Student-Created Podcasts As An Innovative Approach to Assessments

Typically, podcasts have been used to deliver instructor-created lectures or supplemental course content. Podcasts are audio files that are made available publicly or privately for listening via streaming or download through a range of devices such as laptops and cell phones. This article provides examples of assignments that ask students to produce podcasts as an alternative to traditional assignments.

As a pivot to online teaching during COVID-19, Halabi (2021) described how a student-produced podcast assessment substituted for the final examination in an MBA accounting course. Students were tasked with interviewing a small business owner, entrepreneur, or start-up to create a podcast to help teach or illustrate an accounting concept learned throughout the course. The instructor provided two options for creating the podcast: Kaltura Capture software (supported by the university) and Audacity (not supported by the university). Students also received detailed instructions and requirements of the assessment, a grading rubric, and previous student examples. In addition to creating and submitting the podcast, students created and submitted a one-page description or summary of the podcast. Based on reflections from the instructor and students, the student-produced podcasts provided an efficient learning experience that connected theory to practice while serving as an authentic assessment. Although the traditional accounting assessment was changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, podcast assignments have ongoing applicability as authentic assessments in future semesters, even for other disciplines.

Using the SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition) model, Hitchcock, Sage, Lynch, and Sage (2021), redefined a traditional social work research paper to incorporate a podcast interview. The four social work instructors collaborated to develop, implement, and evaluate a podcast assignment in different sections of practice and policy courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  This case study evaluated how podcasting technology contributed to building social work skills in the classroom. It addressed two research questions:

• Can a digital podcast assignment contribute to social work learning outcomes?
• Do students perceive the digital podcast assignment to be as effective as traditional assignments in achieving social work learning outcomes?

Students were asked to create a podcast, 15-20 minutes in length, using an interview or discussion approach, on a topic relevant to the course. The creation process started with a written plan and an interview guide, included a written transcript, and ended with a reflection. Students exchanged their podcasts with each other and provided feedback using the assignment rubric as a guide. Instructors also provided feedback to the students using the same rubric. The instructors found that the podcast assignments contributed to social work learning outcomes and enhanced student learning. Overall, students felt that the podcast assignment was better than traditional classroom assignments, such as writing a paper or completing a PowerPoint presentation.

In summary, podcasting in education is a great way to enhance the learning experience for students. One way to implement podcasts in a course is to modify an existing assessment, wherein students use the audio format of the medium in place of a written paper or presentation. Podcasts expose students to opportunities to use technology and show what they know differently from traditional assignments.

References

Halabi, A. K. (2021). Pivoting authentic assessment to an accounting podcast during COVID-19. Accounting Research Journal, 34(2), 156–168. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARJ-08-2020-0219

Hitchcock, L. I., Sage, T., Lynch, M., & Sage, M. (2021). Podcasting as a Pedagogical Tool for Experiential Learning in Social Work Education. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 41(2), 172–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2021.1897923

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Cite this blog: Washington, G. (2022, December 31). Student-created podcasts as an innovative approach to assessments [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://pedagogybeforetechnology.blogspot.com/

Photo by Jonathan Velasquez on Unsplash _________________________________________________________________________

Next Blog Article: January 31, 2023

Student-Student Interaction

Student-student interaction is a vital part of any student learning experience whether face-to-face, blended/hybrid, or online. With the increasing use of online course delivery in higher education, this is a perfect time to discuss student-student interaction. According to research, the more that students interact with each other through engagement opportunities fostered by the instructor, the more they get to know and learn from each other.

In a recent case study, Amrullah and Zahratun (2022) explored how students interact with each other in online learning environments. The study was situated in a public university in Indonesia with students participating in the Teaching English for Young Learners online course.  The lecturer designed the course to promote student-student interactions. Students participated in real-time virtual discussions as synchronous meetings to discuss, exchange their ideas, and interact with each other.  The lecturer provided new insight and skills to the students through posted materials. Students engaged in WhatsApp groups and used Moodle as an asynchronous platform to discuss course materials and collaborate on group projects. Students had opportunities to learn from each other, the content, and the lecturer. During assigned synchronous meetings, one group served as the expert for a particular topic. The lecturer encouraged the other groups to raise questions and discuss authentic cases with the expert group. In this sense, the lecturer played “a pivotal role in facilitating students to have effective interactions by providing various activities, prepared materials, and support” (p. 37).

