The use of technology for feedback and development

Dr Christopher Stone, UCLDavid Wolfenden, NHS

Out with the old …?

• Feedback - efficiency vs effectiveness

Price et al (2010: 285):

the relationship between student and assessor is at the heart of a successful feedback process.

• Text based feedback can now include track changes and comments

• Other digital formats allow for integrated feedback

Training interpreters

Ko (2006: 68):

Interpreting is a dynamic communication process (e.g. Gentile et al. 1996; Hatim & Mason 1997; Wadensjö 1998; Roy 2000) that involves both verbal and visual interaction between the interpreter and the speaker(s) and requires a command of linguistic, paralinguistic and interpersonal communication skills on the part of the interpreter.

Training interpreters

• Interpreter trainer intend students:

• To understand their choices within an interactive environment

• To reflect on their language use

• To reflect on their body language

• To reflect on interactional cues

Self-directed learning

Ficchi (1999: 207):

while at school, their learning process is monitored and guided by teachers, at home, learners need feed-back resources.

•Digital resources can be used to provide feedback within multimedia environments to support self-directed learning and continuous professional development.

Class work feedback

• Interpreter training involves a variety of teaching techniques:

• Lecturing

• Discussion

• Interpreting pre-recorded work

• Interpreting live role-plays

• Interpreting live monologues

Giving Student feedbackiMovie editing

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Self-directed learning

• Interpreter trainers also want to develop autonomy

Ficchi (1999: 204-5)

the viewpoint of learners has to be given due consideration … who can, depending on his/her own needs and experiences, develop the system that best applies to his/her personality … learning from their mistakes, needs and experience, thus gaining increasing motivation and self-monitoring skills.

Student annotationUsing iMovie and subtitle feature

Student annotationUsing ELAN

Professional development

• Interpreters in practice need differ types of feedback from interpreters in training

• Currently reflective practice is a norm within sign language interpreting

• Peer reflection is becoming more common

• Digital tools can be used in a variety of ways to develop in practice

Professional development

• Currently professional development falls into several categories of action:

• Mentoring, Supervision

• Diagnostic Assessment/Review

• Peer support/supervision

• Training, webinars, etc.

Professional development

• Digital technologies can allow for sharing of work and peer discussion akin to ‘case conferencing’, facilitating peer supervision and enabling engagement with actual practice by:

• Recording work

• Sharing work

• Analysing work and identifying areas for improvement

• Facilitating remote discussion

Recording workFlipCam, Pocket DVCam etc.

Sharing workUse of dropbox

Remote mentoringPeer group mentoring - two sites

Remote mentoringPeer group mentoring - two sites

Remote mentoringPeer group mentoring - three sites

Realistic use of technology

• Limitations of freeware

• Limitations of bandwidth

• Mentoring on technology vs mentoring on topic

• Screen sharing and file sharing - asynchronous and synchronous

Feedback from participants

• Need for clear agenda

• Rules of communications

• Promptness (GMT vs EST)

• Chairing of sessions

• Cutting your losses - dropping the video

References:

•Ficchi, V. (1999) Learning consecutive interpretation. Interpreting 4, 2, 199-218.

•Ko, L. (2006) Teaching interpreting by distance mode. Interpreting 8, 1, 76-96.

•Price, M., Handley, K., Millar, J., and O’Donovan, B. (2010) Feedback: all that effort, but what is the effect? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 35, 3, 277-289.

The use of technology for feedback and development

Dr Christopher Stone, UCLDavid Wolfenden, NHS