So, you’ve decided to implement podcasts into your faculty professional development repertoire. Now what? Podcasts provide a flexible platform for anytime/anywhere, self-directed learning. This session will dive into the benefits and barriers to creating or repurposing podcasts, and how they may be integrated into a broader professional development ecosystem.
Description/overview
At this education session, an instructional design and professional development team at a large state university will engage participants in exploring the potential benefits and barriers to implementation of podcasts for faculty professional development. Aspects related to design, production, dissemination, and evaluation will be presented with emphasis on strategic alignment to desired faculty learning outcomes.
Podcasts are well-positioned as an accessible medium for disseminating information and provide a flexible platform for anytime/anywhere, self-directed learning. General podcast consumption rates have been steadily increasing in the United States over the last decade. As podcasting in academic environments has similarly been maturing and expanding in recent years, it has been gaining recognition as a viable option for delivering high-quality professional development materials. The flexibility, ease of access, and timeliness that podcasts afford can be especially critical for faculty who teach in online programs and rarely (if ever) travel to a physical campus.
However, there is little research or documentation to date on how podcasts fit into a larger, diversified faculty development ecosystem, or how to enhance and supplement episodes for achieving the best possible learning outcomes. Additionally, stakeholders charged with providing faculty development programming may not have the expertise or resources available to produce their own podcast series. In that scenario, repurposing or adapting existing podcast series may be a viable option.
Can the development specialists, instructional designers, and other experts engaged in the important work of supporting faculty envision new ways to adopt and enhance podcasts, as part of a broader, synergistic professional development system?
During this session, participants will be introduced to the model for podcast planning, design, and implementation in use by this instructional design team. A discussion and brainstorming activity will be conducted to explore strategies for successful adoption and enhancement of podcasts into various professional development systems/networks.
Learning objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Reflect on the potential benefits of strategically implementing podcasts for faculty professional development.
- Propose at least one approach for enhancing the integration of podcasts into an ecosystem of professional development services and resources.
Audience engagement & materials
Participants will be invited to engage in active question and answer/discussion moments throughout the presentation. Participants will also be invited to contribute to an online brainstorming document during the session. Additional handouts will include selected presentation slides, podcast development resources, and a recommended reading list.