Gladson Chikwa | Middle East College of Information Technology (original) (raw)

Papers by Gladson Chikwa

Research paper thumbnail of Active Learning in Higher Education 1 –13 Audio versus written feedback: Exploring learners' preference and the impact of feedback format on students' academic performance

Very little is known about the impact of the different types of feedback on students' academic pe... more Very little is known about the impact of the different types of feedback on students' academic performance. This article explores students' preference in the use of audio and written feedback and how each type of feedback received by students impacts their academic performance in subsequent assignments. The study involved 68 students who were divided into two groups that received either audio or written feedback in their first assignment which was then recalled and applied into the second assignment. An analysis of results obtained in the second assignment was conducted and comparisons made between students in the audio and written feedback group. Students were also surveyed using an online questionnaire to ascertain their perceptions about the type of feedback they had received. The study established that the type of feedback received did not impact students' grades in the subsequent assignment. In addition, while students were broadly positive about audio feedback, they indicated a strong preference for written feedback in future assignments. The study recommends, among other things, further investigation into the link between students' learning styles and their preferences for different types of feedback. Students' use and engagement with feedback In our effort to understand how students engage with and make use of the feedback they receive, there is a need to explore how students use audio and written feedback and how these impact their

Research paper thumbnail of Screencasts: How effective are they and how do students engage with them?

The use of screencasts as an instructional technology is increasing rapidly in higher education. ... more The use of screencasts as an instructional technology is increasing rapidly in higher education. While there appears to be a consensus around students' satisfaction with the provision of technology-enhanced tools, there is limited evidence revolving around their impact in terms of knowledge acquisition. Moreover, the reasons why students choose to engage (or not) with these resources remain largely unreported. The study assessed the effect of using screencasts on undergraduate students' understanding and engagement with learning material in one of their modules. Customised screencasts were used as optional additional learning and teaching resources. Grades obtained in a test module (with screencasts) and a control module (without screencasts) were compared to gauge the impact of screencasts on knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, the reasons for students' engagement (or lack thereof) with the screencasts were explored using questionnaires. A modest but significant impact of screencasts on knowledge acquisition was found, and students' perception of the screencasts was overwhelmingly positive. Students suggested that screencasts should be kept short to summarise lectures or delve in-depth into complex concepts but should not replace whole lectures. Reasons for not using screencasts revolved around a lack of understanding of what the resources were and also a reported lack of fit between the nature of the tool and self-assessed learning style.

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding how students process and use feedback to support their learning

This paper presents the results of a small-scale qualitative study conducted at a UK university i... more This paper presents the results of a small-scale qualitative study conducted at a UK university in which a sample of undergraduate students were asked to reflect on the (often subconscious) processes they use to engage with, act upon, store and recall feedback. Through the use of micro-blogging, weekly diaries and semi-structured interviews, the study found that students understand what feedback is and how it should be used. Students recognise the impact of technology in enhancing the feedback process, especially in supporting dialogue around feedback. However, the study highlighted that students often struggle to make connections between the feedback that they receive and future assignments, and it is recommended that further investigation is required into how tutors construct the feedback given and how students deconstruct that feedback, along with the role that technology might play in enabling students to make sense of all feedback that they receive.

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding student learning from feedback

blogs.shu.ac.uk

Sheffield Hallam University explored the subconscious processes that students use to engage with,... more Sheffield Hallam University explored the subconscious processes that students use to engage with, act upon, store and recall feedback, in order to inform and evaluate how technology can support deliberate actions as a result of receiving feedback. The study found that students understand what feedback is and how it should be used. However, the study highlighted that students often struggle to make connections between the feedback that they receive and future assignments, and further investigation into how tutors construct the feedback given and how students deconstruct that feedback would be beneficial to understanding how to encourage students to apply their feedback to future learning and assessments.

Research paper thumbnail of An investigation into the introduction and use of new technologies in secondary science teaching

Research paper thumbnail of ‘I did it my way’: voice, visuality and identity in doctoral students' reflexive videonarratives on their doctoral research journeys

International Journal of …, 2011

This paper presents accounts of four UK doctoral students' engagement in a Higher Education Acade... more This paper presents accounts of four UK doctoral students' engagement in a Higher Education Academy project which used digital video to promote reflexivity on their doctoral journeys. Proceeding from participants' accounts of the production of their videonarratives, the paper analyzes the relations between doctoral research, reflexivity and the use of digital video, and their articulation in different ways by the participants. As an 'assemblage', the written form of the paper aims to evoke both the collaborative design of the project, in that it is constructed as a multivocality, a series of 'plateaus' (Deleuze and Guattari 1987, 22), and also the multiple, shifting and always in-process nature of identity, immanent in each individual's account. The accounts address how epistemological, ontological and ethical considerations are articulated within visual and vocal re-presentations of the self in the individual videonarratives. Each narrative both does (and doesn't) resonate with the other narratives and each offers insights into the specificities of particular doctoral journeys. In experimenting with this form of presentation, we aim to bypass traditional accounts of research 'findings' as a form of transparent knowledge production and, instead, work within a mode of representation which seeks to acknowledge the 'masks of methodology' (Lather 2007, 119).

