Students used the ReCap event capture technology to record their own group (PowerPoint) oral presentations. They received peer feedback at the ‘live’ presentation, then had a week to reflect on the feedback and ReCap presentation recording and improve their slides, content and style before being assessed.
Dr Carys Watts, Biomedical Sciences, the ReCap Educational Steering group. (2012/13) Group A: Stage 3 bioscience students (80 students; fourteen groups). Group B: Stage 2 Biomedical Sciences with Medical Microbiology students (17 students, three groups).
The existing Newcastle University ReCap event capture technology (Panopto based) was used to record practise presentations with a peer only audience. The Module leader used Blackboard student groups to organise the recordings through ReCap. Confidence levels in presenting were measured before and after the practise and live assessment, with peers providing brief ‘quick and dirty’ feedback on paper (best thing about the presentation, one thing to improve) giving ~ 15 pieces of feedback per group. Each group had viewing access to their own presentation for a week prior to the presentation assessment.
To promote student communication skills for employability benefits and encourage peer feedback and reflection. Students tend to dislike or fear presentations, with perception of and actual ability not aligned. They rarely have the opportunity to ‘replay’ their own presentations or indeed formative presentations. The project enabled students to gain peer feedback, personal and group reflection and allow them the opportunity to improve their presentations and personal approach. As a key employability aspect; students were encouraged to transfer their presentation skill reflections to their approach in employability situations.
YES! Student feedback about the process was unanimously positive. Though they disliked hearing themselves they found it useful to consider pace, audience interaction and content: ‘I listened to how weird my voice sounded and then critically analysed everything and then we did it again’. The added pressure of having a peer audience and being recorded made them prepare well in advance and they valued the opportunity and time given (between practise and assessment) to reflect and modify their slides and content. Interestingly groups considered the ‘quick and dirty’ peer feedback to be most useful in refining their presentations, though two thirds did engage with the recordings to improve their personal performance. One group (inadvertent control) opted out of doing the practise session with assessors reporting poor performance and lack of group cohesion in the assessed session. Half of the attendees reported increased confidence, with one student reflecting on his narrative approach and subsequently changing his oral behaviour at interview (he secured his job at the next interview). Assessors noted how professional and well prepared students were during the assessed presentation. The existing technology enables students more autonomy within the ReCap system to create their own recordings. The Panopto App enables an iOS device to be synced as a webcam for the presentation (however, the Webcam was used with Group B who felt it inhibited their behaviour). Having proven that the pedagogy of practice ReCap presentations for enhanced student reflection, learning and employability is valid, this opens up a range of possible uses for the event capture technology, including distance learners/remote campus sharing.
Using ReCap for student practise oral presentations. ReCap, replay, refresh = RESULT!
Assessment and Feedback, Skills and Employability, Student Engagement, Technology Enhanced Learning
Undergraduate (all Stages)
Biomedical Sciences
ReCap lecture capture
Up to 10 students in a group
In response to issues