By Milica Hinic
I started listening to podcasts during the pandemic and thought it was a great way to learn new things while doing laundry or going for a walk. Podcasts entered my studies when I was assigned to develop a podcast for an undergraduate seminar class. This increased my curiosity about the ways digital storytelling through podcasts mobilizes knowledge and shapes our understanding. Whether it be for education or entertainment, the use of podcasts has been generating more interest in the academic realm. So, in my previous undergraduate research, I investigated the use of podcasts as an educational tool in an undergraduate classroom. A series of interviews were conducted with the Humanities and Social Sciences faculty, staff and students about their podcast use in lectures. Essentially, the project focused on creating a podcast about a podcast! The Student Learning Podcast Experience (SLPE, 2022).
What Now?
My Creative Research Project is part of my MA in Communication and New Media which is aimed to explore podcasts as a method in higher education. The research connects interests of Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) and academic podcasting which sparks a further investigation of academic podcast use beyond the medium of podcasts.
The Graduate Residency…
The idea is to curate a podcast about a podcast, a spin-off series of (SLPE) titled, Academic Podcast Entanglements. Being part of the Graduate residency will help me gain the necessary podcasting skills in the pre-development and post-development stages. I will use the podcasting resources at the Lyons New Media Centre, such as the podcasting booth and editing software systems, to advance my podcasting skills and produce a well-structured and succinct product (podcast).
So…What!?
I love researching and exploring how digital tools can be utilized within higher education and scholarly research. The multimodality of podcasting fascinates me because it is a creative art that connects people through broadcasting. Doing this research gives me not only the opportunity to work on podcasting experimentation but it could generate novel uses or produce different sounds in hopes of motivating others to use podcasts in their academic teaching and research practices. Overall, investigating podcasts as a method could be useful for a variety of fields, including academic podcasting pedagogy and the social, and cultural impacts.
Learning Outcomes
The creative research project is open to many possibilities which makes timelines unpredictable. So, through collaboration with the Graduate Residency, I hope to embrace my organizational skills and academic podcasting voice. Most importantly, I want to strengthen my podcasting craft and build relationships with members of my residency cohort.
Listen to Academic Podcast Entanglements on Spotify
About Milica Hinic
I am currently in the Communications and New Media Master’s (CNM MA) Program. My research interests are knowledge mobilization (KMb) and academic podcasting. Complimenting my research interests, I started working with the Social Sciences Community Research Platform (CRP) as a knowledge mobilization facilitator. In addition, I have been part of the NIL research team for the past 2 years. My role includes working collaboratively in investigating relevant contextual sources for future applications of Locomotion, an interactive live dance coding language and 3D avatar modelling. Now, seeking creative ways to provide meaningful participant voices like community workshops!
My Creative Research Project idea stems from my previous undergraduate research, The Student Learning Podcast Experience, A podcast about a podcast. Interviewing Humanities & Social Sciences faculty, staff and students on how podcasts are used as a tool within classrooms. Going forward, my Creative Research Project aims to enter the academic podcasting community by interviewing scholars who amplify their research and learnings through podcasts. Potential interviewees include Hannah McGregor, Lori Becksted, Ian Cook, Alyn Euritt, and Siobhan McHugh. The research will be shared as a podcast series seeking to gain insights about podcasts as a medium for knowledge mobilization. Addressing the question: In what ways does Critical Podcasting Methodology (CPM) change our understanding of podcasts as mediums of knowledge mobilization? And how can we apply this pedagogical praxis for researchers/scholars curating podcasts?
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