Let the Students Speak: Using Podcasts to Promote Student Voice and Engagement in an International Studies Classroom in China

Abstract Active teaching and learning support pedagogies typically require student vocal participation in the classroom. However, very little is known about strategies used to promote student voice especially in teacher-dominated classroom cultures in many parts of the developing world. This paper reports action research that explored student responses and challenges to the use of student-produced audio podcasts in teaching a module focusing on Africa in a transnational university in China. Mixed methods involving a written questionnaire and mechanical reviews of student essays vindicate student podcasts as perceived valuable tools not only for promoting student voice but also for enhancing learning motivation and teaching-back misconceptions about Africa. Variation in accent, pace, audibility, and clarity of student podcasts posed a major challenge to comprehension of some podcasts and participation in podcast-based discussions. Based on students’ feedback, this study prescribes use of visual aids alongside audio podcasts to optimize the benefits of podcasting pedagogy in transnational education contexts.