Using podcasts usefully for didactic purposes [DiL]

Would you like to deliver learning content via podcasts yourself, or produce podcasts together with students as part of a project? In this seminar, you will learn how to design podcasts based on sound pedagogical principles, integrate them effectively into your teaching context, and produce them technically. To this end, you will be granted access to an e-learning course two weeks before the seminar, in which you will study the topics ‘Podcast Structure’, ‘Pedagogical Background’ and ‘The Use of AI in Podcast Production’ at your own pace. You will then reflect on potential applications of podcasts within your own teaching context by developing your own podcast concept.
These concepts will first be discussed during the synchronous session. The second part of the seminar will provide a technical and practical introduction to podcast production using the Zoom H8. Low-threshold options, such as recording with DJI clip-on microphones and recording with a mobile phone, will also be covered. 

Key topics: 

• Podcasts
• Blended learning
• Teaching with new media
• Podcast production

Working with artificial intelligence:
During the asynchronous learning phase, participants will gain an overview of the scenarios in which AI is used in podcast production. These include: 

• Brainstorming topics using AI
• Structuring content with the help of AI
• Audio post-production using AI
• Outlook: Generating entire podcast episodes using AI 

Learning objectives of the seminar
During the seminar, participants will work on the following skills; by the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: 
Asynchronous self-study phase

• Explain the typical structure of a podcast 
• Explain why and in what contexts the use of podcasts is pedagogically beneficial
• Identify scenarios for the use of AI in podcast production 
• Develop a podcast concept to reflect on the use of podcasts in one’s own teaching context (one-pager) 

On site session

• Discussing other participants’ podcast concepts
• Identifying which technical requirements are necessary or useful for creating podcasts
• Applying their knowledge to successfully carry out all stages of podcast production, from conception through to recording and post-production.

Schedule:

Online meeting: October 26, 2026, 9:00–9:30 AM – Introductions and overview of the seminar concept
Asynchronous phase: October 26, 2026 - November 28 – 4 teaching units (AE) of self-study: structure, pedagogical background, AI scenarios, and podcast concept (materials provided)

Target Audience:
This seminar is aimed at teaching staff and student assistants (SHKs) from all disciplines. No prior technical knowledge is required, though an interest in technology is an asset.

Implementation Details:
An online kick-off meeting will be held two weeks prior to the seminar,  2025, to provide an overview of the seminar's asynchronous units. These units can subsequently be completed at your own pace and location.
The in-person seminar will take at the ZHL’s studio.

Instructors:
Fabian Merks is a research associate at the Center for University Teaching (Zentrum für Hochschullehre), specializing in media didactics. Through his studies in media science and media practice, combined with extensive knowledge of media technology, he has acquired comprehensive expertise in digital media production. In his seminars and consultations on university teaching, he focuses on the practical, exploratory testing of innovative teaching methods—particularly the use of new media in instruction.

Hanna Müller is a research associate at the Center for University Teaching (Zentrum für Hochschullehre) at the University of Bayreuth. She studied general rhetoric, German language and literature, and media and communication studies and her work focuses on persuasive knowledge transfer, presentation skills and the role of language and performance in teaching contexts. Through seminars and consultations, she helps instructors convey content in a way that is tailored to the audience, well-structured, and effective.