Using Audio

Audio offers an important dimension that can enhance the student’s learning experience. There are three primary audio elements that can be used in educational technology:

• Speech (Narration e.g. Expert opinion)
• Music (Introductions and transitions)
• Sound effects (e.g. Heart and respiratory sounds)

Through these elements, audio can deliver information, direct attention, convey emotions, support the text/images/animations, and provide feedback. Generally, when audio is used in e-learning it is used in the form of narration, as music and sound effects both have limited application and should only be used when relevant to the content of the course. Decisions, such as when, where and how to implement audio can be perplexing. In some cases, the selection is self-evident, based on the content or characteristics of the student audience. However, as a general rule, audio should only be used to enhance learning and make the learning experience more effective.

Why use Audio?
Audio appeals to the auditory learning style and can be  effective for walking students through flowcharts or explaining complex images or concepts. It can also create a sense of human touch when used for introductions and expert opinions. Audio files in the form of podcasts, offer students convenience as they appreciate learning on the go as well as the ability to stop, review and repeat the podcast, reinforcing learning and assisting in revision.

Considerations
It is important that the decision to use audio is carefully considered and well thought out otherwise it can:

• Be costly and time-consuming if material has to be re-edited frequently
• Be distracting for students who prefer or need to read content. Here, the option for the student to mute the narration and read a transcript instead may be a feasible alternative
• Slow down students (since many would read faster) which can perhaps be a good thing in certain circumstances as some students tend to click through e-learning lessons too quickly to easily absorb the information
• Promote passive engagement of content, if learners opt to read e-mail or do other tasks while listening to the audio
• Audio files can be large, therefore, users must have sufficient bandwidth to download them

Podcasts
Podcasting allows students to use their technology-based entertainment systems (iPods, MP3 players) for educational experiences. Because students are already familiar with the underlying technology, podcasting broadens educational options in a non-threatening and easily accessible manner. Most podcasts to date are audio files, but they can include images and video too. Podcasts can be played on a computer or any mobile device that plays .mp3 or .m4a files. This includes iPods and other audio players, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones.

Podcasts are relatively fast, easy and inexpensive to produce and are convenient for many students as they can learn at their own pace, in their own time and in a location of their choice. Podcasting is not limited to content delivery, students can create their own podcasts as a record of activity, as a way to collect notes, or as reflection on what they have learned. Podcasts can sometimes be perceived as being less engaging due to reduced interaction (e.g. Inability of the student to ask questions and inability of the lecturer to gauge understanding) in which case they can be improved by using them in conjunction with blogs, e-mails and wiki’s.

Students are able to subscribe through syndication to receive automatic updates. Syndication or RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as audio, video and blog entries in a standardized form. They benefit users who want to subscribe to timely updates from favoured websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place. RSS feeds bring updates directly to the user, there is no need to go to multiple web sites, and the person can know almost the instant new information is posted as all new content is ‘pushed’ onto their browsers when it becomes available.

Equipment Needed to Create Audio Files
All of the tools needed to create, modify, and distribute audio files are generally within reach of anyone with a reasonably well-configured laptop/PC. However, it is worth remembering that your audio quality is never going to be better than what you originally recorded.  So you need to do the best you can to record good quality audio from the start.
A good microphone is essential and you need to control your recording environment (Media Resources have a sound booth). However tempted you may be to use the built-in microphone of your laptop – don’t! Although it might be of good quality, it will readily pick up hard drive and computer fan noise. Use a microphone that you can plug into the computer and put in the ideal place for recording. JISC offer general guidance on microphone characteristics, selection and care. Once recorded, your ‘raw audio’ should be edited to ensure that it has maximum educational impact on the user.

How to Create Audio Files

1. Create a script of the content that needs to be covered – the flow needs to be organised, logical and the writing should be clear and precise
2. Record and edit your script in digital format using sound recording software. There are many free Open Source tools for recording audio and include: Audacity, Myna, Levelator
3. In terms of accessibility, prepare any supporting resources for students such as a transcript documents
4. Decide on how to distribute the audio files to learners either as online audio files integrated within a tutorial or as podcasts and upload the tutorial/podcasts to Learning Central

Tips When Using Audio

• Keep the recording to an appropriate length – Research suggests audio segments within instruction should be kept to 1-2 minutes. Podcasts ideally should be kept to within 15 minutes
• Maintain clear educational context, content and structure – Audio should always begin with a clear context for the information being presented and end with a review of the most important things to remember
• Avoid overly complex and dense content that contains lots of facts and figures
• Use an informal tone – The quality of speakers’ voices, speech patterns, intonations, and other sound effects may not be the same as those of a professional broadcast. Some training and practice, both in handling an audio-only medium and using the technology may be required
• Offer flexible/multiple delivery options  in order to accommodate different students’ preferences for subscribing and downloading

Further Resources
JISC Digital Media – Audio advice
How to Podcast Tutorials
Handbook on Digital Video and Audio in Education
New England Journal of Medicine
Access Medicine – A weekly series of podcasts features lectures from world-renowned academic physicians on topics in internal medicine
CTisus-Computed Tomography Podcasts – Educational content for radiologists, radiology technologists, and other professionals in the principles and practice of CT scanning (computed tomography)
MedicineNet – Produces the podcast ‘Doctors on Health’, which explores current health news and trends in medicine for physicians