Category Archives: Pedagogy

Accessible thesis template now available!

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Written by Ellen Wildman, Digital Accessibility Skills Developer (ISS)

If you support students who need to submit a thesis, let them know there is now a digitally accessible template available that is also aligned with the formatting requirements that the University set. 

Accessible theses are created in a specific way so everyone can use them – regardless of background, circumstance, or disability. An analysis of academic papers sourced from different research areas found that about 98% had accessibility issues (Menzies et al., 2022). Making research available to everyone puts into practice Lancaster University’s lived value of respecting a diverse and inclusive community of communities.  

Student benefits 

As shown in the first page of the template below, by using this template, students will:  

  1. Align their thesis with the necessary layout stipulated by the Manual of Academic Regulations and Procedures. 
  2. Ensure their research is digitally accessible (when used appropriately). 
  3. Enable ease of navigation by using features of Microsoft Word, for example automatically create a dynamic table of contents with heading-use.

Thesis template document in Microsoft Word. The text shows the opening lines of the template which are customisable.

Direct relevant students to visit the Accessible thesis page on ASK to download the template and top-tips to make their thesis accessible. There is also a video to assist those students who might need support to use a Microsoft template. 

Reference  

Menzies, R., Tigwell, G.W. and Crabb, M. (2022). Author Reflections on Creating Accessible Academic Papers. ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing. doi:https://doi.org/10.1145/3546195.  

Improving Peer Online Forums Project

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Written by Sam Pilgrim, Learning Technologist (FHM)

As Learning Technologists, we are asked to become involved in a wide variety of projects. One recent example is a research project I started working on in my previous role in Information Systems Services (ISS) and continued after my move to the Faculty of Health and Medicine (FHM).

The IPOF (Improving Peer Online Forums) Project on Mental Health Forums is a research project led by Professor Fiona Lobban in conjunction with NHS Berkshire’s SHaRON team, to investigate mental health forums and ways to improve them. More information on IPOF, its aims and outputs, can be found on the Lancaster University FHM research pages.

I worked with the research team and co-design group to develop a forum moderator training package using Xerte, online software that allows a user to create interactive learning packages. The package consisted of nine modules developed by lived experience experts and forum moderators along with LU academic and research staff on different topics including:

  • the moderator role;
  • moderator support;
  • mental health on online forums;
  • expressing empathy through language;
  • managing risk;
  • managing challenging situations;
  • encouraging activity; and
  • a final quiz.

Each module was reviewed and amended by the co-design group at monthly meetings, and the final design and content emerged from the feedback discussions.

Graphics and animations created by others in the team were embedded into the training package to aid understanding and increase engagement.

The final package was handed over to the NHS Berkshire who are now in the process of publishing it to their website.

Front page of a Xerte package created for IPOF. The package is called "Mental Health Forum Moderator Training".
The front page of one of the Xerte packages entitled ‘Mental Health Forum Moderator Training’

eStream 2025 update: What’s new?

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An update to Planet eStream will be launched across Lancaster University on 23rd April 2025. It is quite a big change and users will be automatically moved to the new version on this date.

If you aren’t already familiar with the platform, Planet eStream is the recommended method of embedding on-demand videos into Moodle courses. You can also use it for multimedia student submissions without file type or size limits. Another feature is Planet eStream Connect which makes it easy to record upcoming TV and radio programmes, with access to an extensive archive of pre-recorded shows that can also be embedded directly into Moodle. The TV and radio archive currently goes back to 2007 and eStream are aiming to backfill the archive to 1987.

This new update doesn’t just provide a new look; there are great improvements to a user’s experience through a more streamlined navigation and recording is now available across all browsers without the need for additional plugins.

In this post, I’m going to introduce you to some of the key changes and a couple of features you may not have noticed.

The new look

Your area in eStream is now a side bar that can be opened and closed and appears on the right hand side of the screen. It automatically pops up when you enter the site and can be closed via the ‘X’ sign. To reopen the sidebar click on your profile/initials icon in the top right hand corner. The default section of your area is the “favourites” tab but you can also access other tabs relevant to you such as your watch history, your media area, quizzes, video edits and conversions. You might remember that your personal eStream area used to default to the quizzes tab so the default to the favourites tab is a small change.

