Abstract:

The use of digital tools in education has experienced significant growth in recent years, promoting active methodologies that place students at the center of the learning process. In this context, this study analyzes the implementation of podcasts as a teaching resource to enhance both knowledge acquisition and student participation in the university classroom.

The experience was carried out at the Defense University Center, within the course Environmental Technology. The main objective was to facilitate the understanding of relevant environmental issues, such as the greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion, acid rain, and photochemical smog, through a collaborative methodology based on content creation.

To this end, students were organized into groups of two or three members, with assigned roles: reader, listener, and producer. This structure allowed learning to be approached from different perspectives. Producers were responsible for creating podcasts on one of the proposed topics, engaging in information search, synthesis, and communication. Readers worked on content developed by other groups, deepening their theoretical understanding, while listeners analyzed the generated podcasts, developing active and critical listening skills. In this way, each student engaged with all topics, but through different levels of participation, fostering a more comprehensive and diverse learning experience.

The proposed methodology not only promoted the acquisition of technical knowledge but also contributed to the development of transversal skills such as oral communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and learner autonomy. Furthermore, the use of podcasts as a teaching tool increased student motivation by introducing a format aligned with their digital habits.

The observed results indicate an improvement in student engagement and in the assimilation of the concepts covered, as well as greater participation in classroom activities. The combination of roles helped balance the workload and diversify learning approaches, reducing the passivity often associated with traditional methodologies.

In conclusion, the use of podcasts emerges as an effective strategy to enhance the teaching-learning process in higher education, particularly in technical subjects, by providing an active, collaborative, and multimodal approach that supports both content understanding and the development of key skills.

Keywords:

Podcast, higher education, Environmental Technology.