Learning Commons:Student Orientation/Archive/Podcasts

The Learning Commons is experimenting with podcasts this summer 2017!

Why podcasts?

At the Chapman Learning Commons, we identified a market for podcasts in the student body, particularly amongst commuter students and incoming first year students, and gave birth to our own podcast channel: in[Tuition]. Podcasts are a great form of media for two reasons:

1. They are easy to produce: they do not require the higher-level production skills associated with other forms of content production such as videos.
2. Podcasts share and connect: they share a voice–a real, live, human voice, with subtleties of inflection, emotion, and emphasis, and thus connect content creators with content consumers in a unique way. Aligned with the agenda of the Learning Commons to serve the student body and harness interdisciplinary dialogue and learning, in[Tuition] provides quality content on topics, issues, and ideas relevant to the student body and connect students across years, faculties, and communities to support academic success and wellbeing, and thereby enrich the student experience.

Podcast Structure and Timelines

For Structure

Podcast Format

Each episode has a 3-part format: in-Studio Introduction, content segments and in-studio debrief

• In-Studio Introduction
  • Hosts introduce the topic of the day using a blank canvas tone/approach and demonstrating interest in learning more about the said topic. They then pose a "provocative question" that hooks listeners and provides an entry into the next part of the episode.

• Content Segments
  • This part will explore the varied perspectives, opinions and arguments that speak to the topic and provide answers to the "provocative question." Check out the Programming document for sample segments.

• In-Studio Debrief
  • Hosts return to the studio to round up the episode by highlighting the key takeaways, points of interests and making connections to the relevance of the content for students.

Weekly structure

See Table at the bottom of the page for weekly activity timeline.

Weekday	Tasks
Friday	Brainstorm and come up with a topic that has a unique student “angle.” Develop tentative segmentation for this episode (see programming document for examples of segmentation) Prepare webteam pitch for upcoming episode to be posted two Tuesday’s away Marketing! Post on Instagram and twitter.
Monday	Note: On Monday and Tuesday, you will be working on two podcast episodes. You will be finishing up the episode to be posted on Tuesday and also preparing for the episode that will be released on following week Web Team meeting Pitch topic idea & segmentation at webteam meeting Finalise episode plan with received feedback and post episode outline (summary of the intro, segments and debrief) on activecollab Communication Speak with CLCAs to delegate segments, setting the deadline for when the hosts should recieve the recordings. (Ideally Friday night, latest monday morning) CLCAs responsible for segments should update the programming document with their names and the segment they will be creating. Finalise Editing for episode to be posted on Tuesday Work on other web team projects Marketing! Post on Instagram and twitter.
Tuesday	Make final Edits and Post Episode on Podbean Marketing! Share podcast episode on Instagram and twitter. Send “Thank you” notes to everyone who contributed Continue work on Content Segments for the next podcast Conduct interviews if need be, Plan for & Create creative segments Work on other web team projects
Wednesday	Continue work on Content Segments Conduct interviews if need be Create creative segment(s) Work on other web team projects Marketing! Post IG stories, etc
Thursday	Continue work on Content Segments Conduct interviews if need be Plan for & Create creative segment Listen to & editing content of segments received Work on other web team projects Marketing! Post IG stories, etc
Friday	Ensure segments are completed by CLCAs and transferred to the person editing by end of day. Listen to & editing content of all segments. Hosts in-studio recordings: Intro to episode Transitions to interview/ segments on the field. Hosts record in-studio debrief Summarize key concepts & interesting points Make larger connections Highlight relevance to learning/students Give thanks/credit to relevant parties involved

How to develop an episode

1) Choose a topic.

• Don’t worry, it is not set in stone–your choice of topic can change at any point of the evaluation process.
• Look around (campus, Vancouver or Canada at large, and/or online) for topics/issues/ideas/news/etc. that you would like to investigate into and speak about.
• Ask yourself: what fires me up that I want to talk about? What intrigues me that I want to learn about? What's the demand in the student body, particularly amongst first years, that this episode can address?

2) Brainstorm the topic.

• We recommend visually organizing your information, i.e. take your research and ideas to a mind map or a flow chart–whatever makes sense to you, for you to really "flesh out" the topic and allow your creativity to flow

3) Address the following, which will also form the basis of your introduction:

• Why
  • Why are you producing this episode?
• Relevance to students
  • Why is this relevant to students, and how can they benefit from hearing it?
• POQ: point of inquiry
  • Develop a well-formulated, provocative question that encapsulates what it is that you will be investigating into.
• Resources
  • How will you dive into your POQ? What are the key sources or individuals that can or that will be adding depth and quality to this episode?

Step 2 and 3 can be reversed depending on the preferences or creative process of the producers.

