‘Learning Beyond Lectures: The EdTech Talks’ is a student-led podcast series in which final year students from the BSc. in Digital Business and Innovation (DBI) undergraduate degree in Dublin City University Business School research, produce and host a podcast series as part of two final year modules. This podcast series has been specifically designed to enhance student engagement, develop transversal skills and foster integration with industry. Students have autonomy over their own learning efforts and understandings within the podcast series as they take ownership over researching, preparing and producing each episode of the series. They engage deeply with industry to create and record each episode of their podcast series and create a sharable, modern resource that highlights emerging trends and challenges in management, technology and education. Each episode is showcased on Youtube, Audioboom and LinkedIn (once approval has been granted by the industry representative) providing both student and industry a voice in important technology based, industry driven and educationally focused conversations.

Although podcasting has existed in education for a number of years, they have typically been implemented as an academic-led activity (McGarr, 2009) intended to support acquisition learning (Laurillard, 2012). Student-led podcasts, whereby students work in small groups to actively research, prepare and produce podcast episodes to discuss salient topics with various industry representatives are far less common in third level education. In this way, student-led podcasts can transform traditional learning, by providing students with an innovative and unique platform to explore and discuss important topics in an authentic and engaging way. The development of this student-led podcast series as a pedagogy (pod-agogy) is an innovative and exciting platform for students to demonstrate a number of key skills that align with industry practice in a way that speaks the student language. This form of teaching and learning is assessable, engaging and reflective. It afford learners multple means of engagement, allowing students to showcase their knowledge through different means whilst providing opportunities to listen back and reflect on their work, actively shaping disciplinary conversations in education by enabling knowledge exchange and modern engagement between student, industry and the wider community.