of community in your course while at the same time, giving students opportunities to practice writing and presentation skills, and providing valuable experience expressing themselves through multimedia. Practically speaking, podcasting is also an attractive way to integrate technology into the curriculum because the tools involved are generally open source, easy to use, and present a very low barrier to entry.

Podcasting refers to the process of making audio recordings available online in a syndicated manner so that listeners can subscribe to podcast ‘feeds’ and be alerted when new recordings are available. While this sort of very public distribution might be appropriate for some types of digital assignments, podcasting as a course assignment more often focuses on the process of creating the podcast and in giving students opportunities to express themselves in new ways and in new media.

As with other media, podcasts can reflect many different genres. Podcasts might contain interviews, conversations, scripted audio dramas, news documentaries, or film or music reviews. Most often however,  podcasts are presented in some sort of narrative form. In this regard, storyboarding and organizing materials are often essential to creating an effective podcast. Many professional podcasts may leave listeners the impression that they are freeform and ad-libbed.  This may be true for a podcaster with many years of experience, but for students with no experience producing podcasts, a well developed script is almost essential.

In developing a podcast, attention should be paid to the listener’s experience. Being a very linear format, audio gives content producers the opportunity to lead the listener through an unfolding experience.

Learning goals

• Podcasting assignments can encourage creativity, collaboration, and provide a sense of community.
• Podcasting assignments can provide students opportunities to practice writing and presentation skills, as well as experience expressing themselves through multimedia. As a strictly linear medium, students must focus on the sequence and pacing of the presentation.
• Podcasting can be an assignment in which students are not only expressing their work in written text but also in spoken form, through music and through sound effects. This involves not only working in multimedia, but also via multiple senses.

Considerations

• Although instructors often choose to restrict access to the final student podcasts, podcasts are a medium that is meant to be distributed widely. In executing a podcasting assignment, even if those podcasts do not end up being distributed to the world, students get experience crafting arguments for a broader audience.
• Podcasts require that students pay close attention to how their story or argument is crafted. A podcast can be a variant form of a term paper, a re-expression of that paper in audio form, but simply reading a term paper into the microphone will not make for a good podcast. Students should be aware of transitions between segments, cadence, and musical interludes.

Student Preparation

Creating a successful podcast consists of skills in two quite different areas: technical and storytelling. Students will need familiarity with recording and editing audio perhaps using specialized equipment such as lapel microphones and will need some training on audio editing software. Additionally, podcasting often involves forming interview questions and scripting the podcast so that conversation flows.

Possible Tools

• McGraw Commons

Rubrics and Resources

• Podcasting, A Teaching with Technology White Paper , Eberly Center, Carnegie Mellon University Podcasts, Digital Humanities Lab, Pacific Lutheran University
• Creating a Podcast Assignment . Swarthmore College ITS Blog
• Basic Podcasting Assignment , Penn State Teaching and Learning with Technology
• Four Mistakes I Made When Assigning Podcasts , ProfHacker blog, Chronicle of Higher Education
• Sample rubric

Example Podcasting Assignments

• Email & Portal

Podcast Guide

Getting started.

• Useful Software
• Available Equipment
• For Faculty: Using Podcasts in the Classroom
• How to Access Podcasts
• Podcasts to Explore
• 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.
• Four Mistakes I Made When Assigning Podcasts Cordulack, Evan. (2012). "Four Mistakes I Made When Assigning Podcasts." ProfHacker, July 18, 2012: https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/four-mistakes-i-made-when-assigning-podcasts/41377.

Sample Assignments Using Podcasts

• Communication Studies This assignment is taken from a course at the University of Western Australia that's meant to explore the medium of podcasting and critically engages with the idea of participatory culture in either the podcast itself or its exegesis.
• 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. (This site includes an in-depth PDF file about describing the assignment.)
• Introduction to Public History Students in an Introduction to Public History course at Gettysburg College completed walking tour podcasts. The goal of each group was to explore how different people can attach radically different meanings to the same historical place.
• Interviewing the Experts: Student Produced Podcast This is a journal articles that explores podcasting. Students prepare a team-based research presentation on a topic that incorporates a student produced podcast. They produce and share a podcast in which they interview an expert or knowledgeable individual in the research topic area. By producing podcasts, students have the opportunity to research and analyze information, communicate effectively, and incorporate the opinions of experts in a cutting-edge way.

Sample Rubrics

• Podcast Rubric Created for self-reflection and peer assessment, this sample rubric was created by Ann Bell and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License.
• Getting Started with Student Podcast Assignments Riddle, Randy. "Getting Started with Student Podcast Assignments." Duke Learning Innovation, February 5, 2016: https://learninginnovation.duke.edu/blog/2016/02/getting-started-with-student-podcast-assignments/
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• Last Updated: Aug 21, 2024 7:09 PM
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