A/Prof Rosalind McDougall1, Dr Kathryn MacKay2, Prof John Massie3, Dr Georgina Hall3
1Centre for Health Equity, University of Melbourne, 2Sydney Health Ethics, University of Sydney, 3Children’s Bioethics Centre, Royal Children’s Hospital
Ethics podcasts are everywhere. With journals and university departments producing specialist academic podcasts, alongside coverage of ethical issues in hugely popular podcasts produced for general entertainment, this format for bioethics discussion seems here to stay. There is also an increasing academic literature about the effectiveness of podcasts as learning tools in a range of disciplines. The purpose of this panel is to stimulate collegial conversation with the audience about the use of podcasts in bioethics education in our region.
As a starting point, educators from three different contexts will briefly describe the contrasting ways in which they use podcasts in their teaching practice, with a focus on the pedagogical strengths and challenges they have encountered with this format.
A/Prof Rosalind McDougall uses podcasts in teaching bioethics to Master of Public Health students. Sparked initially by a student sharing a Radiolab podcast about resource allocation dilemmas in a hospital during Hurricane Katrina, podcasts have become a key tool for building a community of inquiry within the class and across cohorts.
Dr Kathryn MacKay began to incorporate podcasting in place of recorded lectures in the ‘talking over slides’ format in 2019, on a hunch that it would be more engaging for students. This hunch was borne out by enthusiastic and replicated student feedback. The reasons podcasts are more interesting are manifold, earning them a central place in content delivery across the Master of Bioethics units at Sydney Uni.
Prof John Massie and Dr Georgina Hall co-produce the podcast Essential Ethics at the Royal Children’s Hospital. The aim is to build capacity in bioethics for clinical staff practicing paediatrics across all disciplines. The format is designed to present bioethics in a ‘reachable’ way to staff with clinical experiences that include ethical dilemmas, but who don’t have formal ethics expertise. Essential Ethics presents bioethics as a normative practice which can improve care to sick children and their families.
Following the presentations, A/Prof McDougall will facilitate audience discussion with the aim of sharing practice and insights to support educators’ effective use of podcasts.
Biography:
A/Prof Rosalind McDougall is an ethicist, based at the Centre for Health Equity in the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health. Originally trained in genetics and philosophy, she has postgraduate degrees in bioethics from the University of Oxford and the University of Melbourne. Her research and teaching focus on the ethical challenges faced by health professionals. She teaches bioethics in the Master of Public Health program at the University of Melbourne.
Dr Kathryn MacKay is a Lecturer at Sydney Health Ethics. Kathryn’s research brings a feminist theoretical lens to issues of reproduction and public health ethics. This involves examining issues of human flourishing at the intersection of moral theory, feminist theory, and political philosophy. Kathryn’s main programme of research is focussed on developing a theory of virtue for public health ethics. She is also part of a team exploring reproductive autonomy in the context of expanded genetic screening technologies.
Professor John Massie is the Clinical Director of the Children’s Bioethics Centre at The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne. John has published numerous papers, letters and book chapters on ethical issues relating to paediatric medicine including screening for inherited diseases, newborn screening, cystic fibrosis and technology dependent children. John hosts Essential Ethics, the CBC podcast channel presenting thoughtful discussion on the ethical dilemmas that arise when caring for sick children.
Dr Georgina Hall is a former journalist with a Masters in Bioethics from Monash University and a PhD from the University of Melbourne. Her PhD investigated how child welfare considerations are integrated into access decision-making for Assisted Reproductive Treatment. Georgina is the Education Coordinator at the Children’s Bioethics Centre. She is involved in development of education and training programs within the centre to advance the ethical literacy of hospital staff.