In this post, we share Asst Prof Elisa Prosperetti‘s experience and insights on leveraging podcasts to enhance teaching and learning in higher education. Drawing from her background in African history and her commitment to amplifying diverse voices, Dr Prosperetti outlines three key strategies for incorporating this popular medium into academic practice, all of which align with her teaching philosophy of fostering curiosity, critical thinking and student engagement.
Firstly, Dr Prosperetti highlights the value of using podcast episodes as supplementary course materials. In her African history courses, she assigns brief podcast segments created by an African scholar to complement readings and lectures, exposing students to diverse perspectives and experiences. To further engage students, she invites the podcast host to join a class discussion, motivating students to critically listen to the episodes in preparation for the interaction. This approach reflects Dr Prosperetti’s belief in the importance of bringing diverse expert voices into the curriculum to challenge students’ assumptions and broaden their horizons.
Secondly, Dr Prosperetti discusses how hosting a podcast, such as for the New Books Network, contributes to her own professional growth and, consequently, her teaching. By reading and interviewing authors of new scholarly publications, she models for her students the importance of staying informed about the latest developments in one’s field and continually seeking new knowledge. Moreover, the podcast enables her to expand her intellectual network and build connections with scholars whom she can later invite to engage with her students, enriching classroom discussions with expert insights and demonstrating the value of collaborative learning.
Lastly, Dr Prosperetti shares her experience with having students create their own podcast episodes as a course project, reflecting her commitment to experiential learning and student-centred pedagogy. She guides them through the process of researching, planning, interviewing, and producing a podcast on a relevant topic, encouraging them to take ownership of their learning and engage deeply with the material. While acknowledging the potential impact of Generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT on certain aspects of this assignment, Dr Prosperetti asserts that it remains a rigorous, largely AI-proof project that challenges students to synthesise their learning in an engaging audio format for a public audience, developing crucial skills in the process.
Through these three approaches – using podcasts as supplementary materials, for her own intellectual growth, and as a student assignment – Dr Prosperetti has found podcasts to greatly enrich her teaching and her students’ learning experiences, all while staying true to her teaching philosophy of fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and student engagement. Her experience serves as an inspiration for other educators to explore the potential of this medium in their own academic practice and to consider how it might align with their own pedagogical values and goals.
