iGather: Learners as responsible audio collector of tutor, peer and self reflection

Feedback is frequently described as something that is done for the learner: feedback is 'given'. This paper describes how audio feedback can be designed as a device that facilitates personal and autonomous knowledge construction. The Student Audio Notes Project at Sheffield Hallam University encouraged students to use MP3 recorders to gather the comments, explanations and ideas of tutors and peers, and to also use audio as a channel for personal reflection. Students became responsible and active 'owners' of their audio data, and so were more likely to use it to feed forward, or affect, their learning. This paper draws upon student testimony from a year long project and reports on how the 52 student participants used their MP3 recorders to gather useful formal, informal and semi-formal voices. What did they decide would be useful? How did they work with the recordings? And could they have been guided further in iteratively reviewing their recordings? Those attending this short paper will be asked to help identify ideas for, and the implications of, encouraging the wider use of student collated audio feedback.