The eLearning Podcasts IDs Need to Discover Immediately

Freelance Instructional Designers. We work hard. We play hard. Press play hard, that is—on highly informational and engaging instructional design and eLearning podcasts! We told ya, we’re absolute party monsters. Some horses just can’t be tamed.

What’s that you say? You’ve never listened to one before? Oh my stars! Freelie, there’s an entire world of super wonderful eLearning podcasts out there just waiting to delight your ears.

You may be thinking, “There can’t be that many podcasts on Instructional Design!” Wrong! It’s the year of our Lord 2022, everything has a corresponding podcast. Our personal favorite podcast at the moment is called, “Talkin’ Bread Clips.” It’s about those plastic tags that come on bags of bread. It’s seminal. Or semolina? It's one of those words.

The point is, we’re gonna get you started in today’s blog with six must-listen to podcasts that we’re really enjoying at the moment. Read on if you want to be one of those, “I knew about that podcast before it was cool” people. For the record though, we did already know about these podcasts before they were cool.

Become a Pod Person

If you’re new to the podcast game, there are a few reasons we really recommend working them into your listening rotation. Don’t worry, “Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits” will still be there when you’re done.

You can listen to podcasts in a car, on a train, in a house, or with a mouse. And you can also definitely listen to them while working from home!

Why not optimize your time by learning while you work? No matter how much experience you have in ID, there will always be cool new things to learn! They also might offer some new insights into the industry or inspire you to expand your horizons or approach your niche or project from a different angle than you would normally. The possibilities are endless!

We often hear people say, “I’m not really a podcast person.” To that we say, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! Aren’t you tired of talking to your friends about instructional design and witnessing their eyes go completely blank as they humor you with polite little head nods and phrases like, “Wow, that’s so interesting.” Just us?

The point is, it’s really nice to hear like-minded freelies and industry peeps talk about instructional design with as much passion and excitement as you do.

So, without delay, here’s our list of six podcasts to check out right now!

1. The eLearning Coach

Hosted by learning experience consultant and international speaker Connie Malamed, “The eLearning Coach” podcast has been around since 2013 and is a must-listen if you’re just dipping your toe into the podcast pool. In it, Connie speaks with expert designers, developers, authors, professors and other professionals to bring you awesome new ideas and actionable tips on achieving success in the field of eLearning. With over 70 episodes available to listen to right now, this is the perfect place to start. Keep a journal handy while listening, you’re going to want to take some notes!

2. IDIODC: Instructional Designers in Offices Drinking Coffee

“Instructional Designers in Offices Drinking Coffee,” or IDIODC for short, is a podcast brought to you by Brent Schlenker and Chris Van Wingerden. Brent and Chris are from the “dominKnow | ONE” team— an award-winning cloud-based authoring system with authoring tools and the ability to collaborate built right in. This one’s a weekly pod, recorded “live and candidly,” with 172 episodes currently available to listen to right now! You’ll catch them chatting with everyone from game designers to L&D professionals. And also— a delightful theme song. Just saying.

3. The Dr. Luke Hobson Podcast

“The Dr. Luke Hobson Podcast,” is hosted by none other than…you guessed it, Dr. Luke Hobson. He’s an Instructional Designer at MIT, covering not only instructional design practices, but also teaching online, effective teaching methods and how to complete doctoral programs. There are currently 41 highly engaging (not boring!) episodes that offer actionable steps to further your instructional design career. We love this podcast and know you will too!

4. The eLearning Guys

Since 2016, Nejc Žorga Dulmin and David Charney have been hosting “The eLearning Guys” podcast. With 42 episodes under their belt so far, these guys have created an extremely practical podcast that’s all about Articulate Storyline development and eLearning. Whether you’re just starting out with Storyline or are an old pro, you’re undoubtedly going to learn something by giving this one a listen. Where else are you going to be entertained and learn slider tricks?

5. I’m New Here: A Podcast for New Instructional Designers and E-Learning Developers

We love this podcast hosted by mid-career Instructional Designer Nyla (she goes by just her first name!) because it’s specifically made for people new to the field. Nyla understands how daunting it can be to enter the realm of ID and offers a reassuring voice on how to sort through the avalanche of new information coming at you to find your footing as an instructional designer. She calls herself, “your ID big sis,” and we couldn’t agree more! Nyla also offers tips and tricks for improving your design process and advancing your career. With 15 short episodes available now, it’s an easy listen that’s going to be a huge help to anyone just starting out!

6. That’s Awesome ID!

We know a thing or two about “That’s Awesome ID!” because well, we were on it! Who are the big, important hot shots now?! Since 2020, host Leslie Early has sat down and chatted with all kinds of people in the ID field– from Senior Learning Experience Producers to Training Managers to Play and Game Consultants and everyone in between. She’s super easy to listen to (and in our experience talk to) and we highly recommend checking this one out for some great nuggets of ID wisdom. Fun fact: Leslie was inspired to start her podcast after doing a review of IDLance in our first few months after launch! We love that! Go, Leslie!

Conclusion

There ya have it— our list of six eLearning podcasts for Instructional Designers to check out now! If any or all of these tickle your fancy, just give them a google to find the best place on the interwebs to give them a listen.

We love podcasts here at IDLance because we’re big proponents of breaking down the walls of intimidation that stand between you and your ID freelie dreams. And that’s just what these podcasts do. So break out the headphones and dive in!

In Pod We Trust.