Evaluating and assessing student course work is a fundamental responsibility of lecturers. This process of providing and receiving feedback can be an emotionally charged experience for both the student and the lecturer alike. For the past 8 years I have been teaching very large groups of between 65 anf 150 students on average. One of the major challenges I face each year is providing timely and comprehensive feedback to my students. Traditionally I have done this via marking sheets and providing student with an opportunity to view their assignment feedback and ask any questions they may have regarding their assignment and grade. However it has been my experience that large numbers of students fail to avail of this opportunity and usually only students who had done very well or students who wishe to question their grade show up to these feedback sessions. As a result I was searching for a way to reach out to all my students in a more positive and personalised way and to try and engage as many of them as possible in the feedback process.
This presentation will examine the role of audio feedback in providing personalised commentary to students, who are part of a large class, where the time that lectures can devote to providing detailed feedback has been substantially eroded. It will provide an overview of my experience using the feedback studio within turnitin and I will provide a summary of the data I have collected via questionnaires and focus groups on my student’s opinions of using and receiving audio feedback.
Research conducted by Ice et al (2007) found that students perceive audio feedback as more supportive and caring than the more traditional approach of written feedback, reporting a greater understanding of the feedback. This is something that has been reflected within my own findings. In addition, Northcliffe and Middleton (2008) indicate that the tone and expression of the lecturer providing the feedback all add to the depth of communication between the lecturer and the student engaged in the feedback loop. Värlander (2008) argues that the social interaction between the lecturer and the student has power at its core. She argues, that as a result, giving and receiving feedback can often awaken emotions such as pride or shame as well as guilt and anxiety in one or both parties. Students’ emotions greatly influence the way in which they are able to receive and process feedback, and sometimes the value of such feedback may be ‘eclipsed by learner’s reactions’ to it (Race, 1995 as cited in Värlander 2008 p.145.). Audio feedback gives lecturers a platform to provide a comprehensive and sensitive approach to providing feedback.
Emery, R. & Atkinson, A. (2009). Group Assessment Feedback: “The good, the bad and the ugly”. A Word in Your Ear, Sheffield, UK.
Ice, P., Curtis R., Philips, P. & Wells, J. (2007). Using asynchronous audio feedback to enhance teaching presence and students’ sense of community. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. Vol 11, No 2 pp 3-25.
Northcliffe, A. & Middleton, A. (2008). A three year case study of using audio to blend the engineer’s learning environment. Engineering Education. Vol 3, No 2 pp 45-57.
Värlander, S. (2008).The role of students’ emotions in formal feedback situations. Journal Teaching and learning in Higher Education. Vol 12, No.2, pp 145-156.
