Community radio as a tool for digital pedagogy and media literacy in liberal arts education

In an era where digital media literacy is essential for navigating information ecosystems, community radio and student-produced podcasts offer a dynamic, open-access approach to fostering critical thinking, participatory learning, and civic engagement. This session explores how faculty can integrate community radio and podcasting into liberal arts curricula to promote digital literacy, media ethics, and interdisciplinary storytelling.

Community radio and student podcasts function as Open Educational Resources (OERs) by enabling open-access knowledge creation and distribution while encouraging a participatory media culture. These platforms support student-led research and interdisciplinary inquiry, blending media production with academic exploration.

The session will focus on three key objectives:

1. Highlighting the role of community radio in fostering digital literacy and civic engagement.
2. Identifying strategies for integrating audio-based projects into liberal arts education.
3. Outlining a framework for initiating and sustaining community radio or podcast projects in educational settings.

Attendees will gain insights into best practices for structuring collaborative, creative audio assignments and will be introduced to key ethical, technical, and pedagogical considerations—including access to tools, student privacy, and sustaining faculty and student engagement.