The taxonomy of Peruvian podcasting

This study proposes an observation and analysis of podcasting, which, in Peru, is a new communication medium in the digital landscape, always evolving and changing. Through a cartographic study of the field, we settled on a sample of Peruvian podcasts in order to understand their sound content. We then carried out a comparative analysis from 2019 to 2020, which allowed us to note the effects of Covid-19 in podcast production. For our study, we conducted an analytic-descriptive investigation with a mixed approach: quantitative, through a content analysis of the sample;and qualitative, through an analysis of the podcasts. This approach is exploratory in scope and includes the observation of various platforms that host and distribute podcasts as well as the review of academic documents, market studies, and journalistic information. Our study demonstrates the diversity of Peruvian podcasting, its growth, and the involvement of many producers and communications media. Also, it advances a taxonomy of Peruvian podcasting, which allows us to see the diverse actors who produce these digital sound contents, their diverse production processes, the sound and narrative techniques they implement, and the evolution of how these contents are created.

Podcasting: an alternative to disinformation during the health crisis by COVID-19 in Spain

Introduction: The COVID-19 crisis has positioned podcasting as a resourceful tool to combat misinformation. Objective: To describe the production and dissemination of podcast related to COVID-19 in Spain by analyzing their relationship with the phases of the pandemic -from January 2020 to March 2021.Methodology: An analytical study of time trend was conducted. The COVID-related podcasts hosted on Ivoox platform were analyzed contrasting the virus mortality data in Spain. Results: Firstly, from the 65,825 podcasts analyzed in the study, 67% were classified as instances of podcasting genre and 31% as radio sound episodes. Secondly, it was found that the existence of positive correlation and linearity between deaths from COVID-19 and podcast production was significant during pre-confinement (R2 = 0.7745, p = 0.0002) and in confinement (podcast: R2 = 0.643, p = 0.0003), as well as during the first months of 2021 (R2 = 0.5098, p = 0.003). Conclusion: Within the logic of the peripheral digital public sphere, podcasting not only did truthfully reflect the reality of the health crisis, but also anticipated the devastating situation derived from the pandemic in Spain.

From Black Lives Matter to COVID-19: Daily news podcasts and the reinvention of audio reporting

Globally daily news podcasts have exponentially grown in popularity. To build on the increased interest in this podcast format, this study examines three distinct programmes in this genre. The focus of our research specifically highlights the significant news events during the summer of 2020: the killing of George Floyd, and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a set of genre conventions adapted and expanded from previous podcast and radio news scholarship, this research analyses the impact podcasting has on daily audio news production. Our findings indicate the podcast host's empathy and intimacy, coalesced into powerful, immersive deep dive discussions. Those kinds of conversations have strongly influenced and transformed daily news production, while still maintaining journalistic ethics and aesthetics.

From Theory to Practice: Student Podcasting through Online Learning Environments in Political Science

This work aims to advance on the systematization of teaching experiences in the formulation of evaluation activities, mediated by ICT, for academic and professional training in the field of Political Science. It explores the usefulness of student podcasting as a didactic strategy for theoretical-active learning in digital university environments during COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the design of an assessment questionnaire and a non-probabilistic convenience sampling strategy, a survey has been administered to N=40 students from two theoretical undergraduate courses of the School of Political Science at the University of Costa Rica, taught during two semesters in 2020. The article reviews the related results according to the degree of satisfaction with podcasting as a way of evaluating the appropriation of theoretical content. It is concluded by arguing that this teaching-learning methodology helps to facilitate among students' new ways of "putting theory into practice", this through the exercise of creative, reflective skills and theoretical-conceptual argumentation according to the creation of student-made podcasts, based on work on theoretical lines and conceptual proposals of relevance to Political Science.

Learning in a Time of Corona: A Comparative Perspective on Mumbai & Houston

These unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic have generated a variety of responses from national governments, local communities, and individuals. Using podcasting as a medium, this comparative educational project interviewed individuals living through and adapting to the unprecedented upheaval at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mumbai, India and Houston, USA. Using a decolonial lens, the podcasting project unpacks how similarities and differences in structures of privilege, prevailing ideologies, and sociopolitical contexts have influenced the experiences of people navigating this global challenge in two very different cities.This chapter reflects on findings from this project and builds on it further to explore the use of podcasting as methodology. The inclusion of diverse voices from contrasting contexts provides opportunities for polyvocality and democratic dialogue. Podcasting is a medium that allows for academic content to be presented in an accessible format for education practitioners and the general public, ultimately contributing to reducing gatekeeping in academia. With the goal of contributing to comparative research, this essay closes with a reflection on the dynamics of power in the production of new media from two highly different primarily English-speaking contexts, whilst striving to consistently retain the authenticity of each city.

Neurology podcast utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: As medical education shifted to a virtual environment during the early coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we evaluated how neurology podcasting may have been utilized during this period, and which features of podcasts have been more highly sought by a medical audience. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of neurology-themed blogs and/or podcasts between April 2019 and May 2020. Programs were eligible if they reported mean monthly downloads > 2000, were affiliated with an academic society, or offered continuing medical education credit. Thirty-day download counts were compared between study months, with adjustment for multiple testing. Exploratory analyses were performed to determine which podcast features were associated with higher downloads. RESULTS: Of the 12 neurology podcasts surveyed, 8 completed the survey and 5 met inclusion criteria. The median monthly download count was 2865 (IQR 869-7497), with significant variability between programs (p < 0.001). While there was a 358% increase in downloads during April 2020 when compared to the previous month, this was not significant (median 8124 [IQR 2913-14,177] vs. 2268 [IQR 540-6116], padj = 0.80). The non-significant increase in overall downloads during April 2020 corresponded to an increase in unique episodes during that month (r = 0.48, p = 0.003). There was no difference in 30-day downloads among episodes including COVID-19 content versus not (median 1979 [IQR 791-2873] vs. 1171 [IQR 405-2665], p = 0.28). CONCLUSIONS: In this unique, exploratory study of academic neurology-themed podcasts, there was no significant increase in episode downloads during the early COVID-19 pandemic. A more comprehensive analysis of general and subspecialty medical podcasts is underway.

Negotiating displacement, regaining community: The Harvard Language Center's response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The COVID-19 crisis has fundamentally disrupted teaching and learning practices at many post-secondary institutions with a highly residential population. The present article outlines the situation at Harvard University and details the steps taken by the Language Center to mitigate the effects of the transition to remote teaching and learning. These include changes in communication strategies, support mechanisms for faculty and students, and modifications to the Center's operational policies. The authors provide a number of concrete recommendations for academic support units in transitions of this type.