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Podcasting for Instruction

Podcasting for Instruction

Podcasting offers faculty a dynamic and flexible way to enhance instruction, foster engagement, and extend learning beyond the classroom. By creating audio content tailored to their courses, instructors can provide students with accessible, on-demand learning experiences that support diverse learning styles and busy schedules. Podcasts can be used to deliver mini-lectures, share expert interviews, reflect on course topics, or provide supplemental material that deepens understanding. This format encourages a more personal connection with students and can help build a sense of community, especially in online or hybrid environments.

?What Is a Podcast?

A podcast is a series of digital audio episodes that can be streamed or downloaded from the internet. Podcasts are typically hosted on platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or institutional systems, and can be subscribed to using apps or RSS feeds for automatic updates. In an educational context, podcasts allow instructors to share course-related content in a format that students can access anytime, anywhere.

?What Is a Podcast Channel?

A podcast channel serves as the central hub for all episodes related to a specific course or theme. Think of it like a playlist or series where each episode builds on the last, and students can subscribe to the channel to receive new content automatically. Your channel might be named after your course title or a recurring topic you explore throughout the semester.

? Practical Uses for Faculty

Faculty can use podcasting in a variety of ways:

  • Weekly summaries  to reinforce key concepts
  • Guest interviews  with experts in the field
  • Audio feedback  on student work
  • Supplemental content  for flipped or hybrid classrooms

? Choosing the Right Tool for Podcasting

Faculty have a variety of tools available to record, edit, and publish podcasts. The best choice depends on your comfort level with technology and the complexity of your content.

?️ Recording Tools

  • Smartphones or Tablets: Great for quick recordings using built-in apps like Voice Memos (iOS) or Easy Voice Recorder (Android)
  • USB Microphones: Improve audio quality when recording on a computer
  • Digital Recorders: Useful for live lectures or field recordings

Whichever tool you choose, it’s best to keep episodes short, around 15 minutes, to match typical attention spans. Breaking content into segments helps students absorb information more effectively.

?️ Editing Software

  • Audacity  (Free): A popular open-source tool for basic editing, trimming, and noise reduction
  • GarageBand  (Mac only): User-friendly and ideal for beginners
  • Adobe Audition  (Professional, included in Creative Cloud): A robust audio editing suite with advanced features for mixing, mastering, and cleaning up recordings. Recommended for faculty producing polished or multi-track episodes

?️ Sharing Your Podcast

Once your recording is complete, you can share it with students using one of A-State’s supported platforms.

Accessibility Note: All podcast content must include a transcript or summary to meet ADA compliance.

  • Kaltura can automatically generate captions, making it a preferred option for accessibility
  • Podcast Manager and  and Canvas uploads require instructors to manually create and provide transcript

? Using the A-State Podcast Manager

The A-State Podcast Manager allows faculty to upload audio files and organize them into channels that students can subscribe to. Here's how to get started:

? Logging In
  • Go to the A-State Podcast Manager login page.
  • Use the the first part of your A-State email address  (everything before before @astate.edu) and your your campus password  to sign in.
? Creating or Managing a Channel
  • After logging in, you'll land on the the Channels list  page.
  • To create a new channel:
    • Enter a a Channel Title and  and Description  in the provided fields.
    • Click Click Create  to add the new channel.
  • To manage an existing channel:
    • Click Click Manage  next to the channel name.
    • You can update the channel’s title and description at any time.
? Sharing Your Channel
  • On the the Manage  page, you'll find the the Channel Link.
  • This link can be added to Canvas as an an External Link  so students can access all uploaded episodes in one place.
  • Through this link, studentsStudents will automatically receive new episodes through this link as they’re added—added, no need to manually download each one.
? Uploading Episodes
  • On the the Manage  page, scroll to the the Episode Listing  section.
  • Click Click Browse  to select an audio file from your computer.
  • Click Click Upload  to add the file to your channel.
⚙️ Managing Episodes

Once episodes are uploaded, you’ll see several options in the Episode Listing:

  • Delete  the file.
  • Update  the episode’s title and description.
  • Convert  the file to a 48kb/s mono MP3 format for optimized playback.
  • Get a shortcut link  for the episode:
    • One version allows the file to be downloaded.
    • The other streams the episode without download access.

? Using Kaltura

Kaltura supports both audio and video content and integrates directly with Canvas.

  • Upload your podcast file to Kaltura through My Media
  • Use the the Embed Kaltura Media  tool in Canvas to place episodes inside modules, pages, or announcements
  • Kaltura also supports captions and transcripts for accessibility

See the Kaltura Knowledge Base Page for futherfurther guidance. 

? Sharing via Canvas

Canvas makes it easy to distribute podcast episodes to students:

? Support and Resources

Need help getting started? The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) can assist with podcast setup, recording tools, and best practices.

? Location: Dean B. Ellis Library Suite 301
? Email:  cetl@astate.edu
? Phone: 870-972-2334

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