Abstract
Student satisfaction has become a central focus of universities as they compete for enrolments and strive for high rates of retention. The increasing cost of university education contributes to the expectation that students will not only have the structures around them to pass their degrees, but also to enjoy the experience. Post-pandemic, asynchronous learning has become widespread in the Australian tertiary sector despite some students’ ongoing preferences for in-person lectures (Trehearne, 2023; Kinash, et al, 2021). Against this backdrop, the onus is on course coordinators to ensure that online learning materials are as engaging as possible. Ideally, this is done without sacrificing academic rigour in the name of edutainment (Diaz et al, 2021; Chan-Olmsted & Wang, 2022). My interest is in harnessing the best of podcasting techniques, including music cues, cold opens, and a downloadable audio, to improve the course experience.