Research paper thumbnail of Active Learning in Higher Education 1 –13 Audio versus written feedback: Exploring learners' preference and the impact of feedback format on students' academic performance

Very little is known about the impact of the different types of feedback on students' academic pe... more Very little is known about the impact of the different types of feedback on students' academic performance. This article explores students' preference in the use of audio and written feedback and how each type of feedback received by students impacts their academic performance in subsequent assignments. The study involved 68 students who were divided into two groups that received either audio or written feedback in their first assignment which was then recalled and applied into the second assignment. An analysis of results obtained in the second assignment was conducted and comparisons made between students in the audio and written feedback group. Students were also surveyed using an online questionnaire to ascertain their perceptions about the type of feedback they had received. The study established that the type of feedback received did not impact students' grades in the subsequent assignment. In addition, while students were broadly positive about audio feedback, they indicated a strong preference for written feedback in future assignments. The study recommends, among other things, further investigation into the link between students' learning styles and their preferences for different types of feedback. Students' use and engagement with feedback In our effort to understand how students engage with and make use of the feedback they receive, there is a need to explore how students use audio and written feedback and how these impact their

Research paper thumbnail of Screencasts: How effective are they and how do students engage with them?

The use of screencasts as an instructional technology is increasing rapidly in higher education. ... more The use of screencasts as an instructional technology is increasing rapidly in higher education. While there appears to be a consensus around students' satisfaction with the provision of technology-enhanced tools, there is limited evidence revolving around their impact in terms of knowledge acquisition. Moreover, the reasons why students choose to engage (or not) with these resources remain largely unreported. The study assessed the effect of using screencasts on undergraduate students' understanding and engagement with learning material in one of their modules. Customised screencasts were used as optional additional learning and teaching resources. Grades obtained in a test module (with screencasts) and a control module (without screencasts) were compared to gauge the impact of screencasts on knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, the reasons for students' engagement (or lack thereof) with the screencasts were explored using questionnaires. A modest but significant impact of screencasts on knowledge acquisition was found, and students' perception of the screencasts was overwhelmingly positive. Students suggested that screencasts should be kept short to summarise lectures or delve in-depth into complex concepts but should not replace whole lectures. Reasons for not using screencasts revolved around a lack of understanding of what the resources were and also a reported lack of fit between the nature of the tool and self-assessed learning style.

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding how students process and use feedback to support their learning

This paper presents the results of a small-scale qualitative study conducted at a UK university i... more This paper presents the results of a small-scale qualitative study conducted at a UK university in which a sample of undergraduate students were asked to reflect on the (often subconscious) processes they use to engage with, act upon, store and recall feedback. Through the use of micro-blogging, weekly diaries and semi-structured interviews, the study found that students understand what feedback is and how it should be used. Students recognise the impact of technology in enhancing the feedback process, especially in supporting dialogue around feedback. However, the study highlighted that students often struggle to make connections between the feedback that they receive and future assignments, and it is recommended that further investigation is required into how tutors construct the feedback given and how students deconstruct that feedback, along with the role that technology might play in enabling students to make sense of all feedback that they receive.

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding student learning from feedback

blogs.shu.ac.uk

Sheffield Hallam University explored the subconscious processes that students use to engage with,... more Sheffield Hallam University explored the subconscious processes that students use to engage with, act upon, store and recall feedback, in order to inform and evaluate how technology can support deliberate actions as a result of receiving feedback. The study found that students understand what feedback is and how it should be used. However, the study highlighted that students often struggle to make connections between the feedback that they receive and future assignments, and further investigation into how tutors construct the feedback given and how students deconstruct that feedback would be beneficial to understanding how to encourage students to apply their feedback to future learning and assessments.

Research paper thumbnail of An investigation into the introduction and use of new technologies in secondary science teaching

Research paper thumbnail of ‘I did it my way’: voice, visuality and identity in doctoral students' reflexive videonarratives on their doctoral research journeys

International Journal of …, 2011

This paper presents accounts of four UK doctoral students' engagement in a Higher Education Acade... more This paper presents accounts of four UK doctoral students' engagement in a Higher Education Academy project which used digital video to promote reflexivity on their doctoral journeys. Proceeding from participants' accounts of the production of their videonarratives, the paper analyzes the relations between doctoral research, reflexivity and the use of digital video, and their articulation in different ways by the participants. As an 'assemblage', the written form of the paper aims to evoke both the collaborative design of the project, in that it is constructed as a multivocality, a series of 'plateaus' (Deleuze and Guattari 1987, 22), and also the multiple, shifting and always in-process nature of identity, immanent in each individual's account. The accounts address how epistemological, ontological and ethical considerations are articulated within visual and vocal re-presentations of the self in the individual videonarratives. Each narrative both does (and doesn't) resonate with the other narratives and each offers insights into the specificities of particular doctoral journeys. In experimenting with this form of presentation, we aim to bypass traditional accounts of research 'findings' as a form of transparent knowledge production and, instead, work within a mode of representation which seeks to acknowledge the 'masks of methodology' (Lather 2007, 119).