Provided Aural Feedback via BlackBoard
MSc students studying Psychology
On Blackboard, after I wrote the in-text comments and completed the rubric for their 4000 word essays, I used to leave extensive open text comments too. This year I decided to record feedback instead. I thought about the main points I had raised in the text, included positive comments, and talked specifically about how the individual could improve future work by looking at particular highlighted issues. The length of feedback is dictated by Blackboard and the maximum is 3 minutes – I did not use up all the time on all occasions.
It works on several levels. It encourages a more reflective approach to giving feedback on the essay as a whole, rather than focusing on specific parts, because you can pause the recording to think. It is easy to do, and is quicker than typing. It made me feel more connected to the individuals too, though of course all work was anonymous.
The students liked it – some comments follow: I personally preferred the verbal feedback over a written overall feedback, I found the areas of improvement easier to understand and I also felt the good parts about my essay were more clearly conveyed, it’s much easier to tell in a person’s voice what was really good about something and what could be better. I was really pleased with my feedback of the assignment regardless but I really liked the more personal touch a voice adds to the process I've only had verbal feedback once at undergrad but I find it hugely helpful (more so than comments alone). It provides more understanding as to where I could improve / perspectives I missed out and your thoughts - in a way that could be difficult to communicate in text. I found the verbal feedback to be very helpful, it was a lot more personalised and provided clear advice on how to improve my work in future, something which is often not included in the comments that are attached as feedback. It also meant that the little blue comments were explained, sometimes a comment is left on my work and it isn't clear what it is referring to or why the comment has been put there, but having the verbal feedback then meant that I was able to understand the comments and I could take more from them than I usually would. I thought the verbal feedback was really useful and a lot more personal than just comments on TurnItIn. It would be great to see more markers doing this. It must have been time consuming for you though! I liked getting verbal feedback! Was useful to hear what you had to say rather than just follow comments I thought the verbal feedback was really useful for the Cultural essay. It felt more personalised to my own work as well as being more concise in what exactly I needed to do to improve essays in the future.
Providing Aural Feedback
Assessment and Feedback, Student Engagement, Technology Enhanced Learning
Postgraduate taught
Psychology
Blackboard
Individual students
To try something new