Stellenbosch University (SU) launched its own podcast channel, talks@stellenboschuni, to provide a platform for SU researchers to discuss their work outside the traditional forms of academic discourse.
Stellenbosch University (SU) launched its own podcast channel, talks@stellenboschuni, on 21 May. The first few episodes are available on platforms such as Anchor, Spotify and Google Podcasts. PHOTO: Twitter/@StellenboschUni
“We aim to release a podcast a week, focussing on topics ranging from research by Stellenbosch University researchers, to tips for matriculants,” said Stefan Els, multimedia content producer at SU’s Corporate Communication Division.
Els recorded, edited and produced the podcasts, which were first launched on 21 May.
According to Els, the first series of podcasts explore how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting various aspects of our lives.
“We identified this as a great start for the podcast as people are interested in all things Covid-19,” said Els. At the time of writing, four recordings had been completed on this theme, with more in the pipeline.
The advantage of podcasts is that listeners can learn new things while performing other activities, said Els.
“Our podcasts take the form of fireside chats and therefore makes our research accessible to everyone. The lockdown gave us the perfect opportunity to implement a communication medium that doesn’t rely on face-to-face interaction,” he said.
talks@stellenboschuni offers Stellenbosch University (SU) experts a platform to talk about their work, outside of traditional forms of academic discourse. PHOTO: Unsplash/Johnathan Farber
Remote Recording
Due to the lockdown, the podcasts have been recorded and produced entirely online using the podcasting platform Anchor, said Els.
“[Anchor] recently launched a ‘friends chat’ that allows the recording of multiple people to take place remotely. Because of that function, we didn’t have to wait for the lockdown to end before we could start recording,” he said.
The first recording was therefore done at the beginning of May, said Els.
According to dr Gillian Arendse, deputy director at SU’s Student Recruitment and Career Counselling Centre and host of talks@stellenboschuni, recording the podcasts remotely has presented certain challenges.
“Technology is enabling us to do the podcasts without being in the same room or studio,” said Arendse. “This has its own challenges, as I am not necessarily able to control my environment. I am also not able to read [guests’] body language.”
Future endeavours
The response from SU management and faculties has been very positive, said Els.
According to one listener of talks@stellenboschuni, Megan Grobbelaar, the podcast should not only be listened to by lecturers, but also by students.
“It is a really good podcast,” said Grobbelaar. “The guests and host are both incredibly knowledgeable, and I felt like the things that were said are very relatable to students.”
According to Els, most podcasts will be interview-style but there is scope for expanding to a guest lecture series to be hosted on the channel.
“We aim to keep the episodes to a maximum of 20 minutes, but if lectures are to be loaded, they could be longer,” he said.
The first few episodes are currently available on streaming platforms such as Anchor, Spotify, Breaker, Google Podcasts, RadioPublic, iTunes and the SU website, said Els.