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Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology, Vol. 1, No. 1, June 2012, pp. 59 – 60. 

Record Your Way to Shorter Grading 
 

DeDe Wohlfarth1 and Nathanael Mitchell2 
 
Keywords:  assessment, skills-focused teaching, grading 
 
Framework 
 
One of the most effective strategies we found for teaching novice clinicians new, specific, skills 
is through observation of student role play and timely formative assessment of student practice. 
Many subjects require students to demonstrate competence in concrete behavioral skills, 
including nursing, teaching, physical and occupational therapy, psychology, and social work.   

When direct observation of such student skill development is not a viable option, the use 
of an inexpensive video camera can be a valuable tool for students to create video role plays and 
post them on the internet for instructor review.  Students can post their videos on You Tube and 
make the link to the video accessible only to the professor, or, if desired, students in the class 
providing peer review.  Because the video is now on the web available for review, the student no 
longer needs to turn in the video on expensive media (e.g., flash drive) or inexpensive media 
(DVD). 

Furthermore, instructors can use their own camera to record video formative feedback 
while watching student videos, allowing for copious amounts of useful feedback created in about 
half of the time it would take to write the same feedback.   
 
Making in Work 
 
This teaching strategy could be highly effective for any clinical disciplines where specific 
clinical skills need to be evaluated and mastered. We have used this technique in clinical 
psychology courses and in teaching courses; colleagues have utilized this technique in 
occupational therapy with great success. 

With changing technology, there are many inexpensive cameras that could be used to 
record videos.  While this could be seen as financial hardship for some students, we help manage 
this cost by: 1) explaining the need for a video recording device before entering our program; 2) 
using the device across several skills building courses; and 3) reminding students they can also 
use the device for fun, such as recording themselves doing super human tricks.  Additionally, 
many students opt to utilize their smart phones as recording devices and have found that the most 
sophisticated of these phones allows them to record and post digital videos.  And we have had no 

                                                
1 Professor and Director of Child, Adolescent, and Family Emphasis Area, Spalding University, dwohlfarth@spalding.edu  
2 Assistant Professor and Director of Health Psychology Emphasis Area, Spalding University, nmitchell01@spalding.edu 
 



Wohlfarth, D. and Mitchell, N. 

Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology, Vol. 1, No. 1, June 2012. 
jotlt.indiana.edu 

60 

difficulty convincing students that they might want to purchase top-of-the-line cell phones with 
remarkable technological advances! 

 
The majority of students who own video cameras have found them to be very user 

friendly.  Individuals with just a modicum of technological savvy (the authors of this tip fall into 
this category; one of us just barely so) will be able to record, save, upload, and share videos.  The 
advantage of video recording student feedback when grading is that, in addition to reducing 
feedback time for professors, students can understand the nuances and context of our comments 
when the comments are “live” compared to in writing.  The major disadvantage, ironically, is 
also an advantage.  If you grade at home, as we do, students may see a glimpse of you outside of 
the “ivory tower” as rambunctious children scream for you or pets run into the video frame.  
Students say they love this feedback because it makes their professors seem more human. 

 
Future Implications 
 
Students consistently provide feedback that creating video role plays improves their learning, 
especially in learning specific behavioral skills that are foundational to learn for success in their 
chosen field and difficult to learn via traditional pen-and-paper assessment measures.  On course 
evaluations, students have also noted that receiving timely, specific, constructive feedback on 
their developing skills is the single most helpful aspect of the course.  Additionally, rubrics are 
helpful and can be used in conjunction with the video feedback to provide written feedback on 
specific microskills (e.g. good eye contact—present or absent; open body language—yes or no).  
Finally, having students post their videos online instead of turning in several forms of media has 
decreased instructor stress about being responsible for possibly expensive student property (e.g., 
flash drives).   

While the use of the video camera is an easy tool for creating and sharing videos, it is not 
required for the creation of student video role play or instructor video feedback.  If a student 
turns in the video on a media source that is able to be modified or has the capacity for an 
additional video files to be added (e.g., flash drive, DVD-RW), the instructor can provide video 
feedback while observing the student video and then save the video feedback file to the student’s 
media. 

 

 