Likewise, Morrison (2021) found that student-student interaction in online courses led to greater student success in overcoming barriers and challenges to online learning. Morrison removed and replaced all quizzes with discussion boards in online courses. Students discussed real-world situations to stimulate authentic and creative social interactions to learn from each other. The credit per discussion board was broken into two parts with the initial response worth 15 points and the response to peers worth 5 points. The module topics were incorporated into the discussion board. Morrison discovered that students preferred the discussion boards to the quizzes and developed a greater sense of an inclusive academic community. In addition, in the public organization course, students worked in groups to create a public sector organization based on the topics covered in the course. For the final assignment, student groups presented their project via video. Real-world application through discussion boards and group projects enhanced the students’ subject mastery and critical thinking skills.

In summary, one way to increase student engagement is through student-student interaction. As educators, you can create opportunities for students to engage with other students. As you explore new possibilities, ask yourself these questions: How can I provide opportunities for students to get to know their classmates throughout the semester or year and not just on day one? How can I create opportunities for student-student interaction through activities, assignments, and instructional materials? What technology will I use, such as discussions in a learning management system, VoiceThread, Flip (previously FlipGrid), or Padlet?

References

Amrullah, & Zahratun N. (2022). Student-student interaction in an online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. Journal of Applied Studies in Language, 6(1), 37–45. https://doi.org/10.31940/jasl.v6i1.446

Morrison, J. S. (2021). Getting to Know You: Student-Faculty Interaction and Student Engagement in Online Courses. Journal of Higher Education Theory & Practice, 21(12), 38–44. https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v21i12.4697

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Cite this blog: Washington, G. (2022, August 31). Student-student interaction [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://pedagogybeforetechnology.blogspot.com/

Photo by Maya Maceka on Unsplash

Blogs As Academic Writing Assignments

Blogs have evolved as effective digital platforms for student learning and assessment. Blogs can provide a balance between formal written assignments and the freedom of expression through personal writing. Research on the use of blogs in education suggests that students who blog as part of a course requirement demonstrate increased course-related knowledge and experience opportunities for engagement and self-reflection. This article discusses two uses of blogs as assignments for students along with tips for using blogs in educational settings.

In a qualitative study, researchers examined senior undergraduate students’ use of a project-related blog on a curriculum-assessment alignment project completed as a co-op work placement. The students used blog posts to guide the co-op project and to engage in learning and reflection. The researchers found that “students used the blog extensively, to communicate with their faculty supervisor and with one another, to brainstorm solutions to problems, to record notes, and to critique existing learning outcomes and the literature” (Worthington et al., 2018, p. 125). The blog served as documentation of the project from beginning to end. Students wrote about the pedagogy of curriculum mapping and recorded team decisions about the mapping process. Also, students used the blog to describe challenges faced on the job and to reflect on how the knowledge they gained applied to other areas of their lives.

Another use of blogs was in a literacy course for preservice teachers. As students, the preservice teachers created reflective blogs to demonstrate their knowledge of concepts taught by their instructor. Four blog assignments with instructor-created prompts replaced a traditional reflection paper. Literacy blog topics aligned with the course learning outcomes related to reading, writing, lesson planning, and differentiation. Students used materials and resources shared by the instructor, class discussions, and their research to write blog posts. The blog format supported preservice teachers in developing their teaching philosophies and professional identities (Childs, 2021).

Here are some tips for incorporating blog assignments into your course.

• Align the blog assignment with at least one of the course learning outcomes.
• Define the focus of the blog and maintain a consistent schedule of posting.
• Define the criteria for assessing the blog and share it with students ahead of time.
• Discuss plagiarism and use it as a teaching moment (e.g. Post copyright-free images and cite the source.)
• Choose a platform (e.g., WordPress, Google Sites, Blogger, Edublogs) where students can build their blogs.

Think about how you can implement blogging to promote learning and reflection in your discipline and educational setting.

References

Childs, K. (2021). Let’s blog about it: Capturing preservice teachers’ thoughts about literacy education. Texas Association for Literacy Education Yearbook, 8, 26–31.

Worthington, P., Reniers, J., Lackeyram, D., & Dawson, J. (2018). Using a Project Blog to Promote Student Learning and Reflection. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 48(3), 125–140.

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Cite this blog: Washington, G. (2022, April 30). Blogs As Academic Writing Assignments [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://pedagogybeforetechnology.blogspot.com/

Image from Pixabay

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Next Blog Article: August 31, 2022

Using Social Annotation Tools for Collaborative Learning

As educators embraced returning to the face-to-face classroom with the uncertainty of COVID, technology played a vital role in supporting teaching and learning.  Online social annotation tools (SA), such as Perusall (https://perusall.com/) and Hypothesis (https://web.hypothes.is/) helped educators address the challenge of keeping students distanced while collaborating. This article captured experiences and reflections as discussed in the literature related to SA tools.

