Podcast in HSG course: ‘We learned a lot during production’

‘Producing a podcast as part of an HSG course was a completely new experience. The production was time-consuming, but really enjoyable – and we learned a lot at all levels,’ says HSG student Peter Por. He took part in the master's course ‘The Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030: Saving the World and the Market’ in the spring semester of 2025. The course combined academic discussion with an innovative exam format: the students were divided into six groups and each produced a podcast, including interviews with experts.

The interviewees for the podcasts came from banks, manufacturing and consulting companies, federal agencies and an NGO. The focus was on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN 2030 Agenda, their practical significance, their future development and the strategies of the organisations to implement them.

‘This gave the students exposure to a wide range of perspectives from the field,’ says Alex Gertschen, HSG lecturer and course instructor. His research focuses on sustainable corporate governance and the political economy of sustainability. He believes that the SDGs are now a key reference framework for corporate sustainability strategies – and at the same time form the basis for the work of NGOs and civil society engagement.

‘Anyone studying at the HSG should understand this framework. The SDGs represent a historical global understanding and shows that all countries are “developing countries” that need to improve in terms of sustainability’, says Gertschen.

‘Podcasts break through the university routine’

Podcast production is not an isolated case. At the HSG, various lecturers use the medium as an examination tool. Modern podcast rooms are available for this purpose in SQUARE and the Teaching Innovation Lab (TIL). In the TIL, students can also borrow equipment and receive technical support.

‘Podcasts are a popular medium among students – and they break through the traditional university routine of exams, presentations and written assignments,’ says Gertschen. In his course, the podcasts were shared before the plenary discussion. According to Gertschen, this allows students to listen to the podcasts individually and use the time together on site entirely for discussion.

Each podcast recording was followed by a reflection session in which the students discussed what went well, what they could improve and what they had learned.

At the end of the course, many of the interviewees came to the HSG for a joint panel discussion. ‘This noticeably increased motivation on both sides,’ says student Peter Por.

The podcasts are available here. 

The interview partners in the podcasts or panel participants were:

• Fabrice Burri, Research Associate, Federal Office for Spatial Development ARE

• Laurent Matile, Expert for Business and Development, Alliance Sud

• Marcel Niederberger, Head of Sustainability, V-Zug

• Matthias Leisinger, Co-Managing Director, focusright

• Noemi Rom, Head of Sustainability Transformation, Zühlke Group

• Peter Zollinger, Head of Impact Research, and Fabian Ottiger, Impact Research Manager, Globalance Bank

• Thomas Gass, Ambassador and former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs