I want to tell you a story…

Martin Jenkins, Kenny Lynch
University of Gloucestershire

This poster will report on developmental work on the use of both podcasting and digital storytelling as part of students’ induction to higher education.  These techniques are used to both provide information and context for students and as methods to record the student experience.

Students in the Department of Natural and Social Sciences are inducted into higher education using field based activities linked to learning development module.  During the induction week new students are engaged in two days field work that introduces them to active learning, the dominant pedagogical philosophy of the Department.  As part of the students’ reflection and evaluation on these activities, working in small groups, they produce a digital story.

Podcasts are then used throughout the learning development module to provide context and additional information leading to students creating their own podcasts.

The evaluation has focused on assessing the students’ perceptions of the value of these techniques to their learning experience, using questionnaire and focus groups.  Academic staff views on developing these resources and their use have also been sought through questionnaire and interview.

Keywords: podcasting, digital storytelling, student induction