I would like to share a podcasting teaching experience that we developed in a master’s degree course, which, among its various objectives, also aimed to foster soft skills.
The course ‘Nanotechnologies and Functional Materials for Design,’ led by Professor Barbara del Curto and supported by three researchers, is an elective available to MSc students in Design at Politecnico di Milano. The aim of the course is to raise future designers’ awareness of the most innovative technologies and materials in the design sector, focusing especially on nanotechnologies and functional materials in light of sustainable development and the circular economy.
Last year, we decided to involve students in an activity designed to develop their communication and dissemination skills, as well as teamwork, starting from the course topics. We chose to experiment with podcasting, one of the most widely used communication tools today.
Inspired by the SOFTEN project—in fact, one of the instructors and one of the researchers attended the July 2024 workshop in Kaunas, Lithuania—the aim of this podcasting activity was precisely to let students engage in scientific dissemination. This allowed them to experiment with these skills in relation to a subject they knew well, having developed and explored it in depth during the year as part of group work.
During the year, students worked in groups (of 1–3 people) and carried out in-depth research on trends in material innovation, often focusing on aspects related to sustainability. The resulting podcast aimed to disseminate insights about each trend studied, through dialogues with students participating in the course.
The students were required to “condense” their in-depth topics into very short podcast episodes, identifying the key points (thereby developing critical thinking as well as adaptability). They then needed to translate an academic product into language suitable for a wide audience without compromising its scientific integrity, thereby strengthening their flexibility and ability to adapt to different contexts and situations. They had to communicate both the topic—the theoretical part—and the case studies they had investigated in ways that were both effective and engaging, making them accessible to a general audience. The intent was to help them develop the ability to communicate effectively, to be empathetic, and, above all, to work effectively as a team.
A total of 21 students participated in this activity, and 15 subsequently responded to a survey.
To the question: “Do you think that summarizing and translating into popular language increased your critical approach and mastery of the thesis subject?” 60% of respondents said it increased somewhat, and 20% said it increased greatly.
When asked, “What skills do you think you have developed/improved through this experience?”, the answers included: effective communication (12), active listening (5), collaboration and teamwork (8), creativity (4), critical thinking and problem solving (4), empathy and social awareness (2), self-confidence and adaptability (8).
Among the difficulties encountered, 40% were technical, 35% were communication-related, and 25% were emotional.