15 Minute History is a podcast about world and U.S. history created for teachers, students and anyone who wants to know more about history. Both Joan Neuberger, history professor and Not Even Past editor, and Christopher Rose, history doctoral student and outreach director for the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, wanted to find a way to help educators and students prepare for the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, or STAAR™ exams—a requirement for high school graduation.
Each podcast is tied to specific goals set in the standards and is accompanied by supporting reading materials for people who want to learn more. The podcasts are a collaboration between Not Even Past, a website with articles on a wide variety of historical issues produced by the History Department, and Hemispheres, UT Austin’s international outreach consortium. Since its launch in October 2012, 15 Minute History has attracted more than 15,000 visitors and has 700 subscribers to the podcast.