Continuing Studies: for Higher Ed Podcasters

Real Neil McPhedran: Welcome to Continuing
Studies, a podcast for higher education

podcasters to learn and get inspired.

I'm Neil McPhedran, founder
of Podium Podcast Company.

Real Jennifer-Lee: And I'm
Jennifer-Lee, founder of JPod

Creations, podcasting is broadcasting.

We want you to know you're not alone.

In fact, there are many of you
higher ed podcasters out there.

And we can all learn from each other.

Real Neil McPhedran: That's right Jen.

And today we are really gonna lean
into this part about learning from

each other and talk about the PodCon
a little bit more now that we've

got all of our speakers and sort
of the day's agenda all sorted out.

This is really exciting and we're gonna
do something a little bit different today.

We're gonna let AI Jen and AI Neil
take over for the rest of the show.

Real Jennifer-Lee: Yeah.

Real Neil McPhedran: I know you're
not super excited about this.

Real Jennifer-Lee: I'm not super excited.

I just,

Real Neil McPhedran:
Full disclosure, my idea.

Real Jennifer-Lee: It is your idea.

Well, I feel like, you know,
we keep talking about AI.

I'm not scared of AI.

I use it in my business, but you
know, I'm just thinking about that

Will Smith movie with the robots.

They build the robots
and then they kill them.

I just don't understand why we're creating
all these like clone versions because

I was like, we're just asking for it.

Didn't we watch these movies?

Like, aren't they warnings?

So this is where my thoughts are going.

It's like, why are we
doing this to ourselves?

Real Neil McPhedran: Jen, I think
as a broadcaster you might be a

little bit more sensitive about
this, but I do agree with you.

And there is a reason we did this.

So this is what we did.

We took the Higher Ed PodCon website and
all of the agenda and all of the details

and everything like that, and had Notebook
LM, you know, take all that and then

turn it into a five minute discussion.

And so there's a male voice, that's
AI Neil, and there's a female voice,

that's AI Jen, they don't really
sound like us, but that's what it is.

And they have a little discussion
about the show and everything about it.

So we thought it was kind of a neat
idea and way to dig into the content.

But also I just think it's interesting
for the higher education space, not that

we wanna replace ourselves as podcasters,
and I don't mean it from a podcaster

perspective, but it's interesting from
a learning perspective, like especially

for multitasking and commuting.

So you could take a article about
something, a big, huge, long article

or a research study or whatever, put
it into this and then listen to a

dialogue while you're riding the subway.

Not perfect, but it's kind
of an interesting approach.

Again, we're not trying
to replace ourselves.

Real Jennifer-Lee: No, and I get it.

There is a time and place to use it.

I think my worry is that, and this
is a larger discussion, maybe it's a

future topic for Continuing Studies,
we can't be too reliant on AI.

It's there to be used as a tool
to be helpful and to scale us up.

But the problem is, and there's been
articles written about this recently from

some great minds in podcasting, is the
listeners are starting to get wise and you

still have to have that content creation.

Content creation is always gonna be there.

And you have to have that personal touch.

But it's okay to use AI every
so often, but you know, I was

like, I'll try anything once.

Try anything once.

We're gonna let, we'll let it slide.

You and I will be back next week.

You start replacing me with AI Jen, then
we're gonna have a, a bigger problem.

Real Neil McPhedran: We're not gonna
replace you with AI Jen, that's for sure.

You can't get the personality
from AI Jen that the real Jen has.

There's no question.

Real Jennifer-Lee: And I have
say from broadcasting, because

I have extensive training, her
inflection is not quite there yet,

but I'm sure they're working on it.

Real Neil McPhedran: It's pretty good.

But you're right, like if you
listen to it, you can tell, it's

just like when I read something
now and I go, that's verbatim out

of ChatGPT or something like that.

So I think we can really
tell in how we use it.

I was at the Web Summit
Vancouver all last week.

Big huge internet conference,
15,000 plus people there, all

technology across the board.

Oh my goodness.

AI, AI, AI, AI, AI, AI,
AI, AI, all day long.

And then I was telling people what
I'm up to, oh, are you using AI?

So I think it's here to stay
and I think it's super helpful.

But yeah, let's just see
how it all shakes out.

Real Jennifer-Lee: I think it's
here to stay like the internet.

We were all scared of the internet,
but again, you gotta know how to use

the internet because we all know that
there's a lot of bad things that have

happened to people using the internet.

