Description: Audio recordings can be downloaded and listened to at the students' convenience.
Best Practices:
- Limit audio recordings to 30 minutes
- Segment lengthy topics sub-points to record separately
- Determine key points; deliver them succinctly and concisely
- Extend longevity for lecture content intended for reuse by avoiding: references to current events, dates, page numbers, the weather, etc.
Examples of Use:
- Course lecture content
- Weekly communication
- Summaries of forums, assignments, blog posts, wikis, etc.
- Audio contributions to assignments or forums by students
Apps:
Audacity (File > New > Record > Export > Export as WAV)
- Audacity Tutorials: Basic recording and editing | Linkedin-Learning - Learning Audacity
- Windows Voice Recorder
- Mac Quicktime Player (File > New Audio Recording > Record > Save or Export)
- iOS Smartphone: Voice Memo App
- Android Smartphone: Recorder App
Microphones
- On a computer use an external USB microphone to record on a computer, when possible
- e.g., Blue Snowball Mic available for checkout in library
- a microphone on a headset (even earbuds) is better than the internal mic on a computer
- Use a microphone app to record on a smartphone.
- The microphone on a smartphone is better than the internal mic on a computer
- a microphone on a headset (even earbuds) will improve the sound quality
- an external mic can be purchased for a smartphone, which will improve the sound quailit
Locations:
- Bethel Podcast Studio (HC300A)
- Faculty may request use of the Voice Over Booth (ANC265) by contacting academic-development@bethel.edu
Recording Tips
- Drink water before recording to avoid mouth noises
- Silence all devices
- Keep microphone a few inches away from mouth
- Make sure audio quality and levels are good by recording a quick test and listening back to it
Remote Recording Tips:
- Find a quiet room to record in
- Record during a quiet time of the day or night
- Avoid other voices, traffic noises, barking dogs, kitchen noises, etc.
- Mute phones and other devices with alarms or audible signals
- Select a room that has a significant amount of "softness" which will reduce echos. This includes items like:
- carpeting
- drapes
- furniture upholsetered with fabric
- bedding
- clothing
- pillows
How to do it yourself:
Step One
- Write an outline or script
- Check your microphone for sound quality (external microphones may be borrowed from the BU Library)
- Record yourself
- Save your file as an .mp3, .mp4, or .m4a
- Note 1: File type if small enough (<50MB) does not matter as Moodle has embedded converters for audio and Google (any file size) has players for any file type)
- Note 2: high quality audio like aac or wave is not needed for voice audio and results in very large file sizes
Step Two
Choose Your Deployment Method - place in Moodle (short, specific audio, less than 50MB) or share via Google Drive (longer audio files [lectures] greater than the 50MB Moodle file limit)
- If uploading into your Moodle course, treat the file as any other document you are uploading to an Assignment or Forum, or Link (URL) for larger files
- If sharing from your Google Drive you can easily share the Link (URL) in a Forum or Assignment in which the instructor has enabled online text. See Sharing a Google Drive File in a Moodle Forum or Online Assignment .