Teaching with Technology

Delivering student feedback in higher education: the role of podcasting

Teddy’s CTCH603 Reading Log 04.05.2010

For class session 04.07.2010

Have you ever enrolled in a class and around mid-term realize that you never received a grade on any of your work. The teacher has not returned any assignments with markings. No verbal or written communications as to how you’re doing in the class. Well, I have and it’s a frustrating and bewildering experience to have to continue on in a class of that nature. It can really do a job on a student’s self-confidence and self-efficacy. I have often wondered what teachers thought about when they planned these classes, then it came to me, no planning was involved.

In this article the author argues what constitutes good feedback and how it is delivered. Using podcasting technology students are engaged to learn while listening. According to the author, many participants in this research stated that their retention of knowledge was higher as a result of acquiring a more detail delivery system like podcasting. Students were able to easily access feedback analysis from the instructor using email and play it back again and again. This method allowed the student and teacher a form of instant gratification. Assessment of current student work can be posted and received as a clear and deliberate message that indicates what is expected to correct less than acceptable attributes of assignments. Student response is allowed open access to reply and re-submit evaluated work.

Author, Steve Cooper (2008), quotes Nicole and Macfarlane (2006) that teachers and students are partners in the feedback process. It would be senseless to think that a teacher response without a student response could complete the feedback circle. Personally, my experience has been that deeper understanding of knowledge and higher retention of that knowledge comes over a period of time. In other words, this process improves our learning as it is repeated over time! I believe that the student response encourages questions and inquiry that otherwise might not have taken place in the classroom, but has done so through great reflection and timely response from the teacher, evoked an emergence of creative and critical thinking in the minds of the students.

Retrieved from Journal of Music, Technology and Education, http://web.ebscohost.com.mutex.gmu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&hid=6&sid=18e13a5c-e61d-44d5-8aa9-ac2557799691%40sessionmgr14