Real Neil McPhedran: Okay, so with
that, let's let AI Jen and AI Neil

take over for the next five minutes
and we'll come back at the end.

Real Jennifer-Lee: Well, at least
there's one good thing about this.

We can go have a coffee break.

AI Neil McPhedran: Okay.

So, uh, let's dive into these sources.

We've got some interesting material here
about something new, something specific

happening in higher education audio.

AI Jennifer-Lee: That's right.

We're looking at, um, the
launch of a conference.

And the interesting thing is it
seems to have come directly from

the higher ed community itself.

AI Neil McPhedran: Right.

Like they were asking for it.

AI Jennifer-Lee: Exactly.

A dedicated space, you know, just
for talking about podcasting and

digital media within colleges and
universities, our sources say this

event is really filling that gap.

AI Neil McPhedran: Okay, so
for this deep dive, let's try

and pull out the key details.

What's the story behind this
first ever event and, uh,

why should we pay attention?

AI Jennifer-Lee: Well, first
things first, the name.

The sources, call it the
inaugural Higher Ed PodCon.

AI Neil McPhedran: Higher Ed PodCon.

Okay, catchy enough.

And the basics, where, when?

AI Jennifer-Lee: It's happening
Saturday, July 12th, 2025.

So it's a one day event packed, I imagine.

And it's being held at the
University of Illinois Chicago.

AI Neil McPhedran: Okay.

And who's expected to be there?

Is it just administrators or?

AI Jennifer-Lee: No, the
sources are pretty clear.

It's for the people actually,
you know, making this stuff.

Faculty, staff, the tech specialists
who support it, communicators.

Basically anyone involved in
campus audio and digital media.

AI Neil McPhedran: Got it.

And it sounds like it's not just
a small gathering, judging by the

numbers and the material we have.

AI Jennifer-Lee: Yeah.

That's what's kind of
striking for a first event.

Uh, the sources mention over 15 sessions.

AI Neil McPhedran: 15.

Wow.

AI Jennifer-Lee: And
more than 40 presenters.

Plus participation from, I think it
said over 25 different institutions.

They list some big names too,
like Purdue, Stanford, Penn State.

AI Neil McPhedran: That definitely signals
some real momentum right from the start.

But let's, uh, let's dig into the
content, the sessions, the speakers.

That's where the real value is, right?

The keynote sounds interesting.

AI Jennifer-Lee: Absolutely.

Sources point to Matt Abraham's.

He's, um, teaches at Stanford's
Business School and host that

podcast, Think Fast, Talk Smart.

AI Neil McPhedran: Oh, right.

I know that one.

AI Jennifer-Lee: Yeah.

And his session, based on the
material, is focused on like strategic

communication, how to be clear, how
to engage your audience effectively in

audio, getting practical tactics, really.

AI Neil McPhedran: Which is crucial.

Anyone creating content needs that,
and there was something about Purdue

that caught my eye in the sources.

AI Jennifer-Lee: Yes.

The Purdue University team,
Kate Young and Maria Welch.

Their session title is great.

Podcasting, Social Media and Video, Oh My.

And they're apparently sharing the
quote, formula behind their show,

This is Purdue, which is, uh, often
cited as a top university podcast.

AI Neil McPhedran: The formula.

So the nuts and bolts.

AI Jennifer-Lee: Exactly.

The sources say they'll cover things
like integrating social media,

video strategy, how to optimize
content so it works everywhere.

Basically building a whole multimedia
approach around the podcast.

AI Neil McPhedran: That sounds incredibly
useful, like really actionable stuff.

And wasn't there a podcast
Hall of Famer mentioned too?

AI Jennifer-Lee: Uh-huh.

Dave Jackson.

The material notes, he's helped
launch hundreds of shows.

AI Neil McPhedran: Wow.

AI Jennifer-Lee: His session is about
practical guidance for launching

or maybe relaunching a show.

Specifically thinking
about university budgets.

AI Neil McPhedran: Uh,
the budget constraint.

Always key.

AI Jennifer-Lee: Right.

So cost effective production, using
YouTube effectively, strategies

for making it sustainable, you
know, long-term, pragmatic stuff.

AI Neil McPhedran: Makes sense.

And there was one more about
scaling up a whole network.

AI Jennifer-Lee: Yeah.

From Lansing Community College,
Ed Lowry and Layne Ingram.

Their session is called From 5
to 30: Growing a Podcast Network,

AI Neil McPhedran: 5 to 30
shows, how they manage that?

