Improving remote CV feedback using screencasting

Screencasting can be used to create a recording of a computer screen together with audio commentary. It has been adopted in Higher Education to provide feedback (both summative and formative) on academic work

Using screencasting to provide feedback is associated with a number of potential benefits for both the practitioner and the recipient of the feedback:

• a reduction in the time taken to produce feedback
• an increase in the quality of the feedback given.

The feedback is perceived to be:

• more personal in nature
• of greater depth
• leads to a deeper level of understanding.

In this HECSU-funded research project, the researchers investigated using screencasting to provide formative feedback on the CVs of Keele University students and graduates.

Key findings

This study found that there are real benefits to using screencasting as a medium for providing remote feedback on students' and graduates' CVs:

• 97.8% of recipients stated they liked this form of feedback
• 93.5% agreed that screencasting had aided their understanding of the feedback given
• 91.3% noted that there was more depth to the feedback than expected
• 91.3% believed that screencasting provided feedback which was more personal than other forms might have been
• Finally, 95.7% reported that they would prefer feedback in screencasting format in the future.

Comments included:

• Screencasting meant that I could actually see my own CV and know that the feedback being given was specific to me rather than just generic comments.'
• 'I did not expect that I would be gaining the sheer amount of feedback that I did.'

In order to examine the impact of screencasting, participants were encouraged to resubmit CVs after they had acted upon feedback. A CV rubric was designed to assess the resulting learning gain. Across all four dimensions examined, the re-submitted CVs had higher total rubric scores than the original versions, as follows:

• content (scores increased by 29.8%)
• structure (increased by 21.4%)
• linguistic quality (increased by 16.8%)
• presentation (increased by 11.6%).

Careers professionals taking part in the project reported a mixed response to using screencasting, which may reflect differences in preferred working styles and familiarity with screencasting technology.

As a result of this study, several careers professionals have continued providing remote feedback via screencasting. It is hoped that careers professionals at other institutions will consider adopting this technology; the report includes recommendations to enable others to learn from the researchers' experiences.

About the report

This HECSU funded report aims to understand how screencasting can be used to improve remove CV feedback. The research was conducted and reported by Ben Simkins and Keren Coney, careers advisers at Keele University.

Abstract

What is screencasting?

Screencasting is a form of instructional technology that can be used by an individual to create a recording of their actions on a computer screen together with an audio commentary. It has a number of potential uses and has been adopted in higher education to provide feedback (both summative and formative) on academic work.

Its key benefits are:

• more efficient in terms of time taken to produce the same amount of feedback
• increased student/graduate understanding of feedback given
• more personal form of receiving feedback
• moves focus of feedback to that enabling deeper learning.

In a HECSU-funded research project, the researchers investigated using screencasting to provide formative feedback on the CVs of Keele University students and graduates.

Why use screencasting for remote guidance on CVs?

Most (if not all) individuals are required to create a CV during their time at university, or after graduation, in order to be successful in applying for a job or postgraduate course. Many students and graduates seek help from their university careers service to create their CV and while some seek this help face-to-face, others ask for guidance via email.

It can be a challenge for careers professionals to provide clear guidance remotely; it is sometimes wondered if individuals fully understand the points being made and inserting comments in a document can be time-consuming. The researchers felt that screencasting software might address these challenges by allowing the individual to hear an audio recording of the careers professional, while watching the visual recording of that professional highlighting certain parts of their CV on the screen.

Findings

This study found that there are real benefits to using screencasting as a medium for providing remote feedback on students’ and graduates’ CVs:

• 97.8% of recipients stated they liked this form of feedback.
• 93.5% agreed that screencasting had aided their understanding of the feedback given.
• 91.3% noted that there was more depth to the feedback than expected.
• 91.3% believed that screencasting provided feedback which was more personal than other forms might have been.
• Finally, 95.7% reported that they would prefer feedback in screencasting format in the future.

This study found that there are real benefits to using screencasting as a medium for providing remote feedback on students' and graduates' CVs:

Comments included:

• 'All of the points were verbally explained and well evidenced, watching them work through it also helped to understand any issues from a recruiter's perspective.'
• 'Screencasting meant that I could actually see my own CV and know that the feedback being given was specific to me rather than just generic comments.'
• 'I did not expect that I would be gaining the sheer amount of feedback that I did.'

Deeper impact

In order to examine a deeper level of impact, participants were encouraged to resubmit CVs after they had acted upon the screencasting feedback. A CV rubric was designed to assess the resulting learning gain. Across all four dimensions examined, the re-submitted CVs had higher total rubric scores than the original versions, indicating that a deeper level of impact had occurred, as follows:

• content (scores increased by 29.8%)
• structure (increased by 21.4%)
• linguistic quality (increased by 16.8%)
• presentation (increased by 11.6%).

What are the implications of the study?

This study suggests that the benefits that have been associated with using screencasting to provide feedback on academic work can also be attributed to feedback on CVs. Participants not only confirmed the associated benefits but also indicated screencasting as their preferred method for receiving feedback.

It is recommended that screencasting should be considered as a valuable way to provide remote feedback on CVs and also other documents such as covering letters and personal statements.

Recommendations for career professionals

If you or your service are considering introducing screencasting, the following recommendations based upon our experience could be helpful:

• Screencasting may not be for everyone and it is important to consider individual differences in terms of preferred working styles and strengths of the careers professionals involved.
• Screencasting can be used to provide support with not just CVs but also covering letters, personal statements and in practice any written document.
• Consider the venue where screencasting recording will take place, choose somewhere with low background noise and no disturbances.
• Although cheap microphones can be purchased these can have poor sound quality. Invest in quality microphones.
• Training in screencasting can be particularly useful for individuals new to the technology and can have a positive impact on both the quality of recording and possibly the time taken.
• You can use screencasting to make feedback explicit (for example by using the cursor to point). In addition, you can take full advantage of the visual functionality by showing on the screen webpages, documents and other visual learning aids.
• Screencasts can be viewed in a flexible way and not just in one go. This means that the length of a screencast is less of a concern to recipients. We suggest feedback of up to 20 minutes.
• You could consider providing a written summary using bullet points to accompany the screencast, this could be helpful were feedback is particularly complex or many points are covered.
• If emailing the screencast link to students and graduates, consider including clear instructions guiding the viewer in how to access the screencast. Also consider including suggestions on ways to access the feedback, including: watching the screencast on a split screen with their CV open to make live revisions, pausing and rewinding as required, and storing feedback so they can refer to it again when using the CV to apply for a different purpose.