Introducing audio feedback to Occupational Therapy students engaged in Problem Based Learning.
Description of the teaching and learning problem
• Our programme uses a PBL approach to teaching and learning, which is based in constructivist pedagogy.
• Formative feedback is extremely important with constructivist teaching and learning approaches and is usually given verbally, immediately following a group activity.
• Literature suggests that students may not process verbal feedback well at this point, and also that they do not always even recognize it as feedback.
• This may go some way to accounting for the discrepancies between the feedback tutors say they give, and the feedback students say they receive, students may say they have not received enough useful formative feedback.
• The mismatch of perception may impact on student attainment and satisfaction.
• Dissatisfaction with formative feedback is reflected in NSS scores (NSS data) and student experience survey (Salford SES).
Rational for the project
• TEL affords opportunities to address teaching and learning problems, and academics are being encouraged to make use of these solutions (JISC)
• Audio feedback offers the potential to provide the student with formative feedback that compliments feedback given in class, and allows the student the opportunity to listen at their leisure and as many times as they want or need to.
• This compliments the inclusivity agenda too.
What am I going to do?
• I am going to introduce audio feedback (formative) to students engaging in a PBL module using university supported equipment and software. I will upload this feedback to Blackboard for students to download and listen to at their leisure. I will provide the students with guidance on how to make the most effective use of audio feedback.
What is the scope of the project?
• Two PBL groups of 18 students meeting on three occasions. I will provide individual feedback to each (of 36) students following one meeting, and whole group feedback following the other. Individual feedback will be no longer than 5 minutes in duration. Group feedback will be no longer than 15 minutes. The project will be evaluated for feasibility, perceived benefit and student satisfaction.
Who are the students?
• All are studying a BSc Honors degree in Occupational Therapy. The are predominantly over 25 and female. Some may have learning support plans and all will be aware of their learning styles.
What type of teaching?
• Face to face, small group, problem based learning.
Do I need to learn to use any new software?
• I need to learn how to use Audacity.
• I need to learn how to upload audio files to Blackboard.
• I need to understand media players and their relationship to a successful experience of listening to the files.
Do you need to find specific academic/technical literature?
• I need to identify a clear rationale for using audio feedback in this context.
• I must identify good practice in audio feedback, including good practice for using audio feedback.
• I need to further explore the rationale for formative feedback in PBL, and the most effective timing and content for formative feedback in PBL
• I need to identify effective evaluation strategies for TEL initiatives
• I need to explore the relationship between TEL and the core competencies of the UK Professional Standards Framework.
Timescale and milestones
• The module runs in May 2012, therefore all preparatory work and much of the writing up of the project will need to be completed by the beginning of May to allow time to write up evaluation before submission on 24th May 2012.
• I will undertake the mini literature review by mid March.
• I will design a project evaluation by the end of March. I will write this up for the project report as I go along.
• In April I will learn how to use Audacity and how to upload files to Blackboard, and will have several ‘test’ runs. I will critically evaluate this part of the process as I go along.
• I use audio feedback with my group and the beginning of May and evaluate within one week.
• I will write up the evaluation mid May.
• My reflections will be ongoing as per the timetable.
• I will complete my final reflection by the 24th May.
What am I trying to find out?
• I want to know if this is an achievable method of giving feedback and one that could be integrated into PBL routinely, by all staff involved in this method of teaching.
• I am particularly interested in the usability of the technology, the training requirements, and the time it takes to make and upload audio feedback.
• I want to understand how the students experience this type of feedback. I would like to know if they use it, it adds something positive to their experience or not, and why.
How will you find our what impact your intervention has had?
• I will keep a diary of the processes I have undertaken during the project, and the time I have invested in it. I will use this to reflect on the practicalities of implementing audio feedback from the perspective of an academic.
• I intend to explore if it is possible to track the number of times a student listened to the recording, and access this data if so.
• I will undertake a focus group with the students to explore their experience. A focus group will provide rich qualitative data quickly, and this is important given my deadline.
This is a good start to your project. I thought that the rationale, description of problem and were particularly strong. I think you need to do a little more in terms of describing and defining your project – even at this stage. A few thoughts:
• Are you just going to introduce audio feedback? Are you going to advise your students how to get the most from it? are you going to consider guidelines around clear use of audio feedback? I think when we met to suggested that you were going to do a little more than produce audio files.
• For the “who are your students” question I was expecting a little more – how many students, what do you know about them? Mainly male /female, overseas, older/younger do they have any educational or technical special needs.
• For the scope of the project I was hoping that you could explain how many times are you going to create feedback – is it once per student per PBL session (18×3 pieces of feedback)? How big is each piece of feedback?
• Are planning to podcast or just have downloadable audio files available
It might be interesting for you to speak with Nick Hall who is also doing the ALT module but was not at the induction he is also considering an audio feedback project. I think this is shaping up to be an interesting project and I look forward to reading your finalised Action Plan. Here are a few refs that may be interesting:
http://www.engsc.ac.uk/downloads/casestudytrimmingham_v2_formatted.pdf
http://simonbrookes.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/using-audio-for-summative-student-feedback/
I think I have a copy of this book if you cannot get it from the library
G. Salmon and P. Edirisingha (Eds.) Podcasting for Learning in Universities. London: McGraw-Hill and Open University
Hi Pete,
Thanks for the feedback. I have now updated the plan to consider the points you raised, and I have looked at the references you suggested too. The first one is particularly helpful as it considers group formative feedback. Much of what I have been reading looks at individual summative feedback.
Your question about downloadable files and podcasting made me realise I didn’t know the difference! Now I do. I have decided to go with files rather than embrace RSS feeds at this point, but if I have more time that I anticipate I will explore further. I will also ask the students if this would have been a better way to do it.
Sarah