The Wizard of OT

OT education with courage, heart, and brains.

Soundwaves, and the Magic of Micro-Pods: Podcasting for OT Educators

Heather Miller Kuhaneck PhD OTR/L

9-24-25

Let’s discuss the use of podcasts (especially bite-sized ones) to amplify your teaching, engage your students, and weave microlearning throughout your curriculum.

What Is a Podcast?

A podcast is a series of digital audio recordings made available via the Internet, which users can stream or download and listen to on demand. Each recording is called an episode; typically, a podcast show has multiple episodes, released periodically (weekly, biweekly, etc.). Podcasts can take many formats — interviews, monologues, narrative storytelling, panel discussions, or blended formats combining audio, guest voices, and sound design.

Key characteristics:

  • On-demand listening: Learners can engage when it fits their schedule (commute, walking, chores, etc.).
  • Portability & flexibility: No fixed “class time” constraints; podcasts can reach learners in different spaces and times.
  • Narrative or conversational structure: Many podcasts use a conversational tone, storytelling, or interview format to deliver content in a more engaging way than straight lecture audio.
  • Scaffolding & modularity: Good podcasts are chunked into episodes with clear structure, transitions, and “hooks” to maintain engagement.
  • Supplement to (not substitute for) other content: Podcasts often reinforce, extend, or reflect on lectures, readings, or learning modules.

Because podcasts are largely audio-based, they especially benefit learners who prefer listening, multitaskers, or those with visual fatigue. However, accessibility practices (such as offering transcripts) must accompany them so all learners can benefit.

Early Origins & Evolution

The term “podcast” emerged around 2004 (combining iPod + broadcast), though the idea of serialized audio content delivered over the Internet predates even that. As broadband and mobile audio became widespread, podcasting burgeoned. Early adopters used RSS feeds to publish audio files, letting listeners subscribe and automatically receive new episodes. But as platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts gained traction, podcasting entered mainstream media. Beyond entertainment (comedy, news, true crime), educational institutions began adopting podcasts for lectures, guest interviews, and supplemental material. Podcasting opened new pedagogical possibilities: asynchronous access, reflective commentary, student-driven content, flipped classrooms, and micro-podcasts (short episodes).

    Why Podcasting (and Micro-Podcasting) Belongs in Your OT Toolkit

    By delivering micro-segments (3–7 minute “mini-episodes”), you align with the principles of microlearning: breaking content into small, focused units. Research shows microlearning enhances retention and learner satisfaction. It’s a way of honoring learners’ attention spans while supporting spaced, modular learning.

    AI can help automate podcast creation. AI-generated podcasts (especially personalized ones) are enjoyable to learners and sometimes outperform textbook reading. Combining AI and microlearning may reduce faculty workload while preserving your instructor control. Podcasts may also increase equity (students can listen anytime, anywhere) and enhance outcomes by offering flexible access to learning.

    How This Can Look in OT….

    The primary ways podcasts can be used in teaching:

    • Instructor-produced podcasts (short faculty-recorded audio segments)
    • Student-produced podcasts (where learners become creators)
    • Assigned podcasts for flipped learning (where the faculty curates the podcast content created by others)

    Here are some examples of how podcasting can be useful in OT education:

    • “5-Minute Nugget”: After class content that is particularly difficult (think neuro for example), record a 5-min recap for replay on the bus or treadmill.
    • Clinical Reasoning Reflections: Students record 3-4 min “think-aloud” podcasts after fieldwork. .
    • Case Vignettes in Audio: Present a client’s occupational profile in a short narrative, followed by a faculty debrief episode.
    • Think Aloud: Faculty can do “think aloud” podcasts where they describe their thinking about a case.
    • Student Podteams: Small students groups produce an episode on sensory integration, telehealth, or ethics in OT — creating both knowledge and authentic artifacts. These can be shared with peers once vetted.
    • Field Notes: Alumni share 7-min stories from their caseloads.

    These micro-pods can be used to support retrieval practice and reflection, perfect for OT students.

