Academic literature on the topic 'Social sciences Podcasting'

This chapter examines online collaboration in a distributed e-learning environment. The authors describe the emerging technology of Web-based automated essay grading that provides extensive real-time data for monitoring and enhancing e-learning activities. They examine data from student use of this software service in a large introductory social science class. Using information routinely collected by the system, the authors find that students take advantage of this learning environment to revise and resubmit essays, dramatically improving their final grade by an average of 20% or two letter grades. They conclude the essential components of this learning environment that makes it so successful are its ability to provide detailed, personalized feedback to students immediately after they submit their work along with the opportunity to revise and resubmit. This transforms an automated assessment tool into a powerful collaborative learning environment. Instead of waiting days or weeks for instructor comments, that feedback is time-shifted to occur at the time it can be most effective for students. Changing the timing of feedback creates a powerful teachable moment when students have motivation, information, opportunity, and feedback. They are motivated to improve their grade, they are told what they did right or wrong while the relevant information is fresh in their minds, and they have the opportunity to revise and resubmit. The chapter ends with consideration of how those same elements can be, and sometimes already are, used in other instructional strategies such as podcasting to create effective learning environments that take advantage of the teachable moment.