The Lancaster University eStream homepage also looks quite different and in my opinion, more attractive. The most popular videos for eStream users at Lancaster University are displayed on this page for easy access.

The icons to search categories, create new media or open tools are slightly different but can still be found at the top of the page to the right of the search bar.

The Lancaster eStream homepage as shown with the users area side bar open.

Creating new media

To create or record media in eStream go to the cloud icon at the top of the page and this will open the “Create Media Options”.

From here you can access the web recorder as well as other ways to add content to eStream such as the options to create a playlist, upload media, add external links and access the TV and radio archive (eStream Connect). eStream also has a separate option where you can import Microsoft Teams Meetings from your OneDrive which is useful for captioning and sharing online lectures or events with students and other staff.

The web recorder no longer needs additional browser plugins to work and can work on any browser. For example, when using Chrome as your browser, to use the web recorder you had to enable a Planet eStream extension – this no longer applies in the updated version.

Continue reading eStream 2025 update: What’s new? →

Using Peer Assessment to support MBChB students in their coursework

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Context

There are many benefits for students getting together to produce a poster, presentation or some other output to demonstrate their learning. However, peer assessment isn’t something I see very often. There could be a range of reasons for this from concern over cohort dynamics, workload, biased student feedback or lack of knowledge on how to set this kind of activity up. However, the benefits of peer assessment, in my opinion, outweigh the reasons why we, as educators, might shy away from it. Paul Chin highlights that one of the benefits of peer assessment is that students can “critique and review someone else’s work and thereby reflect on their own understanding or performance” (Chin, 2016). However, as we know, there are other professional skills that can be developed through peer assessment activities such as communication skills, leadership skills, organisation and teamwork (sometimes known as “soft skills” but the debate around that name can wait for another day!). Many of these professional skills are extremely important to our medical students, for whom this peer assessment was designed. The design of the assessment was done by myself, Liz Walkden,  lecturer Dr. Faye Tucker, our Faculty Librarian, Gem Sosnowsky and Learning Developer, Dr. Beth Caldwell.

The activities, which formed the peer assessment, were for Special Study Module 1 (SSM1). This module is for first year students on Lancaster Medical School’s MBChB programme. Special Study Modules make up the coursework part of Year 1 and Year 2 of the MBChB programme. Year 1 is an opportunity to teach students the skills that they need to succeed in the coursework in a scaffolded way. This then means that they are confident to conduct their own project in the second year.

What did the activity and assessment entail?

The peer assessment activity took place over several days. Students first took part in a 2.5-hour workshop where they met their group and learned what they needed to do. As part of this workshop, students set ground rules for their own group, assigned themselves roles within the group, discussed how and when they would meet and how they might use Microsoft Teams and other tools to coordinate, chat and share files.

Each group was given a set topic to research with relevant readings which they accessed through Moodle. The groups then worked together to create a poster to present to a selection of their peers. There were 27 groups in total, so the groups were split across 3 different rooms/lecture theatres for the live presentations. On the day itself, the cohort were split into three rooms for a conference style session, facilitated by the SSM1.  In this case, presentations were delivered in-person but, if suitable for the cohort or Programme, they could be delivered online using MS Teams or students could record themselves using the video platform eStream.

Not all students had to speak during the presentation of the poster and students could determine themselves who would present depending on the group dynamic and range of skills.

During the presentations, students filled out a short questionnaire providing their feedback on other people’s presentations. For example, a person in group A would give feedback on the presentation of a person in group B. The questionnaire supported engagement during the presentations and gave students a chance to provide constructive feedback to their peers. The set up of the questionnaire meant that students could not just give one-sided feedback; students gave their peers a “takeaway” and a “giveaway” (positive and negative feedback).

It is important that all types of assessment allow for reasonable adjustments for those students with additional needs. In addition, with first year students, it is especially important to offer flexibility as, for many students, delivering a presentation is nerve-wracking and often students are not that familiar with group work before they come to University. In the design process, we carefully considered how to make this an inclusive activity that would provide the flexibility and support to ensure that students could showcase their skills in a safe and positive environment.

“We are sometimes hesitant to do presentations with students as we don’t want students to feel uncomfortable or anxious. The group project allowed flexibility for students to self-organise, and gave them suitable tools to do so, so students could play to their strengths within the group. The way that technology was incorporated into content delivery, assessment, and feedback supported inclusion and learning away from the classroom. It helped students find their own roles in the group and take responsibility for the activity as a team.” – Dr. Faye Tucker

How was this set up in Moodle?