4) Develop segment(s)–the “body” of the episode

• Segments can be thought of as the supporting arguments or complementary pieces to your introduction
• Segments can be in the form of a short/long sit-down interview, Q&A, infomercial, street-interview, etc.

Interviews

Interviewing others can be a great way to add depth (expertise/story/perspective) to the podcast, and can come in various forms: sit-down interviews, group interviews, street interviews, etc.

However, interviews can be hard to schedule and unpredictable–interviewees may cancel last-minute or may not deliver the kind of content you were expecting.

Here are some things to keep in mind when conducting interviews, which will help reduce risk and generate better results:

• Individual/group interviews:
  • The earlier you identify the person(s) you want to interview the easier it is to work around your schedules.
  • Send podcast topic description and interview questions to interviewee(s) ahead of time.
• Street interviews
  • These spontaneous interviews require that you are able to casually pitch the podcast channel and the episode you are working on to those you are going to ask the question(s) to.

• Make sure to get permission and consent for every interview you intent to share.
• Consent form
• Consent form FAQ

Perspectives

Storytelling is all about sharing perspective(s)–whether your own or that of an interviewee, community, etc.

It is important to first, ask yourself: whose opinions/experiences/voice would be valuable for students to hear? And secondly, always make it clear to your audience whose perspective is being shared.

Contextualizing perspectives is necessary for accountability & authenticity purposes–is what is being said on the podcast a fact or opinion? If an opinion, is it your own or that of someone else's? If someone else's, who are they, what is their expertise, and why is their perspective valuable for students to hear?

Consistency

• Length of Podcast
  • The podcast can last anywhere between 20-60 minutes. Although it is recommended to keep it below 40 minutes, exceptions can be made if the content is very valuable to the topic and relevant for students. Note that when interviews are included as segments, episodes tend to be longer than when podcast is done completely in house.

• Format
  • Maintain a fixed structure (Intro, Segment, Debrief), such that listeners develop an idea of what to expect. Being able to predict the flow of the podcast would also help listeners who may want to skip into certain sections of the episode.Although the structure is there, you can change is as you deem fit. (Keep jingle though)

• Music
  • Use the jingle to open and close each episode.
  • Music/sound can be used to transition between segments.
  • In cases where music supports the perspective of a particular segment, it can included in the episode as part of the content.

Authenticity

The content of the episodes should not be thoroughly scripted. Use your programming outline as a framework, but within that framework allow your voice/personality to come out. No one can be better at being you than you, so be yourself, and you will generate the best content. This may take practice, but it will lead you to developing your own podcasting voice.

If the content you are sharing is not your own, make sure to reference whose it is.

Sound quality

• Things to note about audio quality when using specific devices:
  • Hand Held Mic: This mic is excellent for "on the field" interviews. The mic will adjust the sound levels of the different speakers such that they become equalized and uniform. The mic should, however, be placed closest to the person with the lowest voice level (usually the interviewee). This is particularly useful as it reduces the time devoted to adjusting sound levels during the editing process.
  • Yeti Mic: This mic works best when used "in the studio" by the hosts. Although it is essential to place the mic between the speakers, speakers must consciously project their voices into the mic as the mic does not automatically adjust sound levels. It is helpful to run an audio-test recording to ensure that the voice levels of both speakers are uniform.

Sensitive Content

• Remind interviewee(s) to not divulge any personal and/or sensitive information they would not like to be made public, as content will be posted online.
• In case interviews are held on sensitive topics, be aware that interviewees may decide after the interview to recount their content for posting the podcast.
  • In this case, you may need to work with the interviewee to edit the interview to make sure that they are comfortable with the final version of the podcast.
  • In case an interviewee decides to revoke their consent with regards to posting the interview, be prepared to make new content for the podcast segment.
• If you are uncertain about some sections of an interview that covers a sensitive topic, save podcast as a draft on Podbean.com and share the link on ActivCollab, requesting feedback from the Web Team for that particular section.

Marketing

There is no point in creating podcasts if nobody listens to them. In order to reach as many individuals as possible, it is important to develop a sustainable distribution strategy that can consistently be improved upon. Here are some ideas:

• Using social media:
  • Instagram
    • Leading up to an episode release date, post on IG Stories to invite followers into the production process
    • When the episode is released, create an IG Post, including the Podbean link for the relevant episode in the description
      • Use tags & hashtags strategically to gain traction and exposure
  • Twitter
    • Duplicate the IG Post onto Twitter
• Using communications:
  • Send a thank-you-email to the parties involved (individuals, departments, etc.) including the Podbean link for the relevant episode in the email and requesting them to share it on their platforms. Here are some email communication templates that we created.

Proposed Podcast Topics

Check Summer Programming Document for Sample Podcast Ideas

Resources

• Podcasting Basics - UBC
• Podcasting for Beginners - Buffer Social
• How to Record a Phone Interview for a Podcast Without Using a Phone (and related playlist).