Giving Compass' Take:

• Dr. Jessica Calarco shares how she created a podcast to teach an Introduction to Sociology course at Indiana University Bloomington.

• What are some of the challenges teaching in higher education and using an unconventional approach? What are the benefits?

• Read about what the rise of podcasts tells us about learning.

Necessity is often the mother of invention. For Dr. Jessica Calarco, it was motherhood itself that necessitated—or at least sparked—innovation.

Five years ago, Calarco was a new mother, often awake half the night with her infant daughter. As luck would have it, the Serial podcast was released that year. The groundbreaking, Peabody Award-winning true-crime program by public radio producer Sarah Koenig precipitated a podcasting renaissance.

The timing could not have been better. Calarco had been looking for a way to create more engagement with tech-savvy students in the new Introduction to Sociology course she was designing as an assistant professor at Indiana University Bloomington. She wanted to encourage students to embrace human interaction—and build empathy around concepts of social justice—with the passion they seemed to reserve for the digital world.

Fueled by one part inspiration and one part sleep deprivation, Calarco developed an idea that proved to be both successful and empowering.

Calarco decided to introduce students to her new love of podcasting—not for entertainment, but because it would engage them. Podcasts, she believed, would help them not only hear but deeply understand the social inequities and challenges facing communities today.

Calarco admits she was initially concerned that students might not be able to create a podcast. Ultimately, the project was—and has continued to be—a success, thanks to the following strategies:

  1. Open their eyes to the why
  2. Let them choose what moves them
  3. Design and assign specific roles
  4. Provide students with time and resources
  5. Encourage them to share their feedback—and their work

Read the full article about professor using podcasts to teach by Ashley Neglia at EdSurge