Introduction
As instructional designers, we know extraneous cognitive load impedes learning. Plain writing, organization and structure, and content curation can improve memory and accessibility. In the inaugural episode of the Learner-Centered podcast, learners look at how the plain writing technique of active voice can improve instructional content.
Learning Objectives
Learners will:
- Explore how active voice improves the learnability of instructional content.
- Explain how to find passive voice within a sentence.
Learner-Centered Podcast
Learner-Centered Podcast – Episode 1: Active Voice and Zombies! [1:20] | transcript
Episode Notes
The following resources informed the creation of this podcast.
Bishop, J.M. (2018, November 27). Remove barriers to learning with design and plain writing. Model eLearning.
Bishop, J.M. (2017, June 15). Improve your course content: Active Voice. Model eLearning.
Grammarly. (2023). [writing tool].
Hemingway App. (2023). [writing tool].
Loranger, H. (2017, October 8). Plain language is for everyone, even experts. Nielsen Norman Group
Joki, K. (2017, October 12). A scary-easy way to help you find passive voice!. [Archived]. Grammarly.
Shank, P. (2017). Write and organize for deeper learning: 28 evidence-based and easy-to-apply tactics that will make your instruction better for learning. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform.
Original File Links and Licensing
I used two tracks to create the podcast:
- Track 3 [WAV] (unedited personal recording)
- Soft Chill music by ComaStudio from Pixabay (released under a Creative Commons CC0 license)
Techniques
I recorded the audio track using the built-in microphone of my Apple Beats Flex and edited the file in Adobe Audition 2023.
I used the following techniques to create the audio file:
Podcast Track
- Adjusted volume to select places in the track (to fix the uneven volume levels of spoken voice)
- Removed extra content (unused sponsor segment) and places where I misspoke
- Removed gaps, breaths, and microphone feedback
- Effects: Clean Up and Level Voice Over
- Effects: Reduced harsh “S” sounds with a DeEsser
- Effects: Bandpass Reverb [1:02]
Music Track
- Reduced the volume level of the entire track
- Added fade in and fade out on the intro and outro music (in original file)
- Lowered volume of music track when voice comes in (in multitrack)
Reflection
Overall, I am pleased with the results of the audio podcast—the final result supports the learning outcomes. Originally, I wrote a script to cover how plain writing, structure and organization, and content curation support learner-centered instructional content. However, I determined the script should be less than 200 words (ideally 175 words) to account for the music and fades to fit it into 30 – 90 seconds (Szyk, 2023). After trying to cover this broad topic in this timeframe, I decided to narrow my topic to active voice. This allowed me to focus on the learner needs. Even with a narrow topic, the file ended up being very close to 90 seconds. I removed the “sponsor” segment to keep it within the assignment requirements.
This was my first audio project, and I enjoyed exploring audio editing tools. I found the recording and editing process similar to other design work—prototype, iterate, and test often. It was surprisingly satisfying and fun to be meticulous as I listened to the tracks. I liked how using effects after recording allowed me to improve my speaking voice. In the future, I would love to try recording with a better quality microphone and learn more about the editing tool. For example, I had one place I couldn’t remove or fix a microphone crackle [0:21]. However, I have no doubt I could do it with more time and practice.
Reference
Szyk, B. (2023). Words per minute calculator. OmniCalculator.