Shawnee State University’s College of Arts and Sciences recently started a podcast called Connecting Classrooms designed to build relationships between the university and local schools. It is a podcast for “educators and their students that brings experts at Shawnee State University directly to your classroom,” according to the college’s website.
“The idea is that teachers and people in general might listen to the podcast to have a local connection to Portsmouth and Scioto Country and what cool things have happened here and are happening here,” said Kimberly Inman, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
The idea for the podcast was proposed by members of the college’s recruitment committee in the spring of 2023, and the first podcast was released in September 2023.
Six episodes are planned this academic year. One episode will be released each month except December and January due to winter break. Episodes will feature faculty from all departments in SSU’s College of Arts & Sciences.
Each episode includes multiple links to more information and lesson plans for teachers to use in their classroom. This provides staff on campus as well as teachers around the region with the option to bring the information into their classroom and use it to teach their students.
“This series features university faculty experts sharing their passion for teaching and research,” the website states. “We are seeking to support teachers by providing supplemental resources for their lessons while inspiring their students to want to learn more.”
The first episode focused on local connections to the Underground Railroad. It featured Andrew Feight, professor of American history and director of the Center for Public History at Shawnee State University. SSU physics professor Tim Hamilton will be featured in the second episode, which will be available soon.
More information about the podcast can be found at Shawnee State University Connecting Classrooms. Listeners can subscribe to the podcast through Apple, Google, Android and other sites that host podcasts.
“I would like to get more people to get involved, and students that are working with faculty on projects can talk about their experience with that,” Inman said.
Students who are involved in research and internships, as well as interested faculty, can contact Inman at [email protected] to discuss sharing their experiences with others on a future episode.
