EPOD 2026 Conference - Beyond the Classroom: The Power of Podcasts in Shaping the Future of Learning and Media

Education through Podcasting (EPOD) is a conference and book series where experts share research and practice on learning through recorded audio, media, and podcasting in educational contexts

We're delighted that the third Education through Podcasting (EPOD) Conference will take place on 18th and 19th June 2026 at the University of Leeds. Following two successful events at Morley College London, EPOD 2026 promises to be another exciting gathering of educators, researchers, and practitioners exploring the power of podcasting in education. This year's title is Beyond the Classroom: The Power of Podcasts in Shaping the Future of Learning and Media. All speakers at the conference will be given the opportunity to write up their presentation into a chapter for the proceedings book published by Routledge. The book will have a similar theme around challenging and innovating the higher learning spaces through new podcast practices.

Themes of the conference and book will include, but are not limited to: 

• Pedagogical Possibilities of Podcasting: Exploring how innovation in podcasting in education can support diverse teaching and learning strategies, including flipped classrooms, microlearning, and reflective practice. 
• Blurring Boundaries Between Formal and Informal Learning: How do educational podcasts straddle entertainment and learning, and with this make it harder to distinguish between institutional learning and public discourses. 
• Academic Storytelling and Knowledge Mobilisation: Innovative practices that use podcasting to translate research into engaging narratives for public audiences and interdisciplinary dialogue. 
• Decentralising Knowledge Production and Distribution: Podcasting practices that allow academics, students, and external voices to bypass traditional gatekeepers, reshaping who gets to produce and share educational content. 
• Student-Generated Podcasts as Assessment and Engagement: How to empower students to create podcasts as part of coursework, and methods that foster creativity, digital literacy, and ownership of learning. 
• Institutional Strategies for Podcast Integration: Case studies and frameworks for embedding institutional wide podcasting into teaching frameworks, marketing, or outreach strategies. 
• Podcasting and Civic Engagement: Examining podcasting’s role in civic engagement by higher education institutions, including collective cultural production and community partnerships. 
• Reconfiguring Academic Authority and Voice: Podcasts often feature informal, conversational tones. How can they challenge traditional academic hierarchies and open space for diverse epistemologies and challenging discourses? 

Submissions: please submit 300-500 word abstracts to epod@morleycollege.ac.uk by 16/01/2026 

Paper abstracts of 300-500 words will be reviewed for inclusion in the conference programme and forthcoming book. After the conference, presenting authors will be invited to submit a full paper for peer review for consideration within a Routledge book of proceedings.  

Registration

The cost of attendance is £80 at the early bird rate, and £105 thereafter. The early bird deadline is 16th March 2026, and the link to register is here.

Key Dates

 EPOD Conference & Book Team: 

• Podcasting and Civic Engagement: Examining podcasting’s role in civic engagement by higher education institutions, including collective cultural production and community partnerships. 
• Reconfiguring Academic Authority and Voice: Podcasts often feature informal, conversational tones. How can they challenge traditional academic hierarchies and open space for diverse epistemologies and challenging discourses? 
• 16/01/2026 Deadline for Abstracts  
• 16/02/2026 Abstract acceptance notifications 
• 16/03/2026 Early bird registration close 
• 17/06/2026 Registration closes 
• 18/06/2026 2-Day Conference starts  
• 01/10/2026 Book Chapters due (6000 words)  
• 01/07/2027 Approximate Book Publishing Date 

Team 

• Professor Carola Boehm, University of Staffordshire, UK
• Joanna Duchesne, Morley College London, UK 
• Carl Hartley, University of Leeds, UK 
• Dr Lindsay Persohn, University of South Florida, USA 
• Camilo Salazar, Morley Radio/Morley College London, UK.

Travelling to Leeds

If you are travelling from outside of UK:

• Please select the flight that best fits your schedule if you are travelling from outside of the UK.
• We recommend you fly into London Heathrow Airport or London City Airport, then take the LNER train from King's Cross Station to Leeds. It takes roughly two hours and fifteen minutes to get from London to Leeds.
• From London Heathrow Airport to King's Cross Station, you can take the Piccadilly Line (Tube). The line runs directly from the airport to King's Cross railway station.
• From London City Airport to King's cross station, you can take DLR Line then change to Northern Line at Bank Station. The Northern Line will take you to King's Cross railway station.

If you are travelling from the UK:

• The destination of your train should be Leeds railway/train station.
• The train station is located in the heart of the city, and buses and Ubers may pick you up and drop you off at any hotel you've reserved.
• If you use Uber to get to your hotel, there is an Uber pick-up point right outside the train station. If you are unsure of its location, ask a staff member; they should be able to direct you.

Accommodation

There are many accommodation options in Leeds City Centre, ranging from affordable hotels to boutique stays. The University of Leeds campus is approximately a 20–30 minute walk from the city centre, making most central hotels a convenient choice for conference attendees.

For good-value options close to the University, you may wish to consider:

Premier Inn
0.6 miles walking (about 15 minutes) 0.5 miles by road to the University of Leeds
Hepworth Point, Clay Pit Lane, Leeds, LS2 8BQ
T: 0871 527 9356
Visit hotel website

Holiday Inn Express Leeds City Centre
0.6 miles walking (about 15 minutes) 1.1 miles by road to the University of Leeds
Cavendish Street (off Kirkstall Road), Leeds, LS3 1LY
T: +44 (0)871 902 1616
Visit hotel website

Ibis Styles Leeds City Centre Arena
0.5 miles walking (about 15 minutes) 1.4 miles by road to the University of Leeds
Wade Lane, Leeds, LS2 8NJ
T: +44 (0)113 831 4530
Visit hotel website

Alternatively, you may wish to stay in Headingley, a lively neighbourhood located about 1.5 miles from campus. It offers a range of guesthouses, independent hotels, and restaurants, and is well connected to the University by frequent buses and a short taxi ride.

The University of Leeds also offers its own accommodation, which you can explore here. Please note that as the conference takes place out of term time, you may need to enquire directly for availability.

Things to do in Leeds

Follow this link for our suggestions of things to do in and around Leeds.