Headington, Rita and Ptashko, Peter (2011) Voxur: A new dimension on feedback? In: Redefining the Student Experience: directions for learning, teaching and assessment, 5 July 2011, University of Greenwich. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

In February 2011 student representative volunteers from the Student Union at the University of Greenwich (SUUG) led an awareness raising campaign called ‘Focus on Feedback’. The representatives engaged fellow students in discussion about their use of assessment feedback both in their own Schools and as they passed strategically placed stands at each of the three university campuses.

At the ‘Focus on Feedback’ stands the representatives encouraged use of the Educational Development Unit’s (EDU) Voxur unit for students to provide their views on the purpose and use of feedback. The self-managed unit is designed to capture short video clip vox-pop responses to questions posed via a pre-recorded talking head. In this context students were asked to respond to six key questions developed by SUUG/EDU to gain greater insight into National Student Survey outcomes which, both nationally and locally, have consistently proved weakest in respect of feedback. Forty students recorded video responses to the questions and these were analysed to identify emerging themes. This presentation reports on the use of the Voxur unit and emerging feedback themes.

The self-contained Voxur unit provided a useful, if costly, method for collecting vox-pop data. Its use in this study identified the value of immediate video-based surveys of student views by students as means of gaining greater understanding of their perspectives.

The students’ videoed comments afforded SUUG/EDU with additional awareness of the students’ viewpoints. They also raised questions about current practices. All students recognised the value of feedback to highlight strengths and weaknesses and to enable improvement. In line with Gibbs and Dunbar-Goddet’s (2007) work, this was most evident to students when inter-related assessment items were used across programmes of study. Students appreciated the benefit of peer discussion and feedback to supplement their interaction with tutors (as Falchikov, 2007). However, difficulties in forging relationships with markers, who were often unknown to them or appeared anonymous due to automated or electronic feedback systems, lessened the possibility of growth through dialogue; an aspect identified by Nicol (2010) as essential to effective practice.

The Voxur unit has provided a new dimension to our understanding of feedback and, although the findings from a small sample cannot be generalised, the vox pop approach has raised previously unconsidered questions about students’ perspectives which will now be considered when reviewing feedback practices.

Item Type:	Conference or Conference Paper (Paper)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	student experience, feedback and assessment
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Educational Development Unit
Related URLs:	Publisher
Last Modified:	01 Jun 2012 14:14
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/6707

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