Creating Podcasts

Overview

Many of us use podcasts to pass the time of day while we do something else for 40 minutes, like listening to the radio. This is a versatile platform for discussions, information on subjects that are of interest and also for entertainment purposes.  Did you know that most podcasts are designed to fit an average commute time. Many educationalists are now using this platform to disseminate educational material with a twist. Podcasts are here for a while and traditional radio has suffered.

This module guides you through the process of designing a podcast, the pit falls, the elevator pitch, logo graphics and marketing as well as the technical requirements.  The module is self-paced with interactive tasks to guide your decisions along the way and prevent you from burn out.

Programme

Unit 1 - Before We Begin This unit covers how the learning will be delivered, getting used to using Blackboard, what we expect of you during the course and what the assessments look like. You will also notice a list of recommended equipment in this unit too.

Unit 2 - Planning In this unit we will start planning our podcast. Planning in advance is so important and will make the process much easier down the line too.

• Choosing your topic.
• Choosing your name.
• Choosing the style of your podcast.

Unit 3 - Planning This week we look at who your target audience are. We know what your topic is, and possibly your name and also style of the podcast. Who are you trying to target?

Unit 4 - Show Format In this unit we look at podcast formats. We know our audience, and we know our topics and the name of our podcasts, but how will the podcast look and work?

• Length of the show
• Style of the show
• Episode format

Unit 5 -Preparation There’s a lot of preparation that goes into a podcast, especially after the planning. This week, we start to look at the elements we need to prepare first.

• Cover art for your upload – 1st impression
• Your podcast introduction (could go for professional voice over)
• Choosing your intro music

Unit 6 - Preparation Another look at preparing before we record your podcast – in this unit we look at equipment, templates, music and guests.

• Making sure you have the right equipment – video to explore, share plenty of reviews and resources here too
• Podcast guests – getting in touch now!
• Planning your templates • Planning your outro music

Unit 7 - Recording & Editing Let’s get started with recording and editing – first, a look at what software we can use, considerations for editing and other considerations.

• Software to use for recording and editing.
• Considerations for editing
• Other considerations - your environment, prepping your voice, are you filming the podcast too? Do you have a script? Nothing is right or wrong.

Unit 8 & 9 - Recording & Editing Let’s get down to the nitty gitty – let’s record! We’ve done our planning, and our prep.

Unit 8 & 9 Assessment - record and edit a 2-minute section of your podcast – this could be the introduction or any section within the podcast. This is more about the experience of recording and editing than the content.

Unit 10 - Launch and Marketing Recommendations on where to publish your podcast, and why marketing your podcast is super important.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to:  

1. Create a short podcast using Panopto.
2. Document your thought process and decisions within a course log.
3. Create an Avatar of your target audience. 

Assessments

1. Journal blog of decision making along the way (50%)
2. Your perfect customer avatar (15%)
3. Your podcast introduction (10%)
4. Create a 2-minute podcast – this can be a section or intro (25%) 

Reading Suggestions

Reading suggestions will be offered throughout the course. 

Entry Requirements

This course is for everyone. No previous experience is needed and there are no formal entry requirements.

What Do I Need?

As this is an online course, you would need the following:

• Internet access
• Access to a laptop or computer with a web camera and microphone; the use of headphones might also be of benefit
• Use of the Chrome web-browser where possible.