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Let\u2019s face it: education is changing with technology. But hasn\u2019t it always? Imagine the calligraphy teacher\u2019s grimace at the typewriter. Math teachers and calculators, English teachers and spellcheck, history teachers and Google \u2014 instructors quickly adopted all of these tools for their own usage. The same opportunity arises with the explosion of artificial intelligence<\/a>.<\/p>\n Having been an online student and now leading online courses, I empathize with both sets of stakeholders. Online courses have grown with the availability of the internet and lowered home computer costs. The flexibility asynchronous courses<\/a> offer is what makes them desirable. Neither party must be in a specific classroom at a particular time. This allows both to work a more convenient schedule.<\/p>\n The most obvious challenge for instructors is bringing value to the students in a format that lacks the personalization of the classroom setting. Emails and discussion boards don\u2019t communicate with the same personal touch. Recording classroom lectures for a face-to-face class certainly has some merit. The online student gets to hear and watch lectures and discussions. Yet, this might not be a foreseeable solution for instructors without in-person and online sections of the same subject. Also, recorded lectures may give the online sections less time to consume the content than their in-person peers.<\/p>\n Until recently, my modus operandi was recording lectures for online students. I did this in order to replicate what they would get in the classroom, albeit passively devoid of discussion. Unless these videos are reused for different semesters and classes, it still seems inefficient and strangely impersonal. The inefficiency comes from mistakes that I would have laughed off in a live course. However, they certainly became points of frustration when watching myself stumble through a word or phrase that rolled off the tongue effortlessly during the dry run. Sometimes, I didn\u2019t realize my mic was not toggled on. This resulted in a very uneventful silent film. Or someone would interrupt. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve scratched the surface of all the things that disrupted my attempts. So, I looked for alternative sources for help.<\/p>\n I spent some time dabbling with AI avatars and seeing the potential to adopt the technology. The avatars cross the personalization hurdle by offering lifelike renditions with mannerisms and voice. While the technology is not quite as precise as recorded video, it\u2019s good and getting better. The students have given it positive reviews. It is undoubtedly better than some of the textbook videos I had the unfortunate task of watching in a couple of my online courses as a student.<\/p>\n Avatars also clear the hurdle of efficiency and frustration. Using an avatar, I no longer have to fret over interruptions or mistakes. The editing is all done in its script. I load what I want it to say, and the avatar says it. No \u201cums.\u201d No coughs or sneezes to apologize for. No triple takes on the word, \u201canthropomorphic.\u201d If I\u2019m interrupted, I can save it and return to it later. This enables me to scale my efforts.<\/p>\n Depending on your social media algorithm, you were probably privy to people\u2019s Spotify top stats or other creative memes of the phenomenon in early December 2024. Spotify created personal \u201cWrapped AI podcasts\u201d based on AI\u2019s interpretation of users\u2019 listening habits throughout the year. From a marketing perspective, this is great cobranding for both Google and Spotify, but the instructor\u2019s perspective is why I\u2019m writing. I learned about NotebookLM<\/a> at a recent conference. The real beauty is that, currently, it\u2019s free with a Google account.<\/p>\n Evaluating anecdotal evidence from my courses again, the students enjoyed the podcast version of the content. Instructors can add content that they have created and own the rights to, like lecture notes, and two AI \u201cpodcasters\u201d will discuss it.<\/p>\n Because it\u2019s only audio content, students can listen to it anywhere they are with their phones. Some comments that I noted were, \u201cListening to it felt less like studying\u201d and \u201cIt was easy to listen to driving in my car.\u201d This adds another layer of content consumption for students.<\/p>\n Though I offered two technologies to deliver content to students, I do so as supplements to recorded lectures and web meetings. Indeed, in this era of AI, it is easy to become enamored with or apprehensive of this technology. Our students live very digitalized lives. Versing yourself in emerging technologies while still interacting with online students in more \u201ctraditional\u201d formats can help you keep up with the times. You can still lean on \u00a0tried-and-true education delivery. I think the key is to be willing to try a new technology and ask the students what they think of it. So many educators are worried about replacement, but at this stage in technology, we need to use AI as enhancements. So many digital platforms are using it. Why not use it in online classes responsibly?<\/p>\n Written by Britton Legget, Assistant Professor of Marketing at McNeese State University and Cengage Faculty Partner. <\/em><\/p>\n \n <\/div>\nPersonalizing asynchronous courses<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Recorded lecture: the challenges<\/h2>\n
The power of AI avatars for lecture delivery<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Using Google\u2019s NotebookLM to create AI-generated podcasts<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Balancing AI and instructor presence<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Want to learn about Professor Leggett\u2019s unique journey into his current role?<\/h2>\n