Providing feedback for students is one of the most important (and often most difficult) part of being a teacher. Providing feedback to students in audio format has been the topic of many recent studies. In a study done by the Sloan Consortium, audio feedback was received very positively by students.
- Audio feedback was perceived to be more effective than text-based feedback for conveying nuance;
- Audio feedback was associated with feelings of increased involvement and enhanced learning community interactions;
- Audio feedback was associated with increased retention of content; and
- Audio feedback was associated with the perception that the instructor cared more about the student.
- Document analysis revealed that students were three times more likely to apply content for which audio commenting was provided in class projects than was the case for content for which text based commenting was provided. Audio commenting was also found to significantly increase the level at which students applied such content.
JISC has done quite a bit of research on the topic of audio feedback. According to the National Student Survey (HEFCE, 2007) student feedback from tutors and assessors impacts heavily on student satisfaction. Themes that emerged in case studies, that help define this improvement include:
- Communicating on a more personal level
- The ability to present tone
- Motivating students
- Informing students how to improve
- Forcing students to listen to all of the feedback, not selecting only the sections they desire
- Providing an alternative to often ineligible handwriting
Are you using audio feedback with your students? What has their reaction been? Would you recommend it to others? I would love to hear your thoughts – please feel free to comment.