Dr. Richard Jochelson, Dean of Law, gets ready to record a podcast in the MLT Aikins LLP Classroom at Robson Hall.
Faculty of Law podcast studio first on Fort Garry Campus
MLT Aikins Classroom now features innovative teaching and learning equipment
The odd little table covered with monitors, bending arms and cables in the northwest corner of Robson Hall’s MLT Aikins Classroom (room 206) is – a podcast studio. The only one of its kind thus far on the Fort Garry Campus, it is intended to be used by the Faculty of Law for a variety of innovative and dynamic teaching and learning situations. Added by MLT Aikins LLP as a continuation of upgrades the western Canadian law firm has sponsored in room 206 at Robson Hall, the studio was completed late fall, 2024.
“When MLT Aikins agreed to continue sponsoring the room’s upgrades, we reflected on evolving modalities of teaching and learning innovations with our post-pandemic experiences,” said Dr. Richard Jochelson, Dean of Law. “We realized that since COVID, the seminar format favoured by some professors had – by necessity – become disrupted but that a ‘podcast’ format can allow remote learners to remain engaged in the discussion.”
The intent of the podcast studio is for student groups, professors and various Faculty of Law staff interested in using podcast formats for conducting courses, research or learning events, to have a comprehensive in-house studio at their fingertips. Of course, the equipment is also intended to record actual podcasts, such as Robson Radio, the official podcast of the Faculty of Law, hitting the air in January of 2025, and the recently launched Footsteps podcast produced by Dr. Mary Shariff, Director of the Master of Human Rights program.
“We embraced the podcast opportunity to help showcase the innovative Master of Human Rights program at the University of Manitoba,” said Shariff. “This engaging format leverages technology to make information about the MHR program and the phenomenal work going into advancing and protecting human rights accessible to a broader audience, including potential and current students, as well as interested folks in Canada and around the world.”
The first three Footsteps episodes have featured a number of fascinating interviews including one with Dr. Laura Reimer, former MHR Program Practicum Co-ordinator and now Director of Program Development for the Faculty of Law.
With the application deadline for the MHR program falling annually on December 1, Shariff jumped at the opportunity to promote it. “This unique interdisciplinary educational program is the first of its kind in Canada, bridging multiple faculties and recognizing and drawing on the diverse lived experiences and aspirations of our students. Now is the perfect time to embrace innovative accessible tools that encourage and foster engagement around crucial human rights topics and human rights education. We are so grateful to Dean of Law, Richard Jochelson and MLT Aikins for making this possible.”