Using Asynchronous Audio Feedback to Enhance Teaching Presence and Students’ Sense of Community

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a case study in which audio feedback replaced text-based feedback in asynchronous courses. Previous research has demonstrated that participants in online courses can build effective learning communities through text-based communication alone. Similarly, it has been demonstrated that instructors for online courses can adequately project immediacy behaviors using text-based communication. However, we believed that the inclusion of an auditory element might strengthen both the sense of community and the instructor’s ability to affect more personalized communication with students. Over the course of one semester, students in this study received a mixture of asynchronous audio and text-based feedback. Our findings revealed extremely high student satisfaction with embedded asynchronous audio feedback as compared to asynchronous text only feedback. Four themes, which accounted for this preference, were culled out in an iterative, inductive analysis of interview data: 1. Audio feedback was perceived to be more effective than text-based feedback for conveying nuance; 2. Audio feedback was associated with feelings of increased involvement and enhanced learning community interactions; 3. Audio feedback was associated with increased retention of content; and 4. Audio feedback was associated with the perception that the instructor cared more about the student. Document analysis revealed that students were three times more likely to apply content for which audio commenting wasprovided in class projects than was the case for content for which text-based commenting was provided. Audio commenting was also found to significantly increase the level at which students applied such content. Implications of this case study and directions for future research are addressed in the discussion and conclusions section of this paper.

An Exploration of the Relationship Between Indicators of the Community of Inquiry Framework and Retention in Online Programs

“…In work exploring the impact of technology on student satisfaction, the impact of rich media on student perceptions of increased social presence have been noted [38,39]. Future research should also explore the influence of media rich programs on retention.…”

Modes of feedback in ESL writing: Implications of shifting from text to screencast

“…Sommers, 2013;Warnock, 2008) and as offering more explanation (Elola & Oskoz, 2016;Thompson & Lee, 2012) and praise (Ali, 2016;Edwards et al, 2012;Elola & Oskoz, 2016). Also similar to audio feedback (Ice et al, 2007), students have perceived screencast feedback as being more caring, considerate, friendly, encouraging and supportive (Anson, forthcoming;Edwards et al, 2012;Ryan, Henderson, & Phillips, 2016;Thompson & Lee, 2012) than written. Given the potential demotivating factors in feedback, the promise of technology to mitigate negative effects and prompt positive reactions in this way is of importance to learning and teaching.…”

“…Students have noted issues with digital audio feedback, such as it being too fast or containing harsh or difficult-to-hear comments (Eckhouse & Carroll, 2013). In a study of audio feedback in an online teaching strategies course, Ice, Curtis, Phillips, and Wells (2007) found that audio feedback led to better content retention, student feelings of engagement and greater likelihood of application. However, researchers regularly note variation in results with ESL students and a need for further study with students from other cultures (Ice, Swan, Diaz, Kupczynski, & Swan-Dagen, 2010;Rodway-Dyer et al, 2011).…”

Connecting Those That Care

“…Therefore, as well as supporting talk and conversation, we need to support it in asynchronous ways. We might imagine ways of appropriating and extending technologies used to support asynchronous audio messaging in education [26,36], connect families over distance to receive messages at designated times [28] or recent work on connecting socially isolated elders with their remote families [3]. It is important, however, to considers ways for carers to navigate talk and to express themselves in ways that evoke conversational attributes (a common challenge with asynchronous audio communication [38]).…”