Dr Susan Thorpe, Senior Lecturer
School of Psychology
Medical Sciences
What did you do?
Provided aural feedback via Blackboard.
Who is involved?
MSc students studying Psychology
How do you do it?
On Blackboard, after I wrote the in-text comments and completed the rubric for student’s 4000 word essays, I used to leave extensive open text comments too. This year I decided to record feedback instead. I thought about the main points I had raised in the text, included positive comments, and talked specifically about how the individual could improve future work by looking at particular highlighted issues. The length of feedback is dictated by Blackboard and the maximum is 3 minutes – I did not use up all the time on all occasions.
Why do you do it?
It works on several levels. It encourages a more reflective approach to giving feedback on the essay as a whole, rather than focusing on specific parts, because you can pause the recording to think. It is easy to do, and is quicker than typing. It made me feel more connected to the individuals too, though of course all work was anonymous.
Does it work?
The comments above demonstrate how valuable to students found the verbal feedback.
Contact Details
Dr Susan Thorpe, School of Psychology