Campus Pack Podcast good practice guide

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The Campus Pack Podcast tool allows tutors to add video or audio podcasts to their Blackboard courses for students to use in learning outside the classroom. The term 'podcast' can refer to any type of audio or video file made available on line, but usually refers specifically to audio or video content that is 'pushed' out to listeners via some type of feed. See the short Common Craft video clip Podcasting in Plain English fior a concise explanation of the principle of podcasting.

There are many uses of podcasting that go far beyond recording lectures and posting them online. The list below gives just a sampling of possible ideas:

• News flashes about recent developments in the subject area
• Brief introductions to the topic that will be covered in more detail in an upcoming lecture
• Brief summary of the main points of a lecture posted after the lecture
• Video preview of procedures and equipment prior to a laboratory practical
• Responses to questions raised by students
  • For example, a tutor might use the 1-minute essay technique at the end of a lecture, asking students to write down what they felt was the muddiest point and/or the most important point. Afterward, the tutor could create a short podcast to clarify the most common issues raised by students.
• Generic feedback and advice on student work that applies to the entire class
  • For example, the tutor might say to the class, 'Please see the departmental website for guidance on proper citation techniques.'

These suggestions are only a starting point. For more ideas on how to use this tool in teaching, please see the training courses offered by the E-learning Team through CDSAP. The Podcasting for Pedagogical Purposes Special Interest Group Wiki also provides a plethora of ideas for effective and creative use of podcasting as well as technical guides for editing media files.

Note on media file editing: Campus Pack Podcast allows you to upload a pre-recorded file, link to a file that is already online, or make a basic recording directly in Campus Pack. Please note that it does not include media file editing capabilities. If you want to do more than a straight recording of yourself speaking, a large number of editing tools are available, some for purchase commercially and others for free as open-source software. A basic audio editing program that is available for free is Audacity. It is installed on the public service workstations at Aberystwyth University and available for download from SourceForge. The Audacity Wiki has further information on how to use this software and tutorials are available from SourceForge.

Access

Tutor-created podcasts are accessible by anyone enrolled in the AberLearn Blackboard course. The tutor has the option of enabling an RSS feed ('really simple syndication') so that students can also subscribe to the podcast outside of AberLearn Blackboard. If a feed is enabled, students can receive automatic notifications either through an RSS feed or through iTunes whenever a new podcast is added.

Please keep in mind that use of podcasting in AberLearn Blackboard falls under the normal acceptable use policy for Blackboard in general. Please keep copyright and data protection issues in mind when using podcasting in teaching. It is especially important to make guidelines clear to students who are posting their own material onto AberLearn Blackboard.

How-to guidance on Campus Pack Podcast

For how-to technical guidance, see the user guide created by Learning Objects. it includes illustrated instructions on creating a feed, creating a new episode, and more.

Please email us at is-alto@aber.ac.uk if you have further questions or require training.

For more information

• Learning Objects website
• Resources page - articles on effective use of podcasting in teaching
• Training courses offered by the E-learning Team through CDSAP
• Common Craft video clip Podcasting in Plain English
• Media-Enhanced Learning Special Interest Group (MEL SIG) wiki  (formerly Podcasting for Pedagogical Purposes)
• Audacity download from SourceForge
• Audacity tutorials from SourceForge
• Audacity Wiki
• 1-minute essay technique from Penn State Learning Design Community Hub
• Acceptable use policy for Blackboard
• Copyright information at AU
• Copyright guidance for podcasting