Advantages
Extends learning beyond the classroom (into the digital space) in a way that caters to student flexibility and provides ongoing, personalised interactions between students and teachers. Students are able to work and learn independently and generate original ideas, thus fostering Independence and creativity (a key UQ graduate attribute). This task can be usefully applied to all HaSS courses, especially those that focus on spoken language proficiency (in LOTE courses), as well as those that engage unique and discipline specific professional dialogues.
Challenges
This can be a time intensive task for staff who may have to listen to each student sound-file several times in order to mark equitably and provide detailed, personalised feedback – however the pedagogical benefits of this task warrant the demanding time requirements
Tips for implementation
It is useful to provide scaffolding measures to initially familiarise students with the task - explain the task in class during week 1, reward students who attempt the task in week two (regardless of proficiency), and grade students according to the established criteria from week three onwards.
How it supports academic integrity
Through in-class and weekly sound-file activities, staff become familiar with students' voices – effectively reducing the risk of outsourcing this assessment. Students are also encouraged to discuss their own lived experiences, which may encourage them to produce original responses to prompts.