University of Leicester

Duckling Project

This case study reports on the incorporation of podcasting into the curriculum design and delivery of two distance-taught Masters’ programmes in Occupational Psychology. The two OP programmes attract work-based Occupational Psychology practitioners, most of whom are in full-time employment throughout their studies. Challenges faced by the course team included adding flexibility to the curricula, increasing learner engagement (both with learning materials and feedback) and reducing learner isolation. As part of a coordinated enhancement effort, which included changes to curriculum design and delivery, more than 100 podcasts were introduced into the curriculum. Evidence suggested that the students’ learning experiences improved as a result of five key benefits associated with the integration of podcasting in learning design: (1) personalisation, (2) an additional and different format for providing clear and engaging guidance, support and feedback, (3) increased flexibility and mobility within the curricula, (4) improved retention, and (5) ‘design once, deliver many times’ with minimum adaptation.