Podcasting as an Educational Tool in Higher Learning
Summary
Podcasting has emerged as a versatile medium for delivering curricular content, fostering active engagement and extending the classroom beyond scheduled lectures. By offering audio recordings of lectures, discussions and student-generated material, podcasting supports diverse learning styles and promotes flexible, on-demand study. Its integration into higher education spans disciplines from languages and humanities to STEM, enabling microlearning, reinforcing lecture content and encouraging reflective practice. Student-produced podcasts, in particular, cultivate skills in research, script-writing and oral communication while enhancing motivation through authentic audience engagement. Pedagogical frameworks emphasise design principles to optimise cognitive load, maintain narrative coherence and leverage interactivity through guided activities. As institutions worldwide adopt blended and fully online modalities, podcasting stands out for its low-bandwidth requirements, accessibility on multiple devices and capacity to bridge physical and cultural divides in the global learning community.
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Podcasting as an Educational Tool in Higher Learning publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in podcasting as an educational tool in higher learning across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Podcast: A digital audio file, typically available via download or streaming, used to deliver educational content asynchronously.
Asynchronous learning: An instructional approach allowing students to engage with materials at their own pace, independent of real-time interaction.
Blended learning: A pedagogical model that combines face-to-face instruction with online or digital media experiences.
Microlearning: The delivery of content in short, focused segments designed to address specific learning objectives with minimal cognitive load.
References
- Podcasts’ effects on the EFL classroom: a socially relevant intervention. Smart Learning Environments (2023).
- Enhancing Collaborative Learning in Higher Education through Podcast Production: An Experiential Approach with Anthropology and Tourism Students. Education Sciences (2023).
- Developing a Framework for Creating Effective Instructional Video Podcasts. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET) (2014).
- The value of using short-format podcasts to enhance learning and teaching. Research in Learning Technology (2009).
- Reconsidering the role of recorded audio as a rich, flexible and engaging learning space. Research in Learning Technology (2016).
- Student podcasting for teaching-learning at university. Journal of Technology and Science Education (2024).
- Designing for interaction, thinking and academic achievement in a Tanzanian undergraduate chemistry course. Educational technology research and development (2017).
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