Social Annotation Tools

Online social annotation tools are digital platforms for making annotations on digital content and shared with a group or community through the internet (Marissa, 2021). Social annotation tools are used in a variety of disciplines to facilitate learning. Kalir and Garcia (2019) identified five common underlying purposes of annotation, namely, “to provide information, to share commentary, to spark conversation, to express power, and to aid learning” (p. 6). Hypothesis and Perusall are two SA platforms known to promote the use of active reading strategies and interactions between course content and students.

Hypothesis

The SA tool, Hypothesis, is a free Google Chrome extension or proxy bookmarklet for other browsers. Marissa (2021) explored the usefulness of the Hypothesis platform for facilitating student learning in a Content-Based Instruction (CBI) classroom. Tedick and Cammarata (2012) defined the CBI pedagogical approach of teaching language as “a curricular and instructional approach in which nonlinguistic content is taught to students through the medium of a language that they are learning as a second, heritage, indigenous, or foreign language” (p. 28).

Through the online social annotation tool, Hypothesis, first-year undergraduate students worked collaboratively on assigned reading documents in a 13-week intensive writing course covering the topic of neoliberalism. Students came from a range of disciplines from the arts and social sciences to engineering. Students worked in groups and responded to questions based on the assigned readings using the Hypothesis platform. Students also had the option to make individual annotations. The groups shared their annotations with other groups who made comments on the annotations with questions or comments of their own.

The study’s findings showed that students learned through collaborative peer learning and active engagement using the Hypothesis platform. The SA tool also helped students manage the academic content used in a CBI classroom. The effective application of Hypothesis supported a positive user experience of the platform.

Perusall

On the other hand, Nel and Marais (2021) used Perusall in a teaching practicum course as an innovative reaction to the challenges posed by COVID-19. Perusall is an online, social annotation platform that was originally designed to promote “high pre-class reading compliance, engagement, and conceptual understanding” (Miller et al., 2018, p. 3). The platform handles different material types, including documents in PDF, e-book format, Word documents, Excel documents, snapshots of web pages, videos, and podcasts. Perusall was designed to be collaborative.

In an exploratory case study, the authors provided an overview of student teachers’ perspectives on the innovative use of Perusall during the “learning from practice” component of a teaching practicum (p. 410).  Student teachers, mentor teachers, and teacher educators (course instructors) engaged “in a learning cycle focused on core teaching practices (e.g., explaining/modeling content). As a SA tool, Perusall provided a platform for collaboration and feedback. Teacher educators created reading and video assignments in Perusall. The student teachers asynchronously annotated the assigned reading or video by posting replies to comments or questions. The teacher educators and mentor teachers contributed to conversations asynchronously by providing feedback on comments or questions made by the student teachers.

The study results indicated that student teachers, teacher educators, and mentor teachers actively engaged with “constructive dialogic feedback that assisted student teachers to make crucial adjustments to the core practice of explaining/modeling content” (p. 410).  Student teachers demonstrated their knowledge, understanding, and skill of a core teaching practice. Perusall provided the opportunity for timely and constructive feedback aimed at improving student teachers’ teaching practices.

Summary

In summary, the integration of SA tools into learning activities across a range of educational settings helped students engage constructively with course content. Both studies showed that SA tools displayed benefits in terms of enriching student interaction with the assigned readings, assigned videos, and their peers. Please share how you use social annotation tools for teaching and learning.

References

Kalir, J and Garcia, A. (2019). Chapter 1. In Annotation. https://mitpressonpubpub.mitpress.mit.edu/

Marissa, K. L. E. (2021). Using an online social annotation tool in a content-based instruction (CBI) classroom. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 3(2), 5. https://doi.org/10.46451/ijts.2021.06.02

Miller, K., Lukoff, B., King, G. & Mazur, E. (2018). Use of a social annotation platform for preclass reading assignments in a flipped introductory Physics class. Frontiers in Education, 3(8):1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2018.00008

Nel, C., & Marais, E. (2021). Addressing the Wicked Problem of Feedback during the Teaching Practicum. Perspectives in Education, 39(1), 410–426. https://doi.org/10.18820/2519593X/pie.v39.i1.25

Tedick, D. J., & Cammarata, L. (2012). Content and language integration in K-12 contexts: Student outcomes, teacher practices, and stakeholder perspectives. Foreign Language Annals, 45(s1). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.2012.01178.x

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Cite this blog: Washington, G. (2022, January 31). Social Annotation Tools for Collaborative Learning  [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://pedagogybeforetechnology.blogspot.com/

Image from Pixabay