2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

A Podcasting Toolkit for Engineering Educators

Engineering educators and students are managing increasingly complex information landscapes. Podcasts, adopted in other disciplines, such as medicine, offer a scalable medium for disseminating technical content, fostering professional development, and strengthening social connection. These factors are known to support teaching effectiveness and student belonging. Although podcasting is still gaining popularity in engineering education, preliminary studies indicate its potential to enhance motivation, support diverse learners, and enrich engagement with technical material. This paper presents a podcasting toolkit, prototyped over multiple iterations, to lower the barriers for faculty and students to adopt this medium in engineering education contexts. The toolkit provides structured guidance on podcast design, interview strategies, production, and assessment, supplemented by example episodes and strategies for integrating storytelling and personal, career context into technical and pedagogical content. Created by a multidisciplinary team of engineering and journalism instructors, assessment experts, and podcast producers, this toolkit is intended as a practical resource for instructors and researchers seeking to incorporate podcasting into teaching and scholarly communication. In addition to the toolkit, this paper details reflections from engineering faculty who have incorporated podcasting into their courses. By situating podcasts in engineering mindsets, we show how podcasts can support development of Entrepreneurial Mindset-based learning as well. This work contributes both a toolkit and a model for integrating podcasting into engineering education practice and assessment. Links to some of our early shows and episodes will be provided at the conference presentation and in the final paper.

The Podcasting Toolkit for Engineers described in this paper can be found at: https://publish.illinois.edu/siipandshare/podcasting-toolkit/

Authors

Prof. Holly M Golecki http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3691-0420 University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Holly Golecki (she/her) is a Teaching Associate Professor in Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences at the Carle-Illinois College of Medicine. Holly studies biomaterials and soft robotics and their applications in the university classroom, in research and in engaging future engineers in human-centered design. Holly received her BS/MS in Materials Science and Engineering from Drexel University and her PhD in Engineering Sciences (Bioengineering) from Harvard University.
Natalie M Taylor http://orcid.org/https://0009-0008-6017-1991 University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Natalie Taylor (she/her) is a PhD student in Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include soft robotics and inclusive teaching practices, particularly for students with physical disabilities in laboratory environments. Natalie previously earned an M.Eng. in Bioengineering and a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Evelyn Ochoa Arias University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Evelyn Ochoa Arias (she/her) is a Mechanical Engineering PhD student in Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on soft robotics, with an emphasis on designing accessible and human-centered technologies such as pressure-redistributing wheelchair cushions. She is particularly interested in rapid prototyping methods, image-driven modeling, and biomedical applications of soft actuators. She previously earned a a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois Chicago.
Colleen King University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Colleen King is a clinical assistant professor of journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she also serves as inaugural director of the Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media. Prior to her time in academia, King was a television news producer, most recently serving as executive producer for "The 11th Hour with Brian Williams" on MSNBC.
Mr. Saadeddine Shehab University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

I am currently the Associate Director of Assessment and Research team at the Siebel Center for Design (SCD) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I work with a group of wonderful and talented people at SCD’s Assessment and Research Laboratory to conduct research that informs and evaluates our practice of teaching and learning human-centered design in formal and informal learning environments.

My Research focuses on studying students’ collaborative problem solving processes and the role of the teacher in facilitating these processes in STEM classrooms.
Wayne L Chang University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Wayne Chang is a teaching assistant professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received his BS, MS, and Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of California, Irvine.
Dr. Blake Everett Johnson University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Blake Everett Johnson is a Teaching Associate Professor and instructional laboratory manager in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include experimental fluid mechanics, measurement science, engineering education, engineering leadership, and professional identity development.
Dr. Ashleigh Wright University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Ashleigh R. Wright, PhD is the Associate Director of the Institute for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access and Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Grainger College of Engineering. She is responsible for collaborating with college and departmental leaders and stakeholders to identify needs and priorities, developing and implementing evidence-based strategies, and measuring progress and effectiveness quantitatively against key metrics that promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and access to the undergraduate and graduate student communities. She also conducts research that analyzes trends, driving factors, barriers, and best practices to educate others and support organizational improvement.
Prior to joining the University, Ashleigh managed and directed many training and pathway programs that support students from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM, and facilitated workshops that enhance the academic, personal, and professional development of students at North Carolina State University and Louisiana State University. She is a member of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She holds degrees in chemistry from Wofford College (B.S.), North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (M.S.), and Louisiana State University (Ph.D.).
Dr. Jennifer R Amos http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9437-8201 University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr Amos joined the Bioengineering Department at the University of Illinois in 2009 and is currently a Teaching Professor in Bioengineering.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026