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USING AUDIO TO GIVE STUDENTS
FEEBDACK
AUDIO FEEDBACK @ LSE
Audio feedback is an alternative or complement to other forms of feedback (written, face to face etc.) that you
might give students.
Software used at LSE: Wimba Voice is fully integrated into Moodle. This means wherever you can add text or
images to Moodle you can also add an audio recording using the Wimba tools.
Hardware required at LSE: other than a headset with a microphone there is no additional hardware required to
record a piece of audio feedback or for your students to be able to listen to the recording.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES?
There has been a great deal of research in recent years
into the use of audio feedback in higher education.
Almost all of these studies found that the majority of
students prefer audio feedback over written. Amongst
the reasons given are that:

Audio feedback means more feedback. A
teacher can say a lot more in 5 minutes than
they could write.

Audio feedback means clearer
feedback. More detail means less
ambiguity, and speech can
communicate meaning beyond the
words; vocal emphasis and variations of
pace can focus attention on the most
important or complicated aspects.

Audio feedback feels “more personal”
than written. The teacher's voice can
convey their interest and engagement in
the student's work, and can allow the
tutor to deliver negative or critical
feedback more tactfully.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Typically you would use audio feedback in conjunction with
the Assignment tool in Moodle. This allows you to collect in
written work (such as essays in Word format) from
students within Moodle. The submitted assignments are all
visible to the tutor (and Moodle editor) however, students
are only able to see their own assignment once they have
submitted it.
After assignments have been marked and graded you can
provide written feedback to students via Moodle. However
you are also able to provide audio feedback using the
Wimba voice tools.
In today’s session we are going to record some
audio feedback into a discussion forum in Moodle.
This illustrates the flexibility of the Wimba Voice
tools that can be used to add an audio recording to
many different places in Moodle.
Anywhere you can enter text you will see on the
tool bar at the top the Wimba voice tool indicated
using the loud speaker
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HOW TO RECORD FEEDBACK
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If using a Mac, use Firefox, not Safari. The Moodle HTML editor, which is needed to record audio, does
not work in Safari.
Visit the Learning Technologies discussion forum in the PGCert Moodle and reply to Jane Secker’s
message with the subject ‘Assessment, feedback and learning technologies’
Type a brief message from your group such as "Click the link below to hear your feedback", then click
the "Wimba Voice" button . After a brief delay, the voice recording window will appear.
Do a test recording first, to make sure that you microphone is working. Click the red record button and
start talking. Your microphone setup is OK if the audio level meter
shows mostly green and only
occasionally goes red. Press stop when you are done – if you don’t press stop, the recording will not be
stored.
Press the record button again to recite your feedback. This will overwrite your test recording. You can
re-record this way as many times as you like.
When ready, click OK to embed the recording into your message.
Click "Save Changes"
TIPS WHEN USING AUDIO FEEDBACK
•
Keep the files short – don’t overdo it. Too
much guidance or feedback can be counterproductive.
For a typical assignment or presentation, three or four
minutes should be plenty.
•
Have the assignment details and assessment
criteria with you.
•
Read the assignment, making comments on it
as you go along – either jotting in the margins or using
‘Track Changes’ if it’s in Word.
•
Read it again, more quickly this time, perhaps
making a few more comments along the way.
•
Jot down (in the notes section of your
feedback template) the main summary points you wish
to make.
•
When recording, Speak as clearly as possible –
slightly slower than your usual speech.
•
Build the feedback in chunks, making frequent
use of the pause button.
•
Don’t bother to erase and re-record
‘misspeaks’; just correct yourself immediately, as in
conversation. Students accept that you aren’t a
professional broadcaster. If you realise later that you
have made minor errors and omissions, add a separate
recording to cover them.
•
When complete, review the recording. Is it
clear and easy to follow? Do I sound approachable?
•
If you come back to review your feedback
later, note that the "Play" button shown in the
feedback editing field is not functional. To review the
feedback you must scroll down to the section labelled
"Feedback prior to current changes:" underneath, and
click the "Play" button there instead.
.
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE?
Contact the Centre for Learning Technology (CLT) at clt-support@lse.ac.uk or call 020-7849-4697 if you are
interested in making use of audio feedback.