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5 Higher Ed Technology Podcasts to Stream

From online learning to student success, today’s higher ed podcasts cover the topics that are important to educators and administrators. Here are five to check out.

Amy McIntosh

Amy McIntosh is the managing editor of EdTech: Focus on Higher Education.

The higher ed landscape changes rapidly, and it can be hard to keep up with what’s new and exciting in technology for teaching and learning. Blogs can still tell you all about the latest and greatest in higher ed tech, but podcasts have also emerged as a convenient way to get the news and hear from experts in the field.

Our 2022 higher education IT influencers are rounding up informative interviews, thoughtful conversations and the latest news in higher ed for you to stream from any device. Here are five higher ed podcasts that should be on your radar.

1. Derek Bruff’s Leading Lines Podcast

As assistant provost and executive director of the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching, Derek Bruff is no stranger to educational technology. He’s even written a book on the subject, Intentional Tech: Principles to Guide the Use of Educational Technology in College Teaching.

Taking this expertise to the airwaves, his podcast, Leading Lines, explores “creative, intentional and effective uses of technology to enhance student learning,” according to its website. The goal is to amplify ideas and voices influencing digital learning and pedagogy in higher education. The podcast features conversations with educators, researchers and education technologists about the future of tech in higher ed spaces.

Check out episode 109, with Monica Sulecio de Alvarez speaking with producer Julaine Fowlin about designing for deep learning in online spaces.

Click here to browse this year's complete list of 30 higher ed IT influencers to follow.

2. Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn’s FutureU Podcast

Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn have been writing about higher education for decades. Both are consultants, have authored books on the topic and are frequent speakers at industry events.

Through their podcast, FutureU, the duo covers the future of higher education. They often travel to universities, recording panel discussions with administrators, educators and students on what they see coming to higher ed.

The podcast recently wrapped up its fifth season, and the pair will hit the road again in the fall for a visit to Bowie State University. For a taste of the podcast, listen to episode 99, recorded live at Northeastern University, where a panel weighed in on how technology and the human touch will work together in a post-pandemic higher ed world.

3. Bonni Stachowiak’s Teaching in Higher Ed Podcast

At Vanguard University, Bonni Stachowiak is dean of teaching and learning, where she helps guide faculty in using technology to better serve students. Throughout her career, she has been teaching in-person, online and blended courses.

Her weekly podcast, Teaching in Higher Ed, has been spotlighting educators in the higher ed space since 2014, covering topics ranging from digital pedagogy to work-life balance. With more than 400 episodes under her belt, Stachowiak has her finger on the pulse of what higher education faculty and staff want to hear their peers discuss.

Listen to episode 368, titled “Defining Our Future,” which features an interview with 2022 EdTech influencer Kelvin Bentley on how the pandemic has affected the future of teaching and how technology and data can help educators make better decisions for student success.

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4. Kelvin Thompson and Thomas Cavanagh’s TOPcast

The University of Central Florida’s Center for Distributed Learning produces TOPcast — short for Teaching Online Podcast — and for good reason: The university offers a menu of course types ranging from fully in person to fully remote, so the podcast is an excellent resource for faculty who have entered the online space.

Hosts Kelvin Thompson and Thomas Cavanagh are both digital learning experts at UCF; Thompson is executive director of the Center for Distributed Learning and Cavanagh is vice provost for digital learning. The podcast features conversations with and for blended-learning professionals on topics that include the student experience, government regulations and the value of online education.

For an insight into the student experience, listen to episode 113, “The Three Students You Might Meet in Your Online Class,” where the hosts share profiles of three hypothetical students who might be enrolled in an online class and how educators can best serve them.

LEARN MORE: Online learning can help minimize racism and ableism in and out of the classroom.

5. Dustin Ramsdell’s Higher Ed Geek Podcast

Dustin Ramsdell, program coordinator for edtech platform Noodle, started his blog, Higher Ed Geek, in 2013. Today, the blog features a podcast by the same name, which allows Ramsdell to engage in meaningful dialogue with other self-proclaimed higher ed geeks. Conversation topics range from technology to student well-being and faculty recruitment.

Check out episode 155, an interview with Tim Ummel, CEO of Give Virtual Care, on how college students can use technology to access health care and mental wellness services.