Abstract
This study investigated the impacts of integrating AI-generated podcasts into counselling education, examining both student and faculty experiences through a qualitatively-driven mixed-methods design. Early review of recent survey responses indicate that while faculty reported significant benefits, including drastic time savings and a positive shift in their role from content creator to curator, the student response was overwhelmingly negative. A qualitative analysis of survey data from eight students and three educators revealed a potential critical disconnect.
Faculty responses suggest that the AI tool improved the efficiency and quality of the pedagogical learning materials. Conversely, student responses suggest that they found the AI-generated voices to be “alienating” and “fake,” thereby hindering their comprehension and engagement. These early qualitative findings appear to corroborate with quantitative institutional data, which showed a marked decline in students’ overall satisfaction and their satisfaction with learning experiences and materials after the introduction of the podcasts. Implications of these findings will be discussed.