young man making a video

November 16, 2022, by Helen Whitehead

Using video for formative assessment

We have been seeing an increasing number of video assignments being used with students. Having students submit video has a number of advantages including: 

  • Can be used in the context of peer review.  
  • May be a more authentic method of assessment. 
  • Can be included in a career-facing e-portfolio. 
  • Many students really enjoy creating videos.

Video also lends itself to less-formal submissions so, potentially, video assignments can also be used formatively. It’s possible to monitor and support students’ development of skills and knowledge with low-stakes student video tasks.

Video can be particularly effective in demonstrating competency in practical skills, such as in healthcare, science or engineering, where it can be useful to replace or supplement a live session. Where skills practice takes place in smaller groups or situations away from the university, video can be useful to support feedback. Videos can also be helpful for self-reflection and to encourage students to develop their reflective practice.

How to set up video submissions

At the University of Nottingham, videos can be submitted via: 

  • Moodle Assignments – staff can view the videos and give feedback (and grade if required). 
  • Moodle Forums – useful for allowing both peer and tutor informal responses (turn them into a “vlog”). You can even have a sequence of video posts and responses. Videos in forums allow students to view each other’s videos. Example of a vlog in a Moodle forum [Moodle module: UoN only, login and self-enrol]

In both Assignments and Forums, videos are submitted via the MediaSpace button in the Atto Editor (rather than by uploading a video directly). How to add a Video or Audio Assignment 

Marking videos

When marking videos there are many different ways to give feedback: 

  • Text-based feedback – preferably time-coded to allow students to see where the comments are targeted. 
  • With a rubric covering elements such as concept/creativity,  content/organisation, messages/storyboard, delivery/narration, team involvement if appropriate, and, possibly, technical aspects and creativity.
  • Respond in kind with audio or video feedback. 

It’s even possible to gamify the task by offering prizes for, say, best live action intro sequence, best narrated Powerpoint, best animation, or even best blooper. 

Further information

Staff can find out more:

Support for students creating videos is available from Learning Technologies.  

Posted in E-assessmentLearning designMoodleStudent engagementVideo