Podcasts on visions of living

Exam on the soundtrack

Student podcast on visions of living – interview with Andreas Schümchen and Patrycja Muc

From poster tours along the university street to innovative film projects – Professor Andreas Schümchen and doctoral student Patrycja Muc from the Institute for Media Research and Development regularly test new teaching formats. In the current semester project, they produced a podcast series together with the students in the Master’s degree programme Technology and Innovation Communications. The topic: “From Bauhaus to Smart City – Visions of Living”.

Ɏ How did the idea originate?

Patrycja Muc: At the institute, we conduct research on architectural journalism among other topics. We were looking for an innovative approach to bring Master’s students into contact with research. Podcasts are popular and relatively easy to produce, so the format is well suited to a semester project.

Andreas Schümchen: Innovative teaching formats are particularly important when the research focus is communication. This is because the manner and method in which knowledge is conveyed is crucial and depends heavily on the target group. We wanted to make this clear to the students through this project. This is a win-win situation for both sides. The students can develop their creativity, and we have the chance to try out new teaching formats. Ɏ How was the implementation?

Schümchen: Due to the COVID regulations, we had to move podcast production from physical to digital space, but it worked out well with a few tweaks. Each episode covers a topic. The students had a free hand in selecting topics – from sustainability concepts in the 1920s to the role of electric lighting. The same applies to the conceptualisation of their respective podcast episodes. As teachers, we supported all the steps up to the final recording, which also served as an exam.

Ɏ How did the students receive the project?

Muc: The high degree of creative freedom really motivated them. They did a lot on their own, especially with regard to research and approaching the high-profile interview guests. Guests included a professor of lighting technology from TU Berlin and the head of the Bonn City Archive. The feedback from the students was very positive. It was really fun for them to approach a topic in a completely different way.

More: https://visionen-des-wohnens.jimdosite.com/