Looking for a great way to get students to pay attention to the feedback you provide on assignments? Consider taking a multimedia approach. Instead of only writing or typing comments on student submissions, create a video file that shows your evaluation of their assignment as you discuss it with them.
One of the best programs for doing this is TechSmith’s Camtasia. Let’s say you’re grading a paper a student has submitted in Microsoft Word. With Camtasia, you can use video capture to record the document as you scroll through it, adding comments, highlighting relevant sections, and/or discussing various strengths and suggestions for improvement. You could also insert the comments ahead of time; then record your commentary. One study found that not only did students show improvement with multimedia feedback, but also that it was no more time-consuming than providing written feedback alone once the short learning curve for the software was completed (See Boone, J. & Carlson, S. “Paper Review Revolution: Screencasting Feedback for Developmental Writers.” NADE Digest, 5(3) Fall, 2011, pp. 15-23).
Multimedia feedback can also be made more interactive to ensure that students grasp the concepts you shared. For example, if you consult the list of Camtasia Studio features, for example, you’ll see that this software would allow teachers to quiz students electronically. They would then receive a spreadsheet of the results that could be sorted and recorded to track individual student progress. The quiz could be completed during or after class.
Within the classroom, an example of a student assignment could be shared in a personalized, dynamic format. Faculty could insert themselves into the video and animate comments and directions to keep students’ attention. Students could also be taught a variety of ways screen capture can help them succeed throughout school and even into their careers.