Since we wanted the podcasts to complement, not replace, the taught sessions, and to motivate students to listen to them, we kept them short and chose a format similar to a radio magazine. The series of audio files, each 8 to 10 minutes long and featuring more than one speaker, was delivered at fortnightly intervals throughout the semester via the Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The podcasts consisted of a variety of elements: staff summaries of a key concept, theory or explanation of terminology featured in the weekly set readings and lecture programme; dialogues with students in the form of interviews or shorter soundbites, for example ‘how language is important to my sense of cultural identity’; discussions and conversations on assessment tasks between students, mentors and tutors; tutor feedback on questions or comments arising from the taught sessions; formative feedback on students’ draft assessment tasks, ‘top tips’ on presentation and research skills given by mentors, and information about local resources, such as the Faculty’s Academic Skills Centre, the English Language Support Scheme for International Students and the Student Union Volunteering Scheme.
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