    Tools of the Trade: Creating Your Own OT Podcast

    Here’s a practical starter kit. You will need the following:

    • USB microphone (Blue Yeti, ATR2100x)
    • Pop filter & quiet recording spot
    • Headphones for monitoring

    Software / Platforms:

    • Editing: Try Audacity or Ocenaudio
    • Hosting: Try Anchor, or Spotify, Podbean or Transister
    • Remote recording: Try Riverside.fm or Zencastr
    • Transcription/editing: Try Otter.ai or Descript
    • AI assistants: ChatGPT for scripting, Descript for auto-edits, Auphonic for polishing

    Make sure to keep episodes short (3–7 minutes), provide transcripts for accessibility, and consider weaving in music or storytelling to humanize content.

    What does the evidence say?

    Research on podcasting has exploded in recent years. The papers provided in the reference/resource list suggest that podcasts:

    1. are more portable, flexible, and learner-driven than lectures
    2. boost retention via microlearning
    3. can be integrated into course design
    4. engage learners & supports skill transfer
    5. encourage reflection
    6. expand accessibility & flexibility
    7. encourage ownership of content when students create them

    However, quality matters and poor audio or meandering episodes frustrate learners. Accessibility is essential and for educational materials we must always provide transcripts or captions.

    Tips for Your First Semester Pilot

    1. Start with one course/unit — don’t overcommit.
    2. Release one 5-min pod weekly.
    3. Tie podcasts to assessments or reflections.
    4. Gather feedback from students on what works.
    5. Encourage optional student co-creation.
    6. Invite clinicians or alumni for guest episodes.
    7. Archive episodes for future cohorts.

    Podcasts Worth Listening To (for Higher Ed /OT Faculty)

    Here’s a list to inspire your own podcasting journey:

    Also see Teaching with Podcasts

    References and Resources

    da Costa Mohallem, A. G., Cunha, M. L. R., Pancieri, A. P. L., Franco, F. A. L., Dutra, L. A., Moraes, M. W., & Delle, H. (2023). Quality of podcasts recorded by nursing lecturers as pre-class learning material for students: An observational study. Nurse Education in Practice, 71, 103721.

    Do, T. D., Shafqat, U. B., Ling, E., & Sarda, N. (2025, April). PAIGE: Examining learning outcomes and experiences with personalized AI-generated educational podcasts. In Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-12).

    Engzell, J., Norrman, C., Norberg, A., & Lundvall, C. (2025). Soundwaves of knowledge: using podcasts to facilitate learning in higher education. Educational Media International, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2025.2533120

    Kaplan H, Verma D, Sargsyan Z. (2020). What Traditional Lectures Can Learn From Podcasts. J Grad Med Educ. 12(3):250-253. doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-19-00619.1. PMID: 32595838;

    Kelly, J. M., Perseghin, A., Dow, A. W., Trivedi, S. P., Rodman, A., & Berk, J. (2022). Learning through listening: a scoping review of podcast use in medical education. Academic Medicine, 97(7), 1079-1085.

    König, L. (2021). Podcasts in higher education: teacher enthusiasm increases students’ excitement, interest, enjoyment, and learning motivation. Educational Studies, 47(5), 627-630.

    López-Martín, O., Banos, M. D. C. Z., & Chaparro, J. D. (2025). Creating podcasts to develop communication and teamwork in nursing and occupational therapy. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2025.05.027

    Monib, W. K., Qazi, A., & Apong, R. A. (2025). Microlearning beyond boundaries: A systematic review and a novel framework for improving learning outcomes. Heliyon, 11(2).

    Nicola, W. (2022). Enhancing Student Social Work Practice Skills and Critical Thinking through Podcast Production. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 33(2), 242-247.

    Saha, S., Rahbari, F., Sadique, F., Velamakanni, S. K. C., Farooque, M., & Rothwell, W. J. (2025). Next-Gen Education: Enhancing AI for Microlearning. arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.11704.

    Wakefield, A., Pike, R., & Amici-Dargan, S. (2023). Learner-generated podcasts: an authentic and enjoyable assessment for students working in pairs. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 48(7), 1025-1037.

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