As a film scholar in love with Orson Welles, I remember the first time I listened to the controversial 1938 War of the Worlds: I was fascinated by both the concept (a Halloween prank that turned into mass hysteria) and the content (the narrative of aliens attacking Earth). And of course, by Orson Welles’ incredible voice (seriously, just listen to it if you haven’t yet).
Since then, radio technology has evolved significantly, and now we all have our favorite podcasts saved on our phones. But a core element has not changed: good storytelling. And I’ve always loved to think about teaching as a form of storytelling. Podcasts have been used very successfully for both teaching and learning, at various educational levels. As one podcaster reminds us, “students listen for longer than they’ll watch or read,” podcasts are easily accessible, and promote better learning for students with mental and visual disabilities. EdTech offers some recommendations about Higher Ed podcasts, this article even discusses the benefits of podcasts for faculty development, and this podcast offers great pedagogical resources for instructors.
If you want to learn more about podcasting for teaching and learning, the Office of Faculty Development will hold a Friday Forum on December 4th via Zoom, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
A panel of faculty will share their experience with podcasts, discuss tips and best practices, and offer ideas on how you could use podcasts in your own classes.
Lastly, I want to remind everyone about the call for applications for FDEV Spring 2021 programs, see below:
Closing the Equity Gaps Faculty Learning Community
Digital Pedagogy Faculty Learning Community
Quality Learning and Teaching Workshops
All calls for applications will close on Monday, December 7th, at 5:00 p.m. You can also find a list of all open calls in the FDEV Programs page.
We look forward to receiving your applications and being able to offer you continued support!
