In today’s world, technology is ubiquitous. It affects all aspects of our lives from the way we work to the way we learn. In particular, podcasting has been a revolutionary force in higher education as it provides an alternative tool for potential students to decide which school they want to attend. Podcasts such as UCLA Anderson’s, Why MBA and American University’s, Kogod in the Know allow for potential students to hear a first hand account from past alumni but it doesn’t stop there. Each of the episodes are chalked full of actionable career advice and entertaining anecdotes that enable the episodes to stand on their own as worthwhile listening experiences. This blog post will explore how podcasts are changing higher education and the means by which students land on their desired school of choice.
Podcasts are taking higher education by storm. It is hard to deny the effectiveness of podcasts in terms of learning retention and engagement, not to mention the convenience factor for students and the general population on the go. Podcasts have been around since the early 2000s, but they only started gaining traction about ten years ago. Today, there are more than 1 million active podcasts on iTunes alone!
What Do The Numbers Say About Using Podcasts In Universities?
The number of young people listening to podcasts is increasing drastically. In fact, a recent study shows that by the end of 2021, the podcast industry would be in upwards of $1 Billion. And, not just that, the age group more inclined towards listening to podcasts is 18 to 34. More than 60% of US citizens ages 18 to 34 listen to podcasts which is an ideal age for university students. Young adults like to follow current trends and podcasts are quite popular these days.
Podcasts Keep the Students Engaged
The key to successful marketing is engagement and podcasts are a fantastic way of achieving that. The best part about listening to or creating your own podcast series is the ‘informal’ tone it has-it’s more relaxed, less formal than traditional learning methods. This makes for an excellent avenue where learners can explore their interests in-depth without any inhibitions. It lets students freely express themselves while simultaneously sharing ideas with fellow learners all over the world!
Podcasts Are More Affordable Than Traditional marketing tactics.
Another advantage universities gain by having their own podcasts is that they are easily accessible which means you don’t have to shell out big bucks on ad space, television time, or web banners to get their message across.
With the increasing popularity and effectiveness of podcasts in higher education, it is no surprise why educators are starting to incorporate them into their teaching methodology as well. While there are some challenges involved with using podcasts such as technical difficulties during recording sessions, most universities have already started taking steps towards incorporating podcasting in the curriculum! In fact, many professors at Ivy League Universities provide course materials through podcasts that can easily be downloaded by students for free! This makes learning more convenient than ever before while helping young learners connect over shared interests regardless of geographical boundaries!
Sound can help to generate a mental image of the story in the mind of the listeners. For example: If you were to tell a story about what it’s like when it is raining, the sound of raindrops falling really slow could help listeners visualize that experience. What we hear can play an important part in how we perceive and understand the world around us. Listening to podcasts instead of reading text on a page has the effect of transferring the story from one person to another.
Quality Audio Ensures High Retention Rate
The crux of the matter is that potential students will retain more information and understand concepts better if they can hear them instead of reading about it on a page. Podcasts make learning fun and easy by making it an engaging, interactive experience. High-quality audio relates to a higher listener retentions rate and to improve the sound quality of the podcasts, the producers use binaural audio which requires two microphones to record. This is how it works: in a binaural recording, microphones are placed at the same position relative to the sound source which creates a realistic sensation of being in front of the original sound. When we hear sounds from two different locations simultaneously, our brains interpret this as three-dimensional audio! So if you want your audience to listen attentively to your podcast, you must pay close attention to the quality of audio used.
Listening To Podcasts Can Make You A “Smart” Student!
A study conducted by researchers at UC Berkeley in 2016 concluded that listening to podcasts made you smarter (given that the podcasts have high-quality content). So if university students have a trend of listening to podcasts they would be able to perform better on their tests and projects as compared to those who just invest in reading texts from written material.
Grod Media Can Help You with Realizing the True Potential of Podcasts in Universities
We at GrodMedia have been helping individuals, businesses, and different institutions to create and run high-quality podcasts for many years now. Some of our clients like UCLA Anderson and American University, leverage their vast alumni network via interviews to attract future students. Universities need to take advantage of this technology so that they can reach potential students in a medium that they understand and which has been proven to be effective. The ubiquitous nature of podcasts is only going to go up from here, so it is not so much a question of “if” a University should create a podcast but “when.”
