Abstract:

This presentation will discuss a professor's struggle to provide useful feedback in an online environment. The size of the school is important in this discussion. There are approximately 500 students enrolled in the evening division at the college and most of these students have been coached closely, in person, since the beginning of their enrollment. Since most are accustomed to "close and positive" interaction with faculty and advisors, it was a struggle to respond to student needs in an environment where gesture and emotion are often difficult to express.

The presentation will explain how the instructor ran into difficulty in giving feedback in traditional written form. Then, the presenter shall discuss the methods by which he implemented voice recordings to compensate for the lack of "impersonality" in the online environment. The presenter shall discuss the software programs used to capture the voice and the method used to deliver that feedback. A look toward future feedback systems will also be given. Student responses will be shared with the audience so as to give insight into how effective this technology is in assisting distance learning.

Keywords:

Voice feedback, audio recording software.