Now that my time in the Shapiro Design Residency has drawn to a close, I am left with memories of a truly unique experience. Having the freedom, and also the support, to create a project of my own design is a rare opportunity indeed. The experience was one in which all ideas were open for exploring, and the “hows” behind making the ideas come to life were equally thought-out and valued.
I see my project, the Michigan Time Podcast, as consisting of four main goals: to explore and share a topic I am interested in (the future of education at the University of Michigan), to hone my interviewing skills, to expand my audio editing skills, and to make new connections with others within the University. Because of the Design Lab Residency, I was able to do all of these things.
As of today, I have material for five podcast episodes (which was my aim going into the project) and have published three completed episode to a website where they will live. I also plan to publish the episodes to the University of Michigan Library’s SoundCloud account so they have a broad reach within the campus community. Through my interviews with engaging guests from across campus, a range of topics related to innovation in higher education were explored, including gameful learning, flipping the classroom, reimagining University curriculum, and massive open online courses (MOOCs).
Each of my larger goals for the project (exploring a topic, honing interview skills, gaining audio editing skills, and making new connections) are continuous, and my progress toward them will never be completed. However, working to become adept in these areas is in line with both my personal interests and my professional career trajectory.
Thus, going forward I hope to continue conducting interviews and producing audio content around topics I care about. I know that, in doing so, I will be able to use the skills, connections, and spirit of inquiry I gained from my time as a Shapiro Design Lab Resident.