As the FHM Learning Technologist, the first thing I did was set up the relevant groups in Moodle to reflect the groups that students would be working in. I also set up groupings to reflect the three lecture theatres that the cohort would deliver their presentations in.

I then uploaded the resources from the workshop and I also created a help sheet on how students could use Microsoft Teams effectively when conducting a group project. This sheet included a suggestion that students could also use Microsoft Planner and other tools which might support their collaboration.

On the presentation day, the questionnaire was set up in Moodle and made available on the day of the presentations for students to access. The restrict access rule was applied in Moodle to the questionnaire as well as the other activities/files to ensure that each group only saw what was relevant to them. For example, each group saw their own set reading materials but none of the materials related to the other groups’ work. This meant that the resources they needed were more clearly presented on the Moodle page making it easier for students to find.

Overall, set up was straightforward considering there were 27 groups of five students. For support on how to set up groups and groupings in Moodle, check out this help video.

How did staff and students feel that it went?

Dr Faye Tucker felt that the experience was rewarding and can inform future development in the MBChB curriculum:

“This was a great opportunity to introduce students to different learning, teaching, and assessment. And, although there was only one type of submission (a poster) the students could demonstrate they had met the LOs through self-refection, peer-review, and by providing module evaluation. It would be great to offer alternative formats across our assessments on the MBChB where possible, such as podcasts or group submissions, so this was a great opportunity to trial something new and there is learning we can feed-forward into future assessment design.”

Following the peer assessment, we set up a feedback questionnaire in Moodle to ask students about their experiences. 108/117 students agreed or strongly agreed that their skills synthesising information from multiple sources improved. 104 students said their teamwork skills had improved. 94 students stated they enjoyed the activity with another 14 students saying that they neither agreed nor disagreed. Many students made additional, positive comments about the experience; some are included below:

“I really enjoyed this project. I met students I hadn’t spoken to before and it was quite nice to develop team working skills.”

“The two-and-a-half-hour workshop on Monday was useful as I believed it effectively covered everything we needed to know, and it also helped with meeting our group members. I really like the aspect of assigning roles to each group member since it helped provide structure to completing the poster in a timely manner.”

“I enjoyed it as it’s improved my collaboration skills and honed my ability to extract vital information from various sources.”

“I think that the information of setting up teams group and shared files was incredibly useful.”

Thinking of setting up a group work or a peer assessment activity?

If you want to explore alternative forms of assessment and find some support for setting these up in Moodle, please get in touch. Learning Technologists can support with the whole design process including creating mark schemes, creating resources and activities, and providing support on settings options in Moodle.

References

Chin, P. (2016). Peer assessment. New Directions in the Teaching of Natural Sciences, (3), 13–18. https://doi.org/10.29311/ndtps.v0i3.410

Mentimeter: Have you got your account yet?

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The University has purchased staff licenses to Mentimeter, an interactive polling solution. This gives staff free access to all the features of Mentimeter if they sign up for an account with the University. Since its launch in October, use of the tool has been growing across the University.

Mentimeter gets students more actively involved in sessions whether they be seminars, lectures or workshops. Students can type in a code or scan a QR code and get right to the activity. It is particularly useful for engaging large groups especially when some of those students may be anxious to speak out or ask a question in front of their peers.

Mentimeter offers a range of features and activities such as:

  • Multiple choice quizzes
  • Word Cloud creation
  • Pin on an image
  • Q&A sessions
  • Quick forms
  • Open ended questions and more!

How does it work?

Once you have requested your license and completed the sign up, you will find that the Mentimeter “Home” page has a simple interface. An activity or presentation in Mentimeter is known as a Menti.

The Mentimeter "Home" page.
A screenshot of the Mentimeter home page when a user is logged in.

To start your own Menti, click the black “New Menti” button. This will take you to a new presentation. The first slide of the presentation gives you three options:

  1. Start from scratch
  2. Use a template
  3. Import slides (from a PowerPoint, Keynote or PDF)

When you click “start from scratch”, this gives you the option to choose from a range of interactive questions, quiz competitions or content slides. Once you have chosen an option, you can use the right-hand menu to begin setting up the question/activity/presentation.

