How to build a profitable podcast.
Educate and Elevate: Unveiling the Transformative Power of Podcasts in Learning!
Let's welcome our guest writer Nicole Hardy
The concept of podcasting has existed for around 20 years. Nevertheless, it’s only getting into full swing today. According to Statista, the number of adults in the US who are aware of podcasting has grown to 79% in 2022 from just 22% in 2006. There are more than 464 million podcast listeners worldwide, and this number is predicted to grow to 504.9 million by the end of this year. Yet, while the fast-growing culture of podcasting can already be called a global phenomenon, one thing we find especially fascinating is the adoption of this concept in the learning sector and the huge positive effects it has.
Of course, podcasting doesn’t fall into the traditional education image. However, times are changing. Podcasting is already revolutionizing the way we study, with a whopping 74% of listeners using it to learn something new. Read on, and let’s explore the massive effects of podcasts on education!
When it comes to integrating podcasts into the academic curriculum, currently, there are two types of podcasts used in the classroom – the ones created by educators for learning purposes and the ones made by students with the goal of assessing their knowledge. Let’s explore the practical application of both types.
Teachers who are turning to podcasts as an instructional tool often prefer creating custom audio content for their classroom. Lecturers can record solo, bite-sized podcasts that target specific topics, facts, or concepts. Such small podcasts are great for explaining complex concepts to students and getting them to study on the go.
Also, teachers can record full lectures in the form of podcasts. These lengthy podcast lectures can be used as a substitution for conventional classes. One of the biggest benefits of this format is that it can enable educators to save more in-class time by eliminating lectures and take advantage of this time by planning more immersive classroom activities, such as group projects, lab work, discussions, etc. The main challenge is that podcast lectures can’t be based on your typical class plan. They must be perfectly adjusted to the format to stay engaging and efficient. Often, educators use clips and slides to complement such lectures and follow them with group discussions to enhance the impact.
Lastly, lecturers can use interview podcasts with guest experts. Such podcasts can help students understand new topics, explore solutions to existing problems, and otherwise learn from industry experts, hence enhancing their own knowledge.
Apart from providing students with podcasts as a source of information, many educators are exploring the benefits of using podcasting as a type of classroom or homework project. Having students make their own podcasts is somewhat similar to assigning them to write an essay. However, there is one significant difference. While students can always ponder, “Who can I pay to write my essay?” and find professionals on writing service platforms who can undertake their tasks, they can’t do the same with podcasts. This might make the task much more challenging for students. But it can also make them more effective in terms of learning.
Creating their own podcasts requires students to do quite a lot of work:
They can handle the project individually or in groups. In any case, such a big and deep work allows deeper learning and reflection on the topic. Hence, it’s believed that such assignments can be incredibly effective and beneficial for learners.
Apart from teacher-made and student-made podcasts, there are also plenty of options available on the web. If you look up the best national podcasts on education, you will likely find tons of episodes on nearly any topic that can also be used in the classroom to enrich learning.
First and foremost, podcasts have become an excellent learning tool thanks to the flexibility and accessibility they offer. They are an engaging source of information that students can use anytime and anywhere. All they need is a device to listen to the best podcasts on education and a stable Internet connection to download them.
Moreover, one of the best things about podcasts is that they are typically free of charge. Popular streaming platforms like Spotify give users access to huge libraries of informative content at no cost. This is a big benefit for students who are often on a budget.
Secondly, podcasts positively affect the learning process by delivering a huge diversity of topics, narrative types, and formats right into students’ gadgets. Whether listening to podcasts made by their educators or fellow students or just exploring the best education podcasts on Spotify from random authors, this form of audio content can greatly enrich students’ learning. It can help them learn about new topics, as well as delve into unclear, complex topics explained in a simple manner.
Eventually, by improving learning and understanding, podcasts can boost students’ overall performance. A study of 302 students who took 14 online courses via iTunes University podcasts revealed that students who used podcasts in daily education improved their motivation, self-confidence, and performance. At the same time, most participants found podcasts an incredibly interesting form of learning materials.
When used as a classroom or homework group project, podcasting can also help students hone their collaboration skills. Studies on students who were developing podcasts for their courses in groups reveal that this activity had a strong positive effect on their learning skills, critical thinking, motivation, and collaboration.
Students who are easily distracted in the classroom often severely struggle academically. They find it hard to concentrate during long lectures and assignments, which negatively affects their ability to retain information. However, teachers who have tried using podcasts report seeing improvements in such students.
According to an educator who shared his success story of podcasting, getting students to read along with the audio content makes students extremely focused even if they used to be distracted easily before.
Additionally, providing printed scripts of podcasts enables students to look back at the learned content, clarify the points they didn’t understand in the classroom, and refine their knowledge.
Increased confidence is another tangible effect of podcasts on education and learning for students. Many educators who already adopted podcasts as learning tools prefer to assign students to listen to them as additional materials outside of the classroom. As a result, students listen to relevant podcasts before the class and feel more prepared. This boosts their self-confidence and tends to make them more willing to participate in classroom activities.
As we know, there are over 400 million active podcast listeners in the world. People of nearly all ages are consuming this form of content because it’s easily accessible, diverse, and incredibly engaging. So, when it comes to students, many of them naturally enjoy listening to podcasts, too.
This fact poses a number of important effects on education. When teachers offer students materials and activities that actually make learning fun, this significantly boosts the engagement rate. Students start enjoying studying more. As a result, they become more willing to participate. In the end, this also positively affects information retention.
Podcasts are widely used in different sectors thanks to their intimacy phenomenon. According to experts, podcasts create a very unique setting for interaction between the host and the audience. Listening to them is almost like being in the same room with the host, listening to them and laughing together. These settings create a deep emotional intimacy in the process, which provokes trust. Moreover, since podcasts are so convenient to listen to on the go, they often accompany listeners in their daily activities, which creates an even stronger bond.
The point is this – when students listen to podcasts recorded by their lecturers, they might develop a deeper trust and contact with them. This student-teacher trust is also proven to enhance learners’ motivation and academic achievement.
Even if students listen to podcasts created by someone else rather than their lecturer, it can still strengthen the contact. By offering study materials that students actually like, teachers can create a sense that they speak the same language as their learners, which also positively affects academic outcomes.
Being engaging, accessible, and flexible, podcasts create greater inclusivity in the academic sector. They can be used to enrich distant learners. Besides, they can enable slow learners to study at their own pace beyond the classroom and catch up with the program more easily. Lastly, as we said earlier, podcasts can make students who are typically easily distracted more focused and help them study better, too. As a result, this form of learning content can create an incredibly inclusive way of learning and reduce academic-related stress in students.
As you now see, the impact of podcasts on education and learning for students is enormous. From bringing more flexibility and inclusivity to the classroom to developing a better connection between students and teachers, this form of learning material can change the way students learn forever.
So, if you are an educator or a student yourself, do not miss out on this opportunity. By integrating podcasts into educational courses, we can significantly enrich the outcomes and make the process fun. It’s time to embrace the change and make a positive improvement!
