Arranged in groups of three or four, students weave diverse topics into a single podcast episode and create a poster to represent their audio. Topic areas ranged from the importance of coral reefs to the impacts of parenting on children to inadequate access to healthcare for deaf patients.
The podcast assignment acts as a springboard for students, enabling students to bounce ideas off each other before drafting future written assignments.
“The idea that people write a research-based paper and it exists unto itself is erroneous,” said Murphy. “It's part of a larger conversation; you're responding to somebody else's work and that conversation happens instantly in that podcast recording.”
During office hours, Schlesinger said students often find themselves struck with writer's block despite being able to talk freely about their topic. Unanchored from the pressure of writing, the process of crafting, producing and editing the podcast helps get the ball rolling.
“The podcast, the actual act of conversing, gets into a space where they're able to articulate their ideas,” she said.
“Taking very large concepts and tearing them down for a podcast to produce effective research was very good practice,” said Renfrew. “And I feel like this series of assignments throughout the class have helped me to conceptualize the process of research in my head.”
Moreover, the project does more than prompt deeper investigation — it allows students to identify unique skill sets — such as project management, problem solving and adaptability — while building their portfolios.
“They have these actual artifacts [the podcasts] to demonstrate the skills they say that they have,” said Murphy. “And not everybody has the same strengths, but they can begin to see where their skills are.”
As the fall semester comes to a close, students like Renfrew will carry with them an enriched set of multimedia skills such as audio editing and graphic design to use in professional settings or future classes as they work toward graduation.
“This class really solidified the skills that I need to be successful in research,” said Renfrew. “So this assignment was really just the first step in ensuring those capabilities in myself.”
ASU offers students free access to the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of tools. Adobe is part of the ASU Digital Backpack, which offers 21st-century tools for learners of all backgrounds to create and collaborate.
Written by Kevin Pirehpour; photos by Mike Sanchez.