You can add as many slides to the presentation as you wish and have a range of content types. As with any presentation, you can change the size and colour of the text as well as the background. You can include images too. There are options to have “themes” and to adapt the participation options to your needs. For example, you can change the settings so students can select multiple options and you can show responses live or hide responses until everyone has answered.

It certainly is a solution that is easy to use and play around with. Nevertheless, there are lots of guides and support out there too. A good place to start looking for support is the ASK page on Mentimeter.

Why move from my free license?

You may have been using Mentimeter for years now and be using a free license like that you signed up for. It is worth switching your account to a University one for several reasons:

  1. With a license, you are no longer limited to 50 participants on your Menti at one time. You can have up too 10,000 participants!
  2. You can access the moderation feature to assess the suitability of responses
  3. You get access to a wider range of activities such as the “quick form”.
  4. You can export results to Excel
  5. You can collaborate with other colleagues to create presentations together

The University of Lancaster has also done due diligence when agreeing to purchase licenses from this company and therefore, it is more secure to use this one than any other third party solution that may not have been investigated.

How can I learn more on how to use it?

On Friday 22nd November, I gave a training session to Faculty of Health and Medicine (FHM) staff on how to use Mentimeter. It was part of a series of short, lunchtime sessions on a range of topics. The recording of this session is available to view on eStream. If you need further help or support on the use of this tool, get in touch with myself if you are in FHM or raise a ticket with the IT Help Centre.

Making your lecture videos interactive with Panopto

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From the Digital Learning Team’s recent surveys and focus groups, we know that students really appreciate when lectures are recorded.

Lecture recordings are useful to support revision and to support students when reviewing difficult concepts. At Lancaster, there are a number of Panopto features that are used consistently such as captioning. It is also common for lecturers to review the viewing statistics which can help identify which parts of a lecture students are watching the most.

However, many people are unaware of the ability to add formative quizzes and also short video clips to recordings. This post, will walk you through how to do this to support student engagement and revision.

Adding a quiz

There are four types of question that can be added to a Panopto video:

  1. True/False
  2. Multiple Choice
  3. Multiple Select
  4. Fill in the Blank

To add a quiz to your chosen video, click the edit button (see below) on the banner across the top of the screen.

Edit button on Panopto

Choose the part on the video editing timeline that you would like to add a quiz to. The red verticle line is where the quiz will be added.

Video editing timeline with vertical red coloured bar.

Then you can either click the quizzes option on the left-hand menu as shown below:

Menu with the 'Quizzes' option highlighted in green.

OR

You can click the plus button above the video editing timeline which gives you a pop -up list of options as shown below:

Pop-up menu with the "add a quiz" option highlighted.

This will then give you the option to add a quiz at the point that you have chosen in the video and the quiz editing screen will appear (see below). You can add as many questions as you like and change the type of question from the drop-down menu on the right-hand side.

Quiz editing screen in Panopto

It is possible to have multiple short quizzes in one video and the video will pause to allow the students to complete the quiz. The screenshot below shows the quiz screen that students would see and the number of questions in the quiz appears in the right hand corner. Students get to review answers at the end of the quiz and can see their total score.

The interactive quiz that appears for students as they play through a Panopto video.

You can also view the quiz results of your students from the settings menu. This will give you an insight into which topics your group feel confident with and which topics they might need support with.

A great way to help your students review complex material!

Adding a YouTube video clip

This can be done by selecting plus button and then the option from the drop-down menu below the ‘Add a quiz’ option.

Pop up menu with "Add a Youtube video" highlighted

This editing screen will then appear:

YouTube video editing screen on Panopto

From here you can add the link (URL) to the YouTube video you would like to include, adjust the time when you want the video to start playing and you can also decide whether you want the whole clip to play or just part of it using the “start” and “end” options.

If you keep “Show YouTube controls” ticked by default, this will allow users to view the subtitles for the video if required due to preference or accessibility needs.

For more information on Panopto,  you can visit the ASK page.

If you need further support on making Panopto videos interactive, get in touch with a member of the Digital Learning Team.

