Using Video to Provide Assignment Feedback

I frequently use video to provide feedback on different types of assignments. For traditional research papers, I tend to provide text-based feedback, often as embedded comments. I find that makes it easier for students to refer back to when making revisions, or writing future papers. However, some assignments lend themselves to the more personalized touch that video provides -- and it is often easier to "show" rather than "tell" when providing feedback on web-based projects, video assignments, multimedia presentations, etc. 

In addition to the positive feedback that I've received from students who have received video feedback on their assignments from me, I also frequently get asked things like:

• How did you do that?
• What sort of time investment is involved?
• What software did you use?
• How can I do this for my students?

Using Screencast-O-Matic for Video Feedback

My go-to tool for producing video feedback is a screen capture application called Screencast-O-Matic. I also use Screencast-O-Matic to produce tutorial videos for use in my blog posts or online courses. In the following video, I demonstrate how I use Screencast-O-Matic to produce feedback videos for a project-based assignment.

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Want to learn more about how to get started using Screencast-O-Matic? Check out this ​Screencast-O-Matic Tutorial by Technology for Teachers and Students.

Benefits of Video Feedback

West and Taylor (2015) showed that students overwhelming preferred narrated video feedback, noting that students found "that video feedback was clearer and less ambiguous than other forms of feedback and improved both the quality and quantity of the feedback received" (p. 400). They also noted that students found video feedback a great tool for increasing their sense of rapport with their tutors or instructors. 

Creating Engagement in the Classroom (n.d.) summarizes three key benefits to using video feedback:

• Video form provides higher quality communication with more detail, clearer instructions, and a more personalized approach to education.
• Offers a tool that shines in the “student-centered, intenional learning framework.”
• Video establishes a form of communication preferable to students making them more motivated to act on the feedback.

​Stannard (2018) provides an in-depth look at how the use of screencasting applications improves the way we give feedback to students. 

References

Creating Engagement in the Classroom.org (n.d.) Student Engagement Using Video Feedback. [Web blog post]. Available from https://creatingengagementintheclassroom.org/student-engagement-using-video-feedback/

Power, R. (2020, March 6). Using Screencast-O-Matic to Provide Video Feedback. [YouTube video]. Available from https://youtu.be/Le_ek1aRjdw

Screencast-O-Matic (2019). Screencast-O-Matic: Video Creation for Everyone. [Web page]. Available from https://screencast-o-matic.com/

Stannard, R. (2018, August 10). Using technology to improve the way we give feedback to students. [YouTube video]. Available from https://youtu.be/YMpcawBR5uk

Technology for Teachers and Students (2016, December 26). Screencast-O-Matic Tutorial - FREE Screen Recording Tool. [YouTube video]. Available from https://youtu.be/s1jIPo1bWCo

West, J., & Taylor, W. (2015). Enhancing the assessment experience: improving student perceptions, engagement and understanding using online video feedback. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 53(4), 400-410. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2014.1003954