http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_panther
Dr. Raymond Randall
Sue Harrington
Podcasting in
Assessment: New
Technology in Higher
Education Research
(PANTHER)
#uolbdra
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Context
 Why?
 What?
 How?
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Experience
 Feedback from staff and students
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Where next?
 Audio feedback
School of
Psychology
Occupational
Psychology
MSc
Occupational
Psychology
MSc Psychology
of Work
Forensic
Psychology
Clinical
Psychology
Undergraduate
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3 years ago:
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Blackboard was an optional discussion forum
All paper course materials and handbooks
All paper-based marking
Poor audit trail of markers’ comments
Deadline times unfair for overseas students
Long marking turn-around times.
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Online Course Materials
Central portal for support resources
E-moderated module discussion forums
E-moderated dissertation development forums
Online dissertation supervision
Duckling Project:
 Podcasts
 Second Life
 e-book readers
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Podcast use in Carpe Diem e-tivities
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Increase Staff/student Interaction
Increase student interaction/collaboration
Support for the module assignments
Practice related application of learning:
 Linked to learning outcomes and skills development
 Increased variety in teaching & learning methods
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Online Assessment and Feedback
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Audit trail
Cost
Environment
Equity in submission dates
Readability
Turnaround time
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Increase perception of staff/student interaction.
Decrease isolation of DL
Additional media formats – increased variety
“Martini” learning: anywhere, anytime, any device
Encourage engagement with feedback
Explanatory power of spoken vs. written word
Personalised feedback (dissertations)
Develop once, deliver often
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Online group e-tivities for each assignment
Volunteers
Contributions assessed as part of assignments
Multiple deliverables & deadlines during module
Each students contributions assessed
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Students:
 Positive: interaction; relevant preparation for the
actual assignments; practical relevance.
 Negative: Deadline structure reduced flexibility of DL
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Staff:
 Positive: interaction and engagement with students
 Negative: assessment difficult and time consuming
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Outcome: Complementary non-assessed
activities
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All module & unit assignments; dissertations
Double submission:
 Initially Gradebook then Turnitin
 Email copy for marking.
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Track changes and comments on assignment
Feedback document
Email return to student
Plagiarism evidence posted, but moving to
electronic Turnitin report.
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Students:
 Positive: Readability; turnaround time; increased
feedback
 Negative: IT
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Staff:
 Positive: Easier; faster; iterative comments; reduced
cost; reduced admin; full audit trail
 Negative: Discipline required not to correct
everything; students & instructions 
 Gradebook: Less easy to use; less clear to read; need
to be online.
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Production method from BDRA workshop:
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Structured model for planning each podcast
Series for dissertations and Research Methods
Module specific podcast
Assessment: Feedback and feed forward
Feed forward Podcasts:
 Specific guidance for approaching each assignment
 Generic guidance for academic writing
 Dissertation portfolio
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Generic cohort feedback for each assignment
Individual feedback for draft dissertation
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How to approach a specific assignment
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General guidance on assignments
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Guidance on how dissertations are assessed
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General cohort assignment feedback
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Specific individual dissertation feedback
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Students:
 Positive: ‘Bridging the gap’, mobility, flexibility, better
use of time, clarity
 Negative: None so far
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Staff:
 Positive: Enjoyable; time saving; easier to explain; less
misunderstanding – correct emphasis; useful for other
team members to support students
 Negative: Individual differences; file size
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E-tivities: Second Life exercise (Duckling);
interactive Induction and pre-Dissertation
Modules (CDDC)
Audio Feedback:
 To be rolled-out to module assignments
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Research in progress
 Impact on grades and retention
 Student usage
 Differences with written feedback (Education)
Sue Harrington
sh219@le.ac.uk