 

 

Getting started with Gen AI

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Written by Andy Holgate, Library Digital Skills Developer

Generative AI really is a disruptive technology, and it’s already altering the way we produce content across society: entertainment, education, marketing, and even software engineering.
There are good and bad uses, especially in education, but it is a technology that we can embrace and use well, and more than anything else I want to stress WE DON’T HAVE TO BE SCARED OF GEN AI!

There is so much misinformation out there on the subject (and yes, ironically, most of it has probably been created by Generative AI). I don’t know about you but for me it was difficult knowing where to start. I had so many questions, I’d heard so many things, and I had no clue where to go for answers.

Well ok that’s not entirely true, unless you were living under a rock, you will have been aware that back in 2023 the University issued guidelines on the subject: Principles for the Educational Application of Generative AI in which the University states “Lancaster University promotes a culture of Generative AI (Gen AI) awareness, criticality and expertise. We encourage effective and responsible use of Gen AI technologies in learning and teaching, fostering student and staff digital and academic literacies.” This was further expanded on with guidance on various types of AI, how it could be used, the pitfalls of using it etc. That further guidance is available here: Using AI in your learning and assessment and it’s a really good starting point.

So, let me explain a little more about how I found myself stood at the foot of a sheer rock face called Gen AI. I work in professional services, the library to be exact, and part of my role is to help colleagues with increasing their digital skills. Back in 2023 I was presented with the phrase “We need to run a training session on Gen AI for the library staff. Introducing it, how it could used etc…” I’m not going to lie, I looked at my manager and behind my smile I was thinking “Where do I start?”.

So, I ran some internet searches, read a few blogs and articles and started to get an idea of what it was all about. Turns out it wasn’t as alien as I thought, I’d been using forms of it for years in google translate, MS office products, library databases, that app on my phone that let me edit photos in lots of weird and wonderful ways. Seeing that familiarity suddenly made it less scary.

The tool for me that really brought my knowledge up to speed was LinkedIn Learning. The University had bought a subscription in 2023 giving all students and staff access to over 22,000 training videos and courses. Now cards on the table, I have to admit that part of my role is the promotion of the platform at the University, so maybe I am slightly biased BUT hey I’m not on commission! I looked at LinkedIn Learning and discovered that there was a lot of material available on the subject. I started watching videos to learn more. I was pressed for time and working to a deadline so I deliberately chose videos rather than full courses, meaning I could watch a three minute video from an expert explaining just what Chat GPT was. I watched quite a few on various subjects such as Google Bard, Canva, ethics of AI, brainstorming with Gen AI, searching with Gen AI and a whole lot more. I had massively increased my awareness in a short amount of time, and all the while using a professional, reliable source. Now, you have the opportunity to do the same.

Working with others across the University, we have created a LinkedIn Learning pathway called A beginner’s guide to generative ai.
This is split into sections and the first few are comprised of the short videos I mentioned above, you don’t have to watch them all, you can dip in and out as you please. At the start there is a general introduction which formed part of the training session I ran for library staff – it’s the basics in very plain English, written how I would want to be taught. Next, you get the videos which really will introduce you to most aspects of Gen AI and where it stands as of now in early 2024.
Now don’t be put off when you see the pathway says it contains 22 hours of learning, the first 24 videos ( the short introduction ones ) come in at under 90 minutes total. The final section of the pathway is courses, so if you want to climb further up that AI rock face you can do, but understandably not everyone needs to.

I hope that all makes sense, and if you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. So go have a look at the pathway, quell any fears you may have and embrace the technology (no harm in questioning it either). I’m old enough to remember the dawn of the modern internet (not the original military one) and people feared it, today it’s woven into every fabric of modern life. Gen AI is the next thread in that rich tapestry.

If you have any questions or comments about this blog post or the LinkedIn Learning pathway, please get in touch with me.

Disclaimer: the opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the university.

Ethics and AI: Some ‘takeaways’ from the ALT Winter Summit 2023

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On Tuesday 12th December, I attended the ALT (Association for Learning Technologists) Winter Summit. The theme of the Conference was Ethics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). We heard from the following speakers:

  • Helen Beetham, Researcher and Consultant
  • Mary Jacob, Aberystwyth University
  • Olatunde Durowoju, Liverpool Business School
  • Dr Tarsem Singh Cooner, The University of Birmingham

There was also a student panel at the end which looked at the student experience of AI and their ideas for moving forward with using AI in a higher education context.

