CHAPTER 4

Audio and Learning

In This Chapter

•  When should you use audio in learning materials?

•  What are the three communication tools of audio?

•  How do the universal content principles apply to audio?

•  What does an audio work flow look like?

When you hear people discussing media content in learning, such as blended learning or the flipped classroom, a good chunk of those conversations zero in on how to leverage video without referencing what other modalities like audio offer. This is a shame. Despite all video has to offer, which we’ll cover in the next section of the book, it often overshadows the amazing opportunities audio also offers to learning professionals.

Audio as a modality for learning has been around a long time. Traditionally, listeners received it through their radio or on clunky old devices like cassette players and cartridge machines. Today learners can listen to audio from podcasts, streaming audio, and even audio embedded in other media such as slideshows. These new platforms offer incredible opportunities to easily make learning available on demand. No longer do learners have to wait for a 10 p.m. radio lecture or go rummaging around their bag to find the cassette tape of a lecture they missed—they simply open a file on their smartphone or tablet or look up a webpage and they’ve got it.

Audio and learning first paired up in the 1920s. In the United States, the short-lived pioneer radio station WGI, in Massachusetts, broadcast lectures from professors at Tufts College in 1922, while the British Broadcasting Company—later the BBC—did its first broadcast to schoolchildren in 1924 (Das 2007). It quickly became a fixture for broadcasters around the world as radio pioneers developed ways to make radio an intrinsic part of everyday life. Using radio for education became formalized in 1929, when Ohio State University started the School of the Air, while on the other side of the world, the Australian Broadcasting Commission launched Schools Broadcasts to support classroom instruction in traditional schools. Both are early examples of what we might today call blended learning programs using technology. In 1930, CBS launched its weekly half-hour show, American School of the Air, followed soon after by NBC’s University of the Air (Das 2007).

Audio has played a key role in educating people around the world, particularly in countries with large landmasses and sparse populations like Australia, as well as in developing countries, where radio offered the opportunity to reach millions. In the late 1940s, Australia launched the School of the Air for children living on remote ranches in the dusty outback who were too far from schools to attend in person. And from the 1950s, UNESCO rolled out educational radio to developing countries such as India, Pakistan, and Thailand (Das 2007; UNESCO n.d.; Big Black Dog Communications 2016).

Despite audio being overshadowed by its more glamorous cousin, video, its consumption has quietly grown and will most likely continue, especially as more and more devices become connected to the Internet. Whether it’s consumed as a radio broadcast, a podcast, or streamed over the Internet, audio is quick and easy to produce and costs very little to put together. It’s portable and can be enjoyed while people do other tasks such as driving, working out, or sitting at an airport waiting for a flight.

Audio is a powerful tool to help people learn, especially because it can be distributed in so many forms. This book will refer to audio mostly as a podcast because that’s what most learning professionals will be producing. However, the work flow, equipment, and skills necessary to create compelling learning podcasts are the same as the ones you will need when creating other forms of audio.

Distributing Digital Audio to Your Learners

Digital audio content can be shared across many platforms—desktop computers, smartphones, and even in the classroom if you have a device that can connect to speakers. As a digital educator you’ll need to consider how to distribute it to your learners. The most common options open to you are the following:

•  email

•  web link

•  podcast

•  online streaming, either live or on demand

•  embedded in another product

•  learning management system (LMS).

Email

It’s easy to take your audio file and email it to your learners. It’s a simple approach, especially if you already have an email list. However, it is not always convenient for learners because some may have limitations placed by their IT department on the type of email attachments they can accept. Also, as email programs become more sophisticated in blocking spam, some emails may end up in the spam or clutter folders.

Web Link

You could save your audio file in the cloud, such as in a folder on Dropbox, Hightail, or OneDrive. Then either invite learners to access the folder with the audio file or send them a link they can use to play the file in a browser or download it. This is quick, easy, and convenient for one-offs. But it’s not conducive to longer programs of learning that require you to monitor who is downloading and using the content.

Podcast

A podcast is a series of audio programs that are automatically downloaded over the Internet through subscription services like RSS. Podcast episodes are stored on hosting sites such as Spreaker, SoundCloud, Ourmedia, and PodOmatic and marketed through podcast directories such as iTunes, doubleTwist, and Stitcher. Some podcast hosts are free while others charge a fee, and you’ll need to create an account with the host. When you upload files to directories, they will ask for the title, the RSS feed, cover artwork, and other things such as your email and web address and Twitter handle. Podcasts were born as audio content but when video came to the web, people started to use the term for video as well, and even for PDF episodes that were automatically downloaded. This book follows the original definition.

Online Streaming

Streaming refers to audio content playing live over the Internet rather than a single downloaded file. Streaming can be delivered on demand or continuously, such as the live feed from a radio station. To stream audio you need to have accounts with streaming providers, and the costs can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on which company you use. Many of these providers will give you the option to customize your audio player, which you would embed on your website or intranet, or within the content management system. Many providers also offer monetizing opportunities so you can charge a fee for learners to access your media, which is good for edu-preneurs such as professional speakers, authors, and seminar leaders. Streaming is good if you want to deliver a live masterclass or massive open online course (MOOC), or when you want learners to choose their modules at will.

