The immersive nature of podcasts have made the already popular format ubiquitous during the current pandemic. Beyond providing entertainment during a daily walk or getting us up-to-speed on the latest news, however, podcasts also have the potential to support virtual learning in the public health classroom.
In a recent workshop with GHELI’s Instructional Designer, Nina Bhattacharya, participants explored how podcasts can serve as a dynamic tool for educators, students, and public health professionals. Since 2017, Bhattacharya has been exploring visual and audio methodologies for sparking deeper learning in public health classrooms.
Educators can leverage podcasts as a way to make dense readings more accessible to a wider number of students, or to create opportunities for students to practice research and storytelling skills. Podcasts, when embedded in assignments, can help students make meaning of an increasingly complex world and, when embedded in projects, can help personalize broad public health topics. For public health professionals, designing a podcast can be a wonderful opportunity to talk about insights and information in a more approachable, conversational format.
The workshop highlighted freely available tools for bringing podcasts to life, as well as best practices for planning, recording, and editing. Learn more about the Incubator’s efforts to support students in kickstarting multimodal creative projects.