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USING AUDIO

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Using Audio can help to give another dimension for lecturers in their teaching. It offers the potential to deliver content in an engaging way. For students, it provides an alternative to reading text as part of their learning. For some students using mobile devices, listening to audio may fit in with their daily lives more easily than reading.

Toolkit - Using Audio in your Teaching

picture of ear This toolkit is designed to assist teaching staff who wish to explore using audio in their teaching. The Toolkit includes case-studies from within the university, and the pedagogical rationale for using audio in a learning and teaching environment is illustrated with examples from the UK academic community. There is also a section devoted to getting started, with help sheets provided.

Audio files can be distributed to students by putting them onto the university's VLE. In addition, much work is being done to widen the choices for audio and video production within Anglia Ruskin University.

Case-Studies from around Anglia Ruskin University

Here are some case studies listed below of how colleagues in Anglia Ruskin are using audio in their teaching.

Martin Hancock Using an iPhone (.pdf) Martin's reflections (.mp3)
Nina Lubren Using the Internet (.pdf)
Suzanne Rampton Using a VLE and a recorder (.mp3)
John Talbot Using a computer (.pdf) John's reflections (.mp3)
Ian Tindal Using Firstclass (.pdf) Ian's reflections (.mp3)

If you are a lecturer who is using audio in your teaching and would like to share your experiences with other colleagues, please contact: Carol.Everett@anglia.ac.uk.

Pedagogically Speaking - Why use Audio?

As with all technologies, there needs to be a rationale for including audio in your teaching. Here are some examples of what the UK academic community are saying.

IMPALA (http://www.impala.ac.uk/), an HEA funded project, was setup in 2006 to investigate the impact of podcasting on student learning. The project identified the following benefits:

Flexibility and learner control - students can listen anytime, anyplace and at their own pace
Learner motivation and engagement - hearing a voice can help the learning process
Cognition and learning - students can listen again and again
Novel way of presenting information and instruction - easier to understand than text-based information
Learning locations - learning outside the classroom using mobile devices
Fostering learning discussions - using informal channels for formal learning
Contributing students - enabling students to reflect by making podcasts themselves
Accommodating 'different" strokes' - fostering inclusivity
Moving from entertainment to learning - listening as a learning process

Listen to Dr Stuart Lee (from University of Oxford) talking about his experiences as an academic producing podcasts. You may also wish to view the other videos on this webpage about podcasting.

Have a look at the benefits for students listed by JISC Digital Media in their online tutorial;.

How do I get started using audio?

You can either produce audio files yourself or you can use an audio file that has been produced by someone else. This section will guide you on how to get started using audio.