What happens when a classroom podcast turns into peer-reviewed scholarship, an AI teaching tool, and its own academic platform?

When Dave Keighron and Dr. Gelareh Farhadian first launched Innovation Fuel, the goal was simple: bring real entrepreneurial stories into the business classroom. Five years later, that idea has grown into something much bigger.

In this episode, Neil and Jen catch up with Dave and Gelareh to talk about how their podcast evolved into published peer-reviewed podcast episodes and papers, and now an AI-powered classroom tool called Innovation Fuel Studio. They share how they’re turning podcast episodes into scholarly outputs, getting them into academic journals and libraries, and building a system that lets students role-play directly with AI versions of founders and CEOs.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation about case-based learning, ethical AI use, peer review, and what happens when podcasting becomes part of the academic infrastructure itself. If you’ve ever wondered how a higher ed podcast can grow beyond marketing and become part of teaching, research, and innovation, this one’s worth a listen.

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• Connect w/ Jen: LinkedIn / jpodcreations@gmail.com
• Connect w/ Neil: LinkedIn / neil@podiumpodcastco.com
• Twitter: @namcphedran / @podiumpodcastco
• Youtube
• HigherEdPods

Links:

• Innovation Fuel Podcast
• Innovation Fuel Studio
• Contact Dave & Gelareh
• Marketing Corner Talks Podcast
• Douglas College Library

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (03:09) - How Innovation Fuel Started and Where it is Now
• (07:40) - Podcasting as Scholarly Output and Peer Review
• (10:49) - Expanding the Research and Educational Impact
• (12:27) - Keeping Case Study Content Current for Students
• (15:41) - Bringing Cases Back Into the Classroom With AI
• (16:52) - Entrepreneurs, Students, and the Broader Ecosystem
• (17:35) - AI Chatbots and New Tools in Development
• (20:20) - Academic Libraries, Indexing, and Visibility
• (22:22) - Reflecting on Innovation and What’s Ahead
• (24:01) - Outro

As universities face pressure to evolve, podcasting is emerging as an unexpected catalyst and channel for change.

Carola Boehm first caught Neil’s attention with her EPOD abstract suggesting the ivory tower might be starting to crack — a bold (and maybe slightly controversial) take that kicked off this conversation about how podcasting is reshaping the way knowledge gets created and shared in higher education. So this week, Carola “schools” Neil and Jen on her “University 3.0” idea — universities losing their place as the sole gatekeepers of knowledge toward more open, collaborative learning spaces — and what podcasting has to do with that shift. The conversation also touches on the EPOD conference, pressures facing universities right now, and why even small podcasts can play a meaningful role in connecting people, ideas, and communities.

Episode Links:

• Carola Boehm | LinkedIn
• EPOD Conference
• Carla's 2026 EPOD Abstract
• Embedding Culture 3.0 and University 3.0 in Leadership Development Programmes for Heritage Organisations and Heritage Sites (2025)
• Why Podcasting Needs to Lean into Culture 3.0

Connect with Us

• Share Feedback & Ask Questions: hello@continuingstudiespodcast.com
• Learn More: Continuing Studies Podcast
• Follow: Continuing Studies LinkedIn Page
• Join LinkedIn Group: University Podcasters Network
• Connect w/ Jen: LinkedIn or jpodcreations@gmail.com
• Connect w/ Neil: LinkedIn or neil@podiumpodcastco.com
• Twitter: @namcphedran / @podiumpodcastco
• Youtube
• HigherEdPods

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (01:31) - Introducing Carola Boem and the EPOD Conference
• (02:40) - Podcast Reach, Audience, and Global Communities
• (04:25) - Culture 3.0, Co-Creation, and Podcasting’s Role
• (06:00) - Carola’s Background and Creative Industries Research
• (08:38) - University 3.0 and Podcasting as a Knowledge Shift
• (09:22) - What EPOD Is and Why It Matters
• (11:33) - Universities Under Pressure and New Learning Models
• (13:30) - Gatekeeping, Broadcasting, and Academic Structures
• (14:16) - University 1.0 to 3.0 Explained
• (18:06) - How Podcasting Challenges Academic Gatekeeping
• (22:09) - Governance, AI, and Quality in Podcasting
• (25:56) - How Universities Can Start Moving Toward University 3.0
• (27:30) - Podcasting as a Co-Created Learning Space
• (28:42) - Conclusion

A thoughtful look at how podcasting is expanding the ways academic work is created and shared.

Jim Ambuske, historian and producer, is back to share his thoughts on where audio is going in the academic world and what it’s going to take to have it recognized as a scholarly medium. Jim gets into his new work on the In Pursuit project, what he’s seeing in the world of digital archives and oral history, and why he believes audio and video are important ways to share academic work beyond the page. They also dig into the real challenges facing higher education right now—from funding pressures to tenure expectations—and why, even with all of that, Jim is still optimistic about what creators and institutions can build next.

Episode Links:

• Jim Ambuske
• Jim Ambuske | LinkedIn
• In Pursuit
• Jim Previous Episode: Making History Heard: Bringing the Past to Life Through Podcasts

Connect with Us

• Share Feedback & Ask Questions: hello@continuingstudiespodcast.com
• Learn More: Continuing Studies Podcast
• Follow: Continuing Studies LinkedIn Page
• Join LinkedIn Group: University Podcasters Network
• Connect w/ Jen: LinkedIn or jpodcreations@gmail.com
• Connect w/ Neil: LinkedIn or neil@podiumpodcastco.com
• Twitter: @namcphedran / @podiumpodcastco
• Youtube
• HigherEdPods

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (03:32) - Jim’s New Role and the In Pursuit Project
• (05:40) - Podcasting & Funding Cuts to the Humanities & Higher Ed
• (08:11) - How to Keep Doing the Work in a Difficult Environment
• (09:55) - The Digital Archives in the Commonwealth Conference
• (13:18) - The Growth of Multimedia and Academic Storytelling
• (14:57) - Why the Monograph Still Dominates Academia
• (17:44) - What Would It Take for Podcasts to Count?
• (20:02) - University Presses & Journals in an Audio World
• (21:49) - Conferences & Accreditation for Podcasting
• (24:01) - How Institutions Can Support Podcasting Without Breaking It
• (26:59) - The Future of Higher Ed Podcasting
• (30:52) - Conclusion