Embedded in Another Product

You can also distribute audio within other media products, such as PowerPoint. At a simplified level, you embed pre-recorded audio into the slide deck, then click on “Create Video.” The pre-recorded audio could be of you speaking to slides. The “Create Video” function will automatically advance the slides with your audio. Strictly speaking, this is not really a video, despite it being saved as a video file, because it doesn’t show moving action.

Software programs such as Articulate or TechSmith’s Camtasia have built-in audio editing facilities to manipulate audio that accompanies screen captures, slide decks, and other content. You also have the option to create audio with commentary and music outside these programs in a dedicated audio editing program, such as Audacity or Sound Forge, and import the audio file to match the slides.

Learning Management System

You might load the audio into your LMS for learners to access. Different systems will handle audio differently, but you’ll upload it as part of the process for making learning content. An LMS allows you to monitor what’s being consumed, an ideal situation for publishing and distributing audio.

When to Use Audio for Learning

Radio has often been described as the “theater of the mind,” because the message plays out visually in the listener’s mind. This phrase equally applies to audio experienced as a podcast or streamed over the Internet. To make sense of your audio message, the listener draws on his memory and imagination to craft a picture on a virtual screen inside his head. The magic of audio is that your listener takes significantly more ownership of this picture because he builds on it with his experiences, ideas, and mindset.

Let’s say you produce a podcast on workplace conflict that deals with the effects of value judgments in professional relationships. As you describe a judgmental comment that inflamed a workplace relationship, your listener will draw on her own experiences of either being in a similar conflict or having seen one to paint a picture in her mind of what you are talking about. It’s no longer your description but hers, no longer a hypothetical situation but something that feels much more real to her. Audio works very well for topics that require learners to draw on memories, experiences, and ideas they already have. However, it struggles with topics for which they can’t draw on pre-existing memories. Topics that don’t work well in audio tend to include a high degree of detail and complexity.

Let’s say you’re teaching video camera operators about the Kelvin scale so they can set the white balance on their camera. It’s unlikely they’ll remember hard facts such as what range cool colors are on the Kelvin scale and what range warm colors are. An everyday example of this is how listeners remember stories on the radio but forget details. How often have you listened to a weather update but then almost immediately forgotten the actual temperature? It’s easy to forget the specifics, but when the announcer says, “Don’t forget to pack your umbrella,” you tend to remember.

Communication Tools of Audio

There’s a sense in which creating audio messages is like painting pictures in the listeners’ minds. And just as an artist has a set of tools to paint a picture, audio communicators have tools too. But instead of brushes, colors, and canvas, the audio communicator uses:

•  words

•  music

•  sound effects.

It’s easy to use only spoken word in your audio. However, your content will be more engaging if you go beyond the spoken word by engaging your learners’ emotions with music and drawing on their long-term memory with sound effects.

The Spoken Word

The spoken word is the heartbeat of audio communication and is good for conveying concrete details that are less open to interpretation. An artist will use a fine paintbrush to add specific detail to an important part of the picture’s message, such as a facial expression. Likewise, the podcaster will use spoken word to convey more concrete information that cannot be easily conveyed by music or sound effects.

For example, the sound effect of a waterfall may help you visualize one, but it won’t convey where it is and why it’s important. The spoken word can answer these questions more directly.

While the spoken word is good for detail, it can be slow to get some information across. For example, funereal music may tell your listener things are grim quicker, and more elegantly, than saying, “It was a gloomy day and no one was feeling happy.”

Music

Music for the audio communicator is like the palette of paint an artist uses to splash color and life onto the canvas. Music influences mood. If you want listeners to feel sad, relaxed, happy, or excited, there is a piece of music that will do that for you. Music influences energy levels. Just when a podcast starts to drag, a short infusion of up-tempo music can lift the pace. And music creates atmosphere, transporting you anywhere in the world. Playing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” with the sound effect of a crowd roaring can instantly transport your listeners to the ballpark.

When it comes to digital learning content, music does not exist for entertainment. Instead it plays a supporting role to affect mood, energy, and atmosphere. For example, if you want people to feel inspired about what they will learn in a podcast, you could start a podcast with a positive, uplifting piece of music. If you have produced a podcast about cultural customs to respect when traveling to Tokyo, you might use music written in a pentatonic scale, which is common in Japan, to set the scene for the country you are focusing on. If your podcast is longer than a few minutes, you could insert short music tracks at various intervals to give the listener a break to consolidate what they hear.

Sound Effects

To paint a backdrop such as the sky or a sunset, the artist might pick up a broad brush and get to work. An audio professional uses sound effects in the same way. Sound effects create atmosphere and attract the listener’s attention. They trigger long-term memories, adding life to your message. Their speed at communicating can be helpful too. If you hear the sound of traffic noise and honking horns, most people will immediately think of New York or another busy city. It’s quicker and less clumsy than planning a voice-over with, “And now we go to New York …”

Sound effects are broad rather than specific, so often they will only convey part of the message. They may transport the listener somewhere but they won’t tell the listener why or what they’re doing. The sound effects generally need to be combined with words and music for an immersive effect.

