Podcasting at Bath Spa University

The team have experimented with different types of assessment, using podcasting as the central practical element. Here you can find example assessment briefs, hear a selection of student submissions and read our reflections on the outcomes.

Essay vs Podcast

Students were asked which method of assessment they preferred. Here are their responses.

""
When you’re naturally quite a creative person, it makes it more fun and you get more out of it.
It gave me so much more creative freedom, I could really express the actual topic.

L4 Podcast as Evaluation

Listen to the produced podcasts here

Staff reflection

  • I gave students a choice between a written reflection and a podcast.
  • The structure given is the same for the podcast and the written reflection with marking criteria split between grammar/spelling or production values. 
  • The outcome is that only one or two students have decided to do the podcast. 
  • I think they feel it’s more onerous as they still need to do the planning and research and they can write in their own time. Podcasting means being more organised to have time for post production
  • Think about how to adapt the assignment so that it’s more appealing (could also not give them a choice).
  • Simplify the structure
  • Fewer examples needed in terms of research – -so that more of the reflection is about their own learning and how it can help them in the future. 
  • Production values – recording as a group? Or individual. 
  • More use of the podcasting suite – preparation and working with someone to drive the desk could mean that you have a quicker output. 
  • Plan or script? 
  • Referencing reading and viewing. 
  • Including examples from research interview/finished film
  • I will do a discussion for the module evaluation to get some ideas on what they think would make them more likely to do it. 
  • One student said he already knows how to make podcasts and thought it more useful to be able to write the essay. One thought it was too much work.

L5 English: ‘Voices in Conversation’

Listen to the produced podcasts here

Staff reflection

L5 Everyday Media Making Projects & L5 Participatory Media

Listen to the produced podcasts: Everyday Media Making | Participatory Media

Staff reflection

Podcasting reflection on use of podcast in Participatory Media and Everyday Media Making modules. 

Common set of questions to all staff in project

  • Summarise your ideas about podcasting when we started the group.
    • Popular approach to supporting students articulacy. 
    • Apparently less painful than essay writing. 
    • Convivial but performative
    • Low tech for Creative Media students and pretty straight forward for others
    • Learning by doing
  • How have you been using podcasting with your students?
    • Assignment and training
    • Performative discussions
    • Opening up questions of participation and access
  • What training needs have the students had to accomplish this kind of assignment?
    •  2 workshops with Technical Demonstrator training support on demand
  • What have been the results?
    • 2 L5 Participatory Media projects used podcasting with external participant involvement
    • First formal assignment (2022-3), replacing an essay, generated 25 x 12 min podcasts with supporting documentation, see L5 Participatory Media brief
    • 2 L5 Everyday Media Making independent project submissions presented podcasts along with websites
    • Two years running following introductory workshops 2 groups of students have set up own independent podcast..both were still live at time of writing
  • Reflection – what do you think it has allowed you to do with students which was not possible before?
    •  Greater freedom and variety of register
    • A tactic to get media students listening…my part of a response to the observation that you can always tell a student film by crap sound
    • Student self reflection on participation and access easier
    • A shared experience
    • Practical work within my professional skillset and workshop time…instant media
  • What went wrong?
    • Time management and all the other dog ate my homework stuff
    • Equipment availability at intensive time, production bottlenecks
    • Always needs more training and development time
  • What has been the feedback on it? (If any).
    • Positive see above and interviews on this page
  • How will you use this learning in the future?
    • This staff network
    • Break the L5 Participatory Media assignment into two parts and get the running order/outline in a week ahead of podcast deadline
  • What else do you have to add about your experiences of podcasting as reflection so far?
    • Good way to avoid formal essay writing whilst creating leverage for doing the thinking. Students have to really own the ideas and talk about it in their own language. Listen to student feedback above
  • What should we include in a podcasting website which shares our learning and some ‘how to’ approaches?
    • Do it as a regular podcast in short 10 min chats…not a great long we have cracked it celebration!

L5 Sports Podcasting

Assessment brief

SPORTS_PODCASTING_ASS_BRIEF

L6 Podcast as Calling Card

Listen to the produced podcasts here