The speakers covered topics such as ethical problems and concerns with the use of AI, accessibility and AI and there was a case study showing how AI was used in a session with social work students at the University of Birmingham. It was a really enjoyable day and I learned a lot!

I’d like to share three ‘takeaways’ that I had from the ALT Summit.

Firstly, many of us are aware of some of the issues surrounding the use of AI. For example, the use AI tools takes a huge amount of energy; there are issues around equity and student access to paid for services and tools; there is an impact on student learning; we have also heard in the news that a number of larger companies have sacked ethical advisors and much more! However, one thing I have had experience of in my own work and that was raised at the Summit, was the sheer amount of secrecy behind the training of artificial intelligence models. How are these models trained exactly? Who is training them? What impact does this have? We know about the issues around encoded bias the models and we know that some of the people involved in this training process are underpaid but I definitely want to find out more!

Dr. Olatunde Durowoju spoke on ‘Achieving Inclusive Education in AI’ and has written an article on this in 2023. His talk was really interesting and spoke about some of the positive aspects of using AI and how this can benefit students such as those with neurodiversity, who are learning English as a second language or who have a disability. Examples were given of the use of AI in higher education and how this can help students improve their English language proficiency, how it can help address a cultural gap, how it can help reduce student anxiety around the quality of the work they produce and it can assist those students who may have diminished capacity due to other responsibilities (e.g. caregivers). Some of the examples given included using AI to summarise text to help gain a better understanding of it, improving the quality of writing through prompt engineering, using Chatbots to help with out-of-hours engagement and using AI to pluralise perspectives on a specific topic.

Finally, the student panel gave a real insight into how students are using AI currently, how they perceive its future use and what they would like to see moving forward from their institutions. Students on the panel were from universities such as Sheffield Hallam University, Edinburgh Napier University and the University of Kent. The students were also at different places in their University studies so there was a good range of perspectives across the students. Two of the things that students said they wanted were:

  1. More consistent guidance on the acceptable use of AI in their studies across the departments in their institutions but also across UK institutions in general. They believed this would help students be less confused about when and how they can use it.
  2. More education on the use of AI from their institutions on the problems of using AI such as perpetuating bias and academic integrity concerns.

Thank you to ALT for another wonderful conference and to the speakers for sharing their knowledge and expertise. I will definitely be exploring some of the issues and opportunities that have been mentioned in more detail.

Podcasting For Progress

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In a previous post, we were introduced to Dr. Sayjda Talib and Eleanor Dove’s ‘Education Matters’ podcast. Given the increasing interest in podcasting at Lancaster University, I thought now would be a good time to share some information on how and why to get started and what support is available at Lancaster for this endeavour. I will also be sharing some tips for getting started based on a recent EmpowerEd webinar session (Webinar 10) where Mark Childs from Durham University was giving a session on ‘Podcasting: Performing Professional Practice Publicly’. Mark Childs has been involved in podcasts such as Pedagodzilla, a popular series discussing various aspects of pedagogic theory. More tips and support can also be found on the ASK ‘Podcasting’ page.

Why podcasting?

Podcasting is a creative way to deliver content in a series of episodes. It can be used in all sorts of ways:

  • to share content with students and introduce them to research
  • to share good practice in your field with colleagues
  • to share research and good practice with others outside of the University
  • to engage with visiting speakers 
  • to assess students on their skills and knowledge.

In short, podcasting is versatile!

Podcasts are conversational in style and tone, fairly short (more on timing later!) and straightforward to produce. To be successful they should be relaxed and have some element of fun. A decent recording can be made with some headphones, a microphone and some editing software. Although many podcast hosting websites are now being monetised there are some free ones still out there such as Spotify for Podcasters, formerly known as Anchor.

Podcasting can be used as a creative form of assessment, either formative or summative. Students could form small groups and show off their knowledge of a particular topic. There are several points that could be assessed such as the agreed format for the podcast, the range of knowledge shown, use of key terminology, teamwork, communication…quite a list! However, it is important to decide whether assessing the quality of the podcast production is necessary. While this may be appropriate for some courses, it is important to think about constructive alignment – is the quality of the podcast relevant to the learning outcomes on your course? – if not, if you can hear what is said, that is enough.