AI Jennifer-Lee: Well, that's
what the session's about.

The sources highlight how they did it.

Fostering collaboration, encouraging
people, getting that crucial buy-in

across different departments.

It's like a blueprint for building
that internal support system for audio.

AI Neil McPhedran: Okay, so
lots of practical takeaways.

If you're someone in higher ed
thinking about this the sources seem

to list some core reasons to go.

AI Jennifer-Lee: They
frame them as benefits.

One is, you know, joining the leading
edge, being part of this growing movement.

Networking is another big one,
meeting peers doing similar things.

AI Neil McPhedran: So
connecting with others.

AI Jennifer-Lee: And then
crucially getting those practical

tools and strategies you can
actually use back on campus.

And finally, sort of staying competitive,
keeping your institution relevant

in how it communicates digitally.

AI Neil McPhedran: Those
all sound like real needs.

And if people want more info?

AI Jennifer-Lee: The sources point
to a website HigherEdPodCon.com

AI Neil McPhedran: HHIGHER ED PODCON.com.

Got it.

So let's zoom out.

What is this conference
really signify happening now?

AI Jennifer-Lee: Well, it feels like
more than just another conference.

It suggests, um, a kind of coming
of age for podcasting in higher ed.

It's becoming a recognized field, you
know, not just a side project anymore.

There's a community forming,
looking to share best practices.

It marks a certain maturity.

AI Neil McPhedran: And why does
this matter to you listening?

I think it shows how universities
are actively exploring these really

powerful ways to connect, to share
knowledge, tell their stories, using

audio to reach people in new ways.

AI Jennifer-Lee: Which does make you
wonder, if this is just the beginning

of a focused movement, what could the
future of education, communication,

connection, what could it sound like
if more places really lean into this

kind of digital audio storytelling.

Gives you something to think about.

Real Neil McPhedran: Okay, we're back.

Real Neil.

Real Jen.

We're back.

That was fun.

Real Jennifer-Lee: That
was a good coffee break.

Real Neil McPhedran: It
was a good coffee break.

I think they did a good job of,
you know, in five minutes doing a

interesting discussion about PodCon
and the speakers and the content.

And that's why we, we did this episode.

Real Jennifer-Lee: I'll give them that.

But again, I was rating
their broadcasting skills.

They need some work.

Maybe I should coach them.

Real Neil McPhedran: What letter
grade are you giving them?

Jen, a C?

Real Jennifer-Lee: Yeah, maybe a C. Just,
they're where I was like 20 years ago

at the beginning of my broadcast career.

They're like early, early days,
but maybe that's a new job for me.

Instead of training people how
to speak on podcasts, I can

train the AI's to be better.

Real Neil McPhedran: Train bots.

Real Jennifer-Lee: I don't know
if that's really what I wanna do,

Real Neil McPhedran: Bot trainer, Jen.

Real Jennifer-Lee: New job.

Real Neil McPhedran: Anyway, I think
let's just end with, that if you're

listening and you haven't bought a ticket
yet, we really hope to see you there.

I think it's gonna be a really
amazing day of learning.

But as we've said all along, at the
heart of it really is about networking.

We really wanna meet each
other, support each other.

I think higher education is a unique
corner of the podcast space and

there's a lot of things that are
unique to us and I think that we

could learn a lot from each other.

So, hope to see you there.

Real Jennifer-Lee: I agree.

And that's the one thing I'll say about
podcast conferences in general, 'cause I

just got back from one, is that podcasting
is still very young in all fields.

Here in Canada especially,
there's not that many of us.

So when you go to these
conferences, it is so nice.

The vibe is so great
because you learn a lot.

But like you said, you meet a ton of
people and it's a really great feeling

that you're like, oh, I'm not alone.

And everyone's excited.

Because everyone's doing the same thing.

So that's what I really love about it.

Real Neil McPhedran: It's about the
connections really at the end of the day.

So there you go.

We met at a conference.

Real Jennifer-Lee: That's
how this whole journey began.

I would've never met you.

Real Neil McPhedran: Okay, real
Jen, why don't you read a out?

Real Jennifer-Lee: Real Jen.

Thank you for tuning into Continuing
Studies podcast, a podcast for

higher education podcasters.

We hope you found this episode
informative and inspiring.

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We also invite you to join your peers on
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with other podcasters in higher education,
learn from each other in the field.

Thank you for being part of our community.

We look forward to continuing to bring
you valuable insights and conversations

around higher education podcasts.

See you in the next episode.