Sounds good to me: A qualitative study to explore the use of audio to potentiate the student feedback experience

The provision and uptake of feedback on academic performance is widely debated throughout higher education. Whilst many educators strive to provide students with suitable feedback on their academic work, it is often reported that the feedback is frequently not delivered in a prompt or detailed manner or is not acted upon by students. Traditionally feedback has been delivered in writing, and this study investigates the potential value of an alternative method by providing formative feedback using short audio clips.

The aim of the study was to determine baccalaureate student nurses' perceptions of the influence of audio feedback on the quality of their academic work.

This is a qualitative descriptive study conducted online to determine the perceived usefulness of formative feedback. A cohort of baccalaureate nursing students (n = 199) in one Higher Education Institution in the Republic of Ireland were offered audio and written feedback on an academic assignment. Following receipt of the feedback participants completed an anonymous online questionnaire exploring their perceptions of the usefulness of audio and written feedback. The questionnaire was analysed using a thematic analysis framework.

Thematic data analysis identified four themes: connectivity, engagement, enhanced understanding, and validation. Findings indicate that both audio and written feedback on academic work were perceived to be beneficial, however almost all of the students indicated an overwhelming preference for audio feedback. A sense of connectivity between the lecturer and the student, created through the provision of audio feedback, was the prevailing theme throughout the data. Written feedback conveyed the relevant information, but the audio feedback was more holistic and multi-dimensional and included an emotional and personal quality to which the students responded positively.

What has not been explicitly highlighted in earlier studies but is apparent in this study, is the centrality of this sense of connectivity as a motivator to student engagement with the feedback received. Students perceive that the engagement with the feedback enhances their understanding of how they might improve their academic writing. An enhanced link between the student and the academic institution during clinical placements, achieved by the audio feedback, was a welcome and unexpected finding beyond the aim of this study.