How do I start?

  1. Come up with your subject matter

A podcast series is usually set around a particular topic e.g. true crime, comedy, pedagogy, the latest developments in technology

2. Design a format for the podcast

While podcasts are discussion based and should flow freely, to avoid complete waffle they are usually still based around a framework. Prompt questions will help to keep the discussion on track. Your format might also include some additions to improve entertainment value such as a quiz, a fact of the week or a highlight of feedback/comments from listeners. These little sections split up the main segments of content to keep the discussion moving.

3. Come up with a unique name

Take some time to think up a name that stands out from the rest and gives new listeners a sense of what to expect.

4. Use some eye-catching artwork

The artwork draws in listeners too – you can create your own or use an image from online (free images can be downloaded from Unsplash, artwork can be created in Spotify for Podcasters or you could use a tool like Canva to design your own).

5. Assign each person a role

This will also help to facilitate the discussion; roles could include: a host, an improviser, a specialist and an editor.

6. Do a test run

The first podcast should be a pilot, one that you don’t share but use to practice using the technology, review the format and get comfortable with the experience.

What do I do once recording has finished?

Post-production editing is a key part of podcasting. You may edit out any errors or aspects that you think are not suitable. For example, you may have had to repeat yourself as the first time you said something you weren’t happy with the phrasing. You can add sound effects to break up the sections and smooth transition and it is also possible to improve sound quality (to an extent!). The University has free access for staff to Audacity and Adobe Audition which are available from AppsAnywhere. There is some free editing software outside the University such as descript.com. You should also make sure to upload an accurate transcript of your podcast to share with people who cannot access the audio because of an impairment.

Try to promote your podcast through any and all channels available to you. This might be on social media, on a website, via posters or in person at events. You may want to set up your own website or social media account to be able to share resources and engage with listeners.  

What resources are available at Lancaster University to start podcasting?

At Lancaster University there are several suites with recording equipment for podcasting. For example, the Digital Education Suite in Bowland North Seminar Room 19. Our Digital Media Engineers have created a video on how to use it as it is a ‘self-service’ room. This room can be booked by Lancaster staff using the following email address: des@lancaster.ac.uk. There are also other rooms available in the Health and Innovation Campus and in LICA. More podcasting studios are in development.

At Lancaster, we have Digital Media Engineers who can help with video and audio recording and editing. They help staff create content such as recorded lectures, course introductions, research material, promotional videos and podcasts, for example the ‘Education Matters’ podcast. To get in touch with them you can use the following email address: iss.digital.media@lancaster.ac.uk. This same email address can be used to express interest in using room B107 in LUMS as the Digital Media Engineers will support you in using the range of audio and video equipment in this room. Please note that this room is not ‘self-service’ like the Digital Education Suite mentioned above.

If you are thinking about starting a podcast, feel free to get in touch with myself or another Digital Learning Facilitator to discuss ideas and for more recommendations.

Other useful information

You can find more help and advice on how to plan, create and edit a podcast via this ASK page.

Short podcasts are popular, around 15 minutes in length but often they are 30-40 minutes in length. Dan Misener did some research in 2018 and 2019 on the average length. You may also want to consider the average commute length, a time when people may listen to podcasts, which in 2021 was 27 minutes.

You may also want to check out ‘Podcasting for Learning in Universities’, a book by Gilly Salmon and Palitha Edirisingha. This book includes some use case examples as well as information on how to be successful in including podcasts in a higher education context.

Don’t worry about low numbers of listeners to start with. You will begin to gain listeners as you promote the podcast and record more sessions. Remember that a listener who discovers the podcast at episode 5 will often go back and listen to the previous episodes too.

Education Matters: A Pertinent Podcast for Progress

Pedagogy, , ,

Written by Safiya Kheratkar – Widening Participation Project Assistant

‘Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.’ – John Dewey

As Dewey’s quote perfectly encapsulates, education manifests in everything that is within and around us. It influences our dispositions, interpersonal abilities and understandings of the past, present, and future world. With a formidable education, one’s boundaries can extend beyond visible horizons, surpassing matters we once considered insurmountable.

