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Using audio and video for grading

Audio can be one of the most effective means of engaging students online.

Written feedback is important, but audio provides a more personal element. By adding your voice, you can reassure students about their work even as you critique and offer advice for improvement.

Most students appreciate the personal feel of an audio message. Some students listen to those recordings two or three times, taking notes and thinking through the advice.

Here are some options for using audio and video to give feedback:If

Blackboard

The option of providing audio and video feedback in Blackboard is relatively new. To use it, you must create an assignment within Blackboard. When you open an assignment has turned in, use the Feedback to Learner area. There you can provide written feedback or include audio or video, as well.

Audio recorder

You can easily record feedback for students with a digital recorder or your phone. Once you save an audio file (.mp3 and .wave are common formats), you upload it to Blackboard (in an assignment), email it directly to students, share it on Teams or OneNote, or send students a link from OneDrive.

OneNote

If you use OneNote in your classes, you can easily record audio or video directly into a OneNote page.

Screen recording

A screen recorder captures video of your computer screen, allowing you to scroll through a student's paper (or other work) and highlight areas as you speak to the student. Depending on the computer you use, this will require additional software like Techsmith Capture (free), Screencast-O-Matic (free with limited functionality), or Camtasia (about $150). Just keep in mind that KU IT does not support these tools, so you will have to figure them out on your own.

Tablet

Android tablets and iPads have many apps you can use to create audio or video feedback. For example, iAnnotate (about $10) allows you to highlight passages of a document, add written comments with a stylus, and add one-minute audio clips anywhere on a PDF. GoodReader, PDF Expert and other apps provide similar functions.