The Medium is a Multitude of Messages: What Making a Podcast Taught Us About Inclusive Learning

Abstract

Two Faculty Librarians at Humber created a podcast called BiblioJabbers, with the first episode titled “A Crisis of Context” as part of their Teaching Excellence Program Professional Learning Plan. This exercise promoted the development of competencies necessary to better implement elements of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach to teaching and learning. The Educational Technology (EdTech) used in developing a podcast made available by the Humber and University of Guelph-Humber Library maker space (Idea Lab) engendered familiarity with hardware and software that can aid in multimodal teaching. Knowing how to teach in multiple modalities aligns with UDL’s emphasis on making learning accessible for diverse learning preferences. Furthermore, the discussions that were held within the podcast reified the UDL call for representing multiple perspectives and identities to better recruit learner interest. Lastly, the podcast-producing experience highlighted the unique capabilities of the podcast medium to learn through lived experience, dialectic, and information sharing. Takeaways that would be of interest to educational professionals include the consideration of novel professional development spaces/communication channels for EDIB, leveraging podcasts as a medium for teaching and learning, and making use of EdTech at the Humber and University of Guelph-Humber Idea Lab to upskill EdTech proficiencies.

Note:

This article is part of a series derived from Humber Polytechnic's Teaching Excellence Program (TEP). Recent graduates of the program were invited to select and submit work from their time in the program to JIPE. These reflective works offer an engaging glimpse into faculty perspectives, their approaches to teaching and learning, and their experiences as educators.