Speak, Record, Edit, Learn: Teamwork and Troubleshooting in Student-Produced L2 Podcasts

As technology continues to reshape the educational landscape, it is essential to empower students to become active, self-directed learners. Podcast production can be a “very powerful tool to increase class interaction and foster collaborative learning by developing the skills needed to work towards a shared goal” (Phillips, 2017). Building on prior research (Dawes, 2024; Howland, et al., 2024; Ramirez, 2024), this study explores how technical challenges in podcast production served as catalysts for collaborative language development.

In an EMI media studies course at a Japanese university, second-year English language students were tasked with creating 10-minute podcast episodes based on their shared interests. The researchers conducted thematic coding of 103 students’ reflections regarding their successes, challenges, and learning outcomes following the podcast unit. Their analysis revealed that when facing audio editing obstacles, the students organically developed task division strategies and negotiated role assignments to manage these challenges. The conceptualization, recording, and editing processes also facilitated cross-linguistic interactions, specialized vocabulary acquisition, and an authentic need for communication beyond conventional classroom activities. Student reflections revealed that learners developed both technical and linguistic skills independent of teacher intervention, finding satisfaction and pride in overcoming challenges to create their podcasts through peer collaboration.

Although AI and digital tools now seem inseparable from language learning, podcast creation presents a unique opportunity to empower students as human communicators. By making conscious choices about voice, style, and audience, students actively shape their own linguistic identity and develop a personal, authentic English-medium voice. The findings contribute to our understanding of how technology-mediated collaborative problem-solving can empower language learners through situated learning experiences that bridge technical and linguistic domains. Limitations and implications of integrating podcast creation into EMI classrooms will be discussed.