Case Story: Audio files

Summary	Audiofiles for tutor feedback on written coursework
Group / workshop	Formative e-Assessment	Status	seed
Project details...

Situation

What was the setting in which this case study occurred?

The setting is within all 3 years of undergraduate study in a school of sociology and social policy at a university. The audiofiles have been piloted with 25 students in years 1, 2 and 3 and this has involved 4 staff members. It is an ongoing R&D context to improve strategies for tutors to give feedback to students on traditional written essays.

Task

What was the problem to be solved, or the intended effect?

Classic contemporary challenge – increasing class sizes, less time for staff to spend on feedback on written coursework, leading to inconsistency in feedback even where it was done well.  Sought to explore the value of replacing text-based feedback with audio feedback, and to find out ‘Does the feedback change?’

Actions

What was done to fulfil the task?

3 tutors used handheld dictaphones, 1 used audacity software to record their feedback directly onto a PC.  Training was provided (about 20 mins). Staff used it how they wanted to so it could fit in with their way of working. There were no rules about the length of the file. Files were recorded in a single audiofile at the conclusion to reading the whole piece of writing. These were then returned to the students via the VLE (Blackboard).

Results

What happened? Was is a success? What contributed to the outcomes?

The audiofiles lasted between 1.5 – 21 mins. The tutors tended to comment more freely than in their equivalent written feedback. Their written feedback tended to conform more closely to a feedback template sheet. They did use that to structure their comments, but they were ‘richer’ and more emphatic which may have an effect on motivation and student response.
Different students gave different responses on the experience of receiving audiofiles. Those who preferred them tended to say that they got more feedback, that it was richer, more personal and they liked the sound of the tutor’s voice as part of the feedback. It provided emphasis. Others did not like that, but it appears that the nature of the feedback may be affected by the use of audiofiles.
In comparing the audio transcripts with written feedback from the same tutors, the feedback tends to be richer, longer, more immediate and ‘not sanitised’.  It is ‘authentic’, like naturally occurring feedback.

Lessons Learned

What did you learn from the experience?

It appears the quality of feedback is being improved. There is certainly more of it. (1 min of audio feedback = approx 100 words. There were examples of 5 minute files). It takes tutors longer to do however, and needs better guidance to help the staff to speed up.
The work used for this was also being formally assessed, so the students were getting formative outcomes from a summative piece of work. It may be more effective in a purely formative context.
Next steps: looking at other disciplines; exploring the possibilities of inserting feedback at intervals into the body of the docs like ‘comment’ inserts on word files. 
The dictaphones proved to be not very flexible in re-editing feedback comments. The staff wanted to be able to edit – the process appears to make them reflect more on their own feedback and this leads to an improvement in that, but the technology could be better at supporting this

Licensing

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.