Kathryn Berkow, assistant professor of management information systems in the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, launched a new podcast for educators this year, “ON Cultivating Student Engagement in Higher Ed.”
“I’ve always wanted to know more about what is happening in classrooms around campus,” Berkow said. “With more than 1,500 faculty at UD (and many more throughout our state), surely there are millions of great ideas to share. And last summer and fall when we were all planning for an uncertain virtual classroom space, it seemed like a great time to start sharing more.
“It’s such a pleasure to be able to feature my peers and mentors who are doing these incredible things to motivate and engage their students and draw attention to their thoughtfulness around teaching and dedication to their students,” Berkow continued.
Each episode of the podcast features Berkow’s conversations with UD faculty and course designers who are using creative approaches to enhance students’ learning experiences and turn engagement “ON.”
Berkow has learned so much from recording just a few conversations, that she said “it feels like a personal research project that happens to be listened to by others as well.”
Thus far, Season 1 of the podcast has been downloaded more than 800 times. The most popular episode of this seven-episode season featured a panel with students sharing what’s working in their online classes and what faculty can do to improve their students’ experience.
“I am always looking for people who might be doing something creative in their classroom to engage students,” Berkow said. Berkow is working on Season 2 and is looking for additional topics and educators to speak with. Please email her at ksberkow@udel.edu with your ideas.
ON Cultivating Student Engagement in Higher Ed is available for streaming on buzzsprout, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and most major audio-streaming platforms.