【Teaching Practice Report】

Using Learners’ Video Recordings for Skills Development andAssessments
Devon Arthurson
Abstract
Using students’ video recordings enables learners to develop their skills as well as gain more awareness of self- andpeer assessments in foreign language learning settings. Furthermore, with online tools that not only video record
but also allow for video sharing, there are numerous benefits for both students and teachers in comparison to
speaking assessments done in real time. In particular, learners have the opportunity to practice their speaking tasks
numerous times, review their performance, and select the ideal performance that they would like to submit forgrading. When assessing, students can rewatch their own and others’ performances numerous times, if necessary,with a decrease in the number of distractions that may occur with grading in the classroom. Learners can use their
video recordings for self-assessment and use multiple recordings from previous dates to reflect on the developmentof