Using audio email feedback in formative assessment

The importance of formative assessment in promoting student learning is well recognised within pedagogical communities of practice [1] and continues to be noted by researchers (e.g. [2, 3]). Formative assessment is specifically intended to produce feedback on student performance thereby improving and accelerating learning [1]. ‘Surface’ approaches to learning which often characterises other assessment approaches is discouraged and increased learning can be achieved [4]. Despite the importance ascribed to formative assessment, very few formative assessment opportunities are generally made available to students in HE [5]. A commonly cited reason for this is the limited time lecturers have within semester-based systems to produce and deliver the feedback necessary to affect changes in student learning behaviour, often within increasingly large student cohorts [3]. For ‘formative learning’ to occur and the benefits of formative assessment to be achieved, feedback needs to timely, relevant and delivered to students prior to summative assessment. Ameliorating the above stated problems in HE formative assessment therefore provides the motivation behind our work. A number of researchers have reported positively on the use of a variety of emerging technologies within HE formative assessment and feedback strategies [6, 7, 8]. In this paper we report on the use of audio email feedback as a means of delivering detailed formative feedback to students. In particular, we focus in the deployment of Wimba Voice [9] to deliver formative feedback as voice emails to level one undergraduate students studying within the domains of business and web technologies. Preliminary results of a formal evaluation of audio email feedback on student learning will also be summarised

Exploring the Efficacy of Audio Email Feedback in Information Management Assessment (ExAEF Project) : Final Report

Formative assessment generates feedback on students' performance, thereby accelerating and improving student learning. Anecdotal evidence gathered by a number of evaluations has hypothesised that audio feedback may be capable of enhancing student learning more than other approaches. A quasi-experimental study employing qualitative techniques for triangulation was conducted to formally evaluate the efficacy of formative audio feedback on student learning in a web technologies module. We focussed on the delivery of 'voice emails' to undergraduate students (n = 66) and attempted to evaluate the efficacy of such feedback in formative assessment and ergo students’ learning, as well as achieving a better understanding of students’ feedback behaviour post-delivery. The results indicated that audio feedback better conforms to existing models of ‘quality’ formative feedback as defined by the pedagogical research, can enhance the student learning experience and can be more efficient in feedback delivery. Despite this and high levels of feedback re-use by student participants, the audio treatment group underperformed in learning tasks when compared to the control group. The benefits to be gained when using audio feedback has led to its wider adoption within information and computer science teaching practice and greater use of formative assessment in taught modules

Investigating 'voice email' technology efficacy in information management assessment

This paper introduces the use of 'voice emails' as an approach to improving formative feedback and describes how such technology can be embedded within curricula. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with a student sample (n = 42) comparing audio and written approaches to feedback delivery. Student performance at formative and summative assessment points was analysed and the influence of the feedback format used was studied. The ability of voice emails to better meet recognised theoretical models of 'quality' formative feedback was also investigated using a specially designed web survey research instrument. Results reveal that in most instances voice email can better meet the conditions of formative feedback thus enhancing the student learning experience. Results from the study also suggest that voice email feedback, although offering many positive applications to lecturers, may not significantly improve the learning of students

Exploratory evaluation of audio email technology in formative assessment feedback

Formative assessment generates feedback on students’ performance, thereby accelerating and improving student learning. Anecdotal evidence gathered by a number of evaluations has hypothesised that audio feedback may be capable of enhancing student learning more than other approaches. In this paper we report on the preliminary findings of a quasi-experimental study employing qualitative techniques for triangulation, conducted to evaluate the efficacy of formative audio feedback on student learning. We focus on the delivery of ‘voice emails’ to undergraduate students (n = 24) and evaluate the efficacy of such feedback in formative assessment and ergo students' learning, as well as achieving a better understanding of students' feedback behaviour post-delivery. The results indicate that audio feedback better conforms to existing models of 'quality' formative feedback, can enhance the student learning experience and can be more efficient in feedback delivery. Despite this, and high levels of feedback re-use by student participants, the audio treatment group underperformed in learning tasks when compared with the control group. Differences between the groups were not statistically significant and analyses of individual and mean learning gains across the treatment group provide little indication of improvements in learning

"It's as if the student is in front of you" - Using Wimba Voice email for feedback on formative assessment

This webinar reports on a project principally concerned with evaluating the role of formative audio feedback in improving student learning, but also in exploring student perceptions of feedback delivered via such technologies, and better understanding how this audio feedback is used after its delivery to students. This webinar will demonstrate how Liverpool John Moores University is using Wimba Voice email for effective feedback on formative assessment

Media enhanced learning at LJMU : evaluating audio feedback in formative assessment

This brief paper explores the potential of audio feedback in supporting better approaches to assessment, in particular formative assessment. Wimba Voice was deployed within a standard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) application and was used as the basis for delivering audio feedback to students studying a level 1 web technologies module. The technology is described and the pedagogical impact of using audio feedback approaches is evaluated with controlled groups. The evaluation includes both quantitative and qualitative data and reveals enhancements to student learning and improvements to the "conditions" of "quality formative feedback"

Enhancing the student learning experience : evaluating the impact of voice email technology in formative assessment strategy

This workshop reports on a project principally concerned with evaluating the role of formative audio feedback in improving student learning, but also in exploring student perceptions of feedback delivered via such technologies, and better understanding how this audio feedback is used after its delivery to students. This workshop will demonstrate how students in Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University, are receiving Wimba Voice email for effective feedback on formative assessment. It will also provide an overview of how the technology works and how it can be embedded within curriculum design

Identifying older adults with frailty approaching end-of-life: A systematic review

From SAGE Publishing via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: epub 2021-09-14Publication status: PublishedFunder: national institute for health research; FundRef: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000272; Grant(s): PR-PRU-1217-21502Background:: People with frailty may have specific needs for end-of-life care, but there is no consensus on how to identify these people in a timely way, or whether they will benefit from intervention. Aim:: To synthesise evidence on identification of older people with frailty approaching end-of-life, and whether associated intervention improves outcomes. Design:: Systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42020462624). Data sources:: Six databases were searched, with no date restrictions, for articles reporting prognostic or intervention studies. Key inclusion criteria were adults aged 65 and over, identified as frail via an established measure. End-of-life was defined as the final 12 months. Key exclusion criteria were proxy definitions of frailty, or studies involving people with cancer, even if also frail. Results:: Three articles met the inclusion criteria. Strongest evidence came from one study in English primary care, which showed distinct trajectories in electronic Frailty Index scores in the last 12 months of life, associated with increased risk of death. We found no studies evaluating established clinical tools (e.g. Gold Standards Framework) with existing frail populations. We found no intervention studies; the literature on advance care planning with people with frailty has relied on proxy definitions of frailty. Conclusion:: Clear implications for policy and practice are hindered by the lack of studies using an established approach to assessing frailty. Future end-of-life research needs to use explicit approaches to the measurement and reporting of frailty, and address the evidence gap on interventions. A focus on models of care that incorporate a palliative approach is essential