Experience report on educational innovation in higher education: “Terapodcast”

Abstract

Higher education must adapt to students’ new educational and social demands and needs. Through the creation of an educational podcast, based on a constructivist approach and active learning theory, this experience seeks to develop the motivation and generic competencies ethically required for the occupational therapist’s graduate profile. Through low-complexity simulation strategies, learning of basic inquiry processes, group work, use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), and the support of disciplinary faculty, a communications professional, and faculty from the learning support area, the experience became motivating and transformative for students, as it was developed in an environment they perceived as safe and as providing concrete contributions to their own vocational processes. Students perceive the development of competencies that are fundamental to disciplinary practice, such as oral and written communication, interpersonal skills in interview contexts, and learning to learn: self-directed learning for updating knowledge and acquiring tools for continued agency in their professional development. However, less development of collaborative competence for teamwork was observed, and this competence was not perceived as a need by the individuals who experienced the educational project. Finally, students emphasized the informational content used as podcast material, which supports their personal disciplinary vocation.