At TESOL 2015, I learned about digital tools for providing audio feedback on students' written assignments. (Click to read that post.) Audio feedback remains a hot topic -- the 2016 program book lists a number of sessions that explored this concept. I chose to attend Effectiveness of Audio Feedback for EFL Students in Online Courses.

Larisa Olesova of George Mason University (U.S.A.) and Natalya Alexeeva and Zarmena Emelyanova of North-Eastern Federal University (Russian Federation) discussed the results from a student survey. The presenters generously focused on what other teachers can learn from their findings.

1. Audio feedback has benefits.

  • Students who received and listened to audio feedback in an online course reported a sense of caring. In other words, they felt that the teacher genuinely cared about them and their work.
  • The presenters observed that  the teacher's intention via audio feedback was clearer, and the students' retention of the comments was greater.
  • Teacher presence was extended. Some students in the survey commented that they had a stronger feeling of involvement.

2. Audio feedback is beneficial in a student-friendly form.

  • Keep it short.
  • Target specific aspects.
  • Avoid idioms and other unfamiliar language.
  • Try to speak naturally and without a script.

3. Written feedback still has value.

  • The presenters advise that teachers start with text feedback and then begin to incorporate some audio feedback mid-semester.

The presenters mentioned Jing and Adobe Pro as possible tools for providing audio feedback.

Thank you to all three presenters for the informative session.