Radio Drama and Glosbe-Karaoke

The document presents an innovative pedagogical approach aimed at strengthening communication skills and improving student retention in first-year courses at Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD). The proposal arises from the need to develop teaching strategies mediated by digital technologies that foster students’ reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills within the Communication Skills course, while also promoting institutional identity, active participation, and academic persistence. Its main objective is to implement playful and creative synchronous learning spaces that integrate experiential learning processes through the Radio Drama and Glosbe-Karaoke strategies.

The methodology is grounded in educational communication and flipped-classroom approaches, organizing weekly synchronous sessions into phases of motivation, conceptual development, practical application, and evaluation. The implemented strategies include scriptwriting, podcast production, dramatic reading, sound-effect creation, vocalization exercises, and the development of communication products later shared through asynchronous formats. The pedagogical design integrates technological resources, collaborative work, and contextualized learning, enabling students to produce communication materials while strengthening their discursive and expressive competencies.

The results indicate improvements in student motivation, retention, and participation, as well as in communication skills related to reading comprehension, written production, active listening, and oral expression.
 The experience also contributed to consolidating collaborative work dynamics, strengthening institutional identity at UNAD, and fostering socio-emotional competencies through creative and participatory activities. In addition, four educational podcasts accompanied by thematic karaoke activities were produced and used as asynchronous resources for students experiencing academic difficulties and for remedial learning processes.

The research identifies the use of playful methodologies, audio resources, and cross-cutting communication strategies as effective mechanisms for strengthening teaching and learning processes in virtual education. The proposal promotes the assimilation of academic content through experiential learning, fostering participatory learning environments focused on holistic development and the strengthening of communication skills in digital contexts.