Andrew Ferrier from the Faculty of Business used equipment provided by the 2013/14 Seed Fund round as part of an investigation into alternative methods of assessment.
The primary goal of assessment is to allow students to demonstrate the depth of subject knowledge that they have acquired. Andrew set out to discover whether students could demonstrate their knowledge of a subject by making their own podcasts.
In the following extract from Andrew’s own podcast about the project, the context and objectives are outlined:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/158113459″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]Greenwich Connect
Greenwich Connect provided access to 10 high quality digital audio recorders for student use. The students edited the audio for the final podcast using the free, open source, sound-editing program, Audacity. Access to training and support for Audacity is provided on the University’s Moodle site but Andrew also placed training materials directly into the students’ Moodle course where they could be easily accessible.
The Project
The students were asked to analyse a failing business and present their analysis in a podcast that could be shared with fellow students and discussed. For many of the students, this was an unusual challenge that required them to step outside of their comfort zone.
The students who made the podcasts were foundation year overseas students. All were from countries where English is not the first spoken language. The majority of students were from the Middle East, China and Africa.
Students generally find it easier to express themselves in a written presentation where they can take their time to edit and refine their work. For students whose first language is not English, an oral presentation in front of a tutorial group can be a nerve-wracking experience. Quite often these students do not have the confidence to express themselves orally in a foreign language in tutorial classes and unsurprisingly they sometimes fail to fully demonstrate their depth of knowledge due to language limitations.
Could the process of creating a podcast potentially allow these students to concentrate on their oral presentation within an environment where they felt more in control? In the following extract, students discuss the advantages of podcasting from their perspective as international students:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/158113839″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]
However, having accepted the challenge, the students found the experience to be rewarding on many levels, including deepening the learning experience, boosting self-confidence and promoting teamwork:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/158229684″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]Conclusions
Andrew will be presenting his findings at the APT Conference 2014 and he expects to be able to report measurable improvements in student engagement and satisfaction.
Widening the range of assessment methods has allowed the students in this project to develop and demonstrate a wider range of knowledge, skills and attributes than usual. They would very much like to repeat the experience.
This initiative will in due course be expanded to allow even more students to experience the benefits of demonstrating their subject knowledge via podcasting.
Resources
Here you can listen to the complete version of Andrew Ferrier’s podcast:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/158114048″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]Read Andrew Ferrier’s Podcast Report which outlines the project rationale and methodology in greater detail.
Audacity: Is free Open Source software that allows the user to make and edit audio recordings.