Screencasting –a tool that rises to the challenge of getting students to engage with feedback

David Cranny, School of Business and Humanities Dundalk Institute of Technology. Practitioner Paper. The feedback that students receive on their work is a problematic area in Higher Education. Lecturers are concerned by a... [ view full abstract ]

David Cranny, School of Business and Humanities Dundalk Institute of Technology.
Practitioner Paper.

The feedback that students receive on their work is a problematic area in Higher Education. Lecturers are concerned by a lack of student engagement with feedback, and students report a lack of feedback being provided, a lack of clarity in the feedback, or feedback being provided too late to apply. It is widely agreed though that feedback can narrow the gap between current and desired performance, and can contribute in a positive manner to the student learning experience.

This small scale mixed methods study, using an online questionnaire and focus group seeks to evaluate screencasting as a means of enhancing the formative assessment process for students, and to develop guidelines for practitioners wishing to adopt its use. The study is based on formative feedback provided to second year students on a multi stage assessment at a Higher Education Institution in the Republic of Ireland.

A cohort of 40 BA in Sport, Exercise and Enterprise students were invited to submit drafts of their E-Portfolios, four weeks in advance of the final submission date so that feedback on their progress could be provided. 28 students submitted drafts of their work in various levels of completeness. The lecturer then recorded short individualised screencasts which were shared with students through the Virtual Learning Environment, using a hyperlink. This allowed the students to access their feedback at a time and place of their choosing. Key authors on the scholarship of feedback have been consulted in the design of the intervention.

Data analysis indicated that students engaged with screencast feedback in a number of ways. Students watch the screencast feedback multiple times (on average 3-4 times). They paused and rewound where necessary, applied the suggestions for improvement from the lecturer, and they accessed it (screencast) anywhere that has an internet connection.

Screencasting is an effective medium to communicate formative feedback but it is only as good as the message contained within it. This study will contribute to the development of best practice by suggesting a framework for audio-visual feedback; which will have a wide application that is not limited to e-portfolios.

Keywords
Formative feedback, Screencasting, Engagement, Virtual Learning Environment.