Universal Content Principles for Audio

In chapter 2, we listed some universal principles of good content that can apply to audio, video, and screen text. What do they look like when it comes to audio content?

•  The Short Principle: Audio content should be short and snappy. A lot of commercial radio stations limit interviews to between two and three minutes because people lose concentration fast. If you have lots of talking in your podcast, break it up with music. Or break the overall podcast into several shorter modules.

•  The Simple Principle: Do not overload the listener with content. Use simple words that are quick and easy for your listeners to recognize and process. And stick to one learning objective.

•  The Familiarity Principle: Media elements need to be familiar to your listeners, so use words, stories, and analogies they recognize. Choose sound effects that they can relate to. And make sure your music is what your listeners expect. Glenn Miller music in the background may not be effective for Generation Y listeners unless you want to create a flashback.

•  The Emotion Principle: Use music to influence your listeners’ energy levels. Use words, phrases, and stories you know will appeal to them.

•  The Creative Repetition Principle: Repeat key learning points, but each time you repeat them, do so differently. For example, use a voice-over, then a sound bite from a subject matter expert, and then perhaps a role play.

•  The Change Principle: Variety keeps people listening. Consider how you can add aural variety to your podcast. For instance, you could use two presenters. Or you could change the music throughout the podcast and add sound effects. Also consider changing between content techniques—you could feature an interview, a role play, and a monologue rather than just a monologue. Of course, it’s important not to overdo the change and have new music every 15 seconds. So what makes the ideal number of changes? This is where the art comes into play; rather than settle on something concrete, like “change every 20 seconds,” it’s probably more useful to review your content and minimize the change when it distracts from the learning.

The Digital Mindset and Audio

When it comes to the digital mindset, there are three questions to ask:

•  What’s the best modality to convey the content?

•  What platform will the learner access this content on?

•  How can the learner personalize the content?

The audio modality is effective when your listeners have knowledge and experience to tap into with the spoken word, music, and sound effects. This is when you might choose a podcast, not because it’s fun to create or quick and easy to turn around. When a learning topic requires you to convey a lot of detailed information, such as facts and figures, you should avoid podcasts and instead opt for a more appropriate modality such as digital text. Podcasts are great for soft skills training such as sales or leadership, but not as good for more specific topics such as IT, science, or finance.

The platform your learner will access the podcast on should also influence how you produce the content. The considerations are subtler for podcasts than they are for video, although still important. For example, if you know learners will mostly listen when driving in a car, you might use softer sound effects because cars tend to be soundproofed and learners will have fewer auditory distractions. However, if they’re likely to be listening in a factory or at an airport waiting for a flight, you might rely less on quieter sound effects that are easily drowned out by noisy environments.

Transformative learning is personal and the digital communicator considers how the podcast can be used in a way that mostly fits the learner’s pace and schedule. What can you do to allow the learner to fit the podcast around his life? Perhaps you can offer two versions of the podcast: one that’s complete and a second that is broken into modules. With modules the learner can pace the podcast differently, or skip ones that cover material he is already familiar with. You can also use technology to allow him to set the time that podcast modules are pushed out to him.

An Audio Work Flow

We’ve discussed why audio is good for learning, how to play to its strengths, and the three communication tools you have to help people learn. But how do you actually build audio content? It’s important to follow a consistent work flow that ensures the right steps are taken in the right order. There is no perfect work flow, although there are many that are far from effective. This book explores production through the lens of the plan, create, and edit work flow. Here’s how it looks for podcasts.

Step One: Planning

1.  Set the learning objective.

2.  Break the objective into knowledge chunks.

3.  Create a structure for the content.

4.  Determine which format to use. For instance, will you record a monologue, interview a subject matter expert, or facilitate a panel?

5.  Write scripts, plan interviews, and choose music and sound effects.

6.  Conduct basic administration tasks, such as copyright checks.

Step Two: Creating

1.  Record interviews using your computer, digital audio recorder, or smart device.

Step Three: Editing

1.  Edit spoken word content.

2.  Process audio.

3.  Add music and sound effects using multitrack.

4.  Publish.

Summary

Audio offers powerful learning opportunities because the learner crafts the message using her memory and imagination, making it far more personal. It is especially effective for content that requires the learner to reflect on her experiences. However, it struggles to teach content with lots of facts and figures. The learning professional who creates podcasts or streamed audio content for learning will weave together the spoken word, music, and sound effects to convey the message. His aim will be to keep the content short and simple and engage creative repetition to increase retention.

The audio modality gives trainers the opportunity to position content on the grand stage inside the learners’ heads, in their theaters of the mind. In little time, for virtually no cost, you can transport your learners to any scene in the world. You can help them paint rich images of your content that are very personal. However, like any theater show, there’s lots of hard work to do behind the scenes. And the work has to be done in a sequence that is efficient. In the next chapter, we explore the podcast work flow.