Fuelled to drive this understanding within the hearts of the community, the brainchild of Lancaster University Staff, Dr. Sayjda Talib and Eleanor Dove, was born: The Education Matters podcast. They attended a ‘Sharing Best Practice’ session, delivered by Phil Devine and Professor Newton on ‘Using Videos in Teaching’, who discussed the significance of reusable learning resources via podcasts. Through Phil and Professor Newton, they were introduced to the recording studio (B107 LUMS) and Rachel Dodd, Digital Education Co-ordinator, who created the WordPress site and updates the site with new recordings. 

Education Matters boasts rich, intellectually stimulating, and inspiring episodes with a diverse pool of guests from an array of academic, industrial, and professional working fields. The podcast regularly interviews students from ethnically minoritized backgrounds studying at Lancaster and other top universities. Interviewees are guided along discussing their journeys and their passions for their chosen fields in an endeavour to not only reflect on their experiences, but hopefully inspire audiences with their stories.

‘Unveiling the power of education through sharing inspiring stories from members of the local community who have achieved success in their field of study or chosen career path, Education Matters is hoping to bridge the gap between the local community and higher education, showcasing that education is a lifelong journey.’ – Dr. Sayjda Talib

Especially for those who may not have a vast network of contacts or people to turn to in their future respective fields, this podcast is bound to produce inspiration and support for anyone looking to start out in a certain career, change over from a particular field, or remain steadfast on their current chosen path. With this podcast, students, families, and the wider community can be aided in making more conscientious and informed decisions about university, apprenticeships, careers, changing one’s mind and much more.

The Recording Studio:

For interviewees from Lancaster University Campus, collaborating with the Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) recording studio provided a comfortable environment for both interviewers and interviewees. Martin Thornton and Andrew Copplestone, both sound engineers based in LUMS and part of the wider ISS team, lent their expertise in ensuring the recording of the podcast was nothing but smooth sailing. Rachel Dodd also worked to create the podcast content into engaging blogposts.

‘The podcast has really grown, and it’s been an incredible journey for us as presenters. We are so grateful to collaborate with Martin, Andrew, and Rachel for all their help with the technical side of recording and writing the blogposts! – Eleanor Dove

Photo of Dr Sayjda Talib and Eleanor Dove

Dr Sayjda Talib and Eleanor Dove

A Digital Solution

For guests not based on LU campus, or Lancaster at all, a solution was needed that would make interviewing accessible for both parties. With Ele, Dr. Sayjda and most guests coming from humble technological and media backgrounds, the saviour that is Microsoft Teams has provided an easy and accessible route for conducting interviews in manageable and equally enjoyable fashion. The number of interviewees from far and wide has increased thanks to this.

Testimonies:

‘The podcast presented by Ele and Dr. Sayjda was such an amazing experience. It was quite humbling to discuss my memories of results day and how far I’ve gotten despite the challenges I went through at the time. The work Ele and Dr. Sayjda do with the podcast I am certain will help so many students across the board with higher education and life in general.’ – Amaani Moress, Lancaster University Engineering alumna, 2023

‘It was a great experience to be able to talk about my journey through education, and to get the chance to share this with students who are currently in that position now, so they can learn from that experience and take on board advice given by someone who was in their shoes only recently. But also, I was able to share my journey with concerned parents, who no doubt are nervous about their children’s next steps. They can see that, although it is scary, their children can also travel on their journey, yes with a different destination, but they can see it through.’ – Adil Natha, Lancaster University Law alumnus, 2023

‘Having a chance to share my experiences was truly valuable. As well as making my efforts feel appreciated, it made me realise that what I was doing would inspire many young people and parents.’ – Abdullah Arshad, Lancaster University Politics, Philosophy and Economics student

Personally, I’m grateful to have been invited for an interview for the podcast and to share my own education journey. Dr. Sayjda and Ele’s prompts and support throughout the duration of the show kept my nerves at ease, and it was incredibly cathartic reflecting on my own experiences whilst knowing that I could possibly be helping a listener make a decision in their own path. The podcast will soon also be featured on the Lancaster Access Programme portal, allowing students on the widening participation programme access to student journeys in a different medium to events and webinars. 

To conclude with a quote that visualises the poetics of gaining an education: ‘Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.’ – Malcolm X

Select episodes of the ‘Education Matters’ podcast can be found on Spotify and on https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/educationmatters/

Written by Safiya Kheratkar – Widening Participation Project Assistant