Podcasting for eLearning: 10 things you need to know
There is no educational option more suited to meeting the needs of every individual within a cohort than eLearning, with its endless optimisation options for enhancing user experience, access to multimedia learning materials and constant innovation. Personalised learning paths, videos, infographics, we’ve all heard those mentioned before.
Have you, however, been introduced to the concept of educational podcasting within eLearning?
Here at TheLearning LAB we love podcasts as much as we love online training. They’re a fantastic way to connect with your Learners and boost their listening skills, their focus and their motivation. We are an agency dedicated to all aspects of digital training, from the construction of the platform to the nitty-gritty details to do with the exact wording of quizzes and developing personalised Learning Paths.
Side note: although our agency headquarters are based in Zurich, Switzerland, we have a global client base, so no matter where you are based - we can work with you!
Podcasts pose us no challenge; we have our dedicated specialists who are ready to work in partnership with your organisation and bring the best of your field and our knowledge together to produce an experience which will benefit everyone. Without further ado, let’s delve into 10 things you absolutely need to know about podcasting in eLearning!
1) The statistics support podcasting as an up-and-coming eLearning tool.
Figures suggest that 24% of the professional working population have listened to a podcast in the last month, which is a significant potential audience to reach out to with educational content. Podcasts were already one of the most popular forms of distributing content in 2019, and this will likely prove to be only a small stepping stone in the long run.
Podcasts educate, inform and entertain listeners in a way that is easy for users to access, memorable and doesn’t have the traditional, sometimes demotivating, feel of, e.g. pure textbook education. We think 2020 will only see the popularity increase, and at TheLearning LAB we are ready to bring our clients up to the very highest levels of eLearning success!
2) There are many user-focussed reasons to provide podcasts as part of an eLearning course.
First off, as mentioned before, podcasts make learning engaging and easy for the users. Podcasts are a highly educational format of transmitting information, with an added value over lectures where Learners are simply spoken at by an instructor. The Learner not only benefits from hearing a spoken voice present the information as though they have a face-to-face teacher, but they can also pause, rewind, re-listen and otherwise adapt the learning experience exactly to their needs. Need a break? Pause the podcast. Didn’t hear something correctly? Rewind. Digital training has never been easier or more accessible than with on-the-go podcasts!
Podcasts are also mobile-friendly, meaning your Learners can make use of their commuting time to have a listen, or sit on their balcony with their headphones in, or otherwise optimise idle time in an entirely new, motivational way. Where we are based, in Switzerland, the vast majority of people in employment use public transport to make their way to work. Being able to listen to a podcast and learn something makes that idle train time between Lausanne and Geneva pass by in a flash!
3) There are many creator-focussed reasons to provide podcasts as part of an eLearning course.
From the perspective of the organisation providing the course, or of the agency producing the course for an organisation, podcasts are a straightforward and highly usable type of learning tool. Once the basics are agreed upon, and the editorial tone and music are prepared, it becomes a comparatively simple task to continuously produce podcasts on an array of topics!
If you have a smooth-speaking podcaster or are hiring an agency to do your podcast production for you, the actual recording, editing and finalising of a podcasts turns out to be the shortest part of the process. In addition, podcasts can be produced directly by knowledgeable instructors, thus optimising their time and providing them with a straightforward platform to diffuse information and update the cohort on any recent innovations or developments.
4) If you know your stuff, podcast production is straightforward and highly lucrative.
In terms of production, once the backbone of the podcast has been decided on and the equipment and technical staff are in place, the hardest part will be identifying the right topics to create podcasts with! Luckily, this is something TheLearning LAB can help you with, too, so don’t fret. Your podcasting identity will be what gains respect and popularity!
Certain elements can be reused for each episode, such as a musical intro or sound effects. You’ll want to create an eLearning template that you can reuse to simplify your podcast production process. If you use the same script format, you can even create a basic eLearning template in which you just need to insert the new information. From time to time, don't forget to revise your existing eLearning templates and to refresh them if necessary. For example, you can update your introduction, or add a small section of tips and tricks, or branch off into two distinct topic groups with their own branding.
Keep in mind that your eLearning model is only a general outline which will have to be adapted from time to time, depending on the subject of the course! As an eLearning agency based in Geneva and Zurich, TheLearning LAB offers this service, too.
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5) Podcasts are stories; you need to plan them.
You will have to create a detailed plan, or eLearning storyboard, for each podcast. If you are creating a series, develop several plans in advance to avoid repeating yourself and to avoid producing seemingly disconnected content. Decide which topics you would like to include in each episode, then brainstorm ideas for the central topic. Not sure how to? Contact TheLearning LAB; our agency offers every possible eLearning service!
Subsequent episodes could, e.g. explore a related specific skill necessary for employees in the workplace. All of the episodes of your eLearning podcasts should flow naturally when a user listens to them in sequence. Make sure your plan contains all of the topics you will cover, and also includes some degree of audience involvement!
Asking them interesting questions or asking their opinion, encouraging them to comment on the Learners’ forum, etc. Always focus on e-coaching, you’ve got an audience willing to learn, so give them the boost they need!