Sound and vision: evaluating the student experience of audio-visual feedback in higher education

Technology enhanced feedback methods such as video feedback are increasingly employed with a notable shift towards embracing remote means of communication during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Greater use of distance and electronic learning can result in a lack of personalisation which students find challenging. Feedback which uses the spoken word has been found to be more personalised and supportive, helping to establish connection and engagement with students. Mixed methods were used to collate student views on written, audio, and audio-visual feedback with a focus on the evaluation of video feedback. Focus groups, questionnaires, and course evaluations across multiple cohorts of students showed a strong preference for video feedback as comparatively more detailed, personalised, and supportive than purely written or purely audio feedback. This study adds to insights into the impact of video feedback on learner confidence and its potential to enhance learning in higher education. Developing and deploying video feedback is proposed as a strategy to enrich student support, offer greater personalisation, improve feedback engagement, and optimise learning.