Using Video for Assignment and Grade Feedback in Language Courses
Overview
Zhiqiong Chen and Kelly Mayjonade-Christy of SMLC regularly use short video-feedback (5-8 minutes long) in their language teaching to provide assessments of student work in a time-efficient and engaging way. Usually, they rely on video-feedback to provide comments on group work, rather than individual submissions. This form of feedback is taken particularly well by students with a preference for audiovisual learning approaches, but it it also highly productive for asynchronous distance learning, where it may help to increase student engagement and a sense of proximity to the teacher. If the video feedback is made available on the Moodle course page, then it also presents an opportunity for other groups and students to learn from their peers' mistakes and insights. A particularly effective aspect of video-feedback for language teaching is the fact that students have an opportunity to hear the language they are learning spoken by the tutor as part of the feedback.
Zhiqiong Chen, SMLC
Lesson plan
- Once a group of students submits an assignment (e.g. a piece of text written collectively in a foreign language), the tutor may choose to comment on it using video-feedback. Alternatively, video-feedback may be very useful for individual students who are taking distance learning courses.
- The tutor may select one of several options with regards to the format of the video-feedback. If they are commenting on a written assignment, they can use Screen recording software or other tools to record the video. In some situations, the tutor may find audio-feedback to be sufficient. At times, the video might have to be edited if a tutor needs to correct themselves; in these situations, it might be helpful to have access to simple video-editing software.
- The tutor uploads the video on the dedicated Moodle page or sends it directly to the group or students who had submitted the assignment. Putting the feedback on Moodle has the advantage of making it visible to other students, who may benefit from hearing about their peers' work.
Tutor's observations
Kelly: In the Hispanic [Studies] department, one of my colleagues started initiating feedback through video because she thought it was more effective and less time-consuming for students. To give individual feedback through video was more constructive than just writing notes on a paper. ... Students seemed to be more engaged with the feedback. ... I didn't do [video-feedback] individually; this year, I only did group video feedback. ... I tasked my students with writing a short paragraph, for instance, as group work, and then they would submit their work on Moodle, and then I would screencast their work and record myself commenting on [it] just like we would be doing if we were in class. ... I thought it was a good way to comment on group work, so that everyone could benefit from my comments.
The videos were quite short; I would spend about ten minutes giving feedback on an introduction or short paragraph. And I had feedback from students who would watch the video, so I could see on Moodle how many students watched the videos -- there seemed to be quite high engagement... And I got feedback from students that they really enjoyed this sort of feedback when it came to group work. ... I think, in terms of student engagement ... they are used to watching videos and such, so I think they take out information more effectively from audiovisual supports as compared to reading. ...
Zhiqiong: I found that, in general, students welcome this method. And some students find that videos are easier for them to digest, to take in. ... With video feedback, they found it to be very close with the teacher, so you can build a close student-teacher relationship; they feel just like sitting next to you, talking to you, even though it is a one-way conversation, not a two-way conversation.
Links to more like this
Categories: Blended learning, Distance learning, Personalised learning, Reflective practice, Responsive teaching
Tools: Screen recording software, Echo 360 Lecture Capture, eStream, Moodle Gradebook, Audacity
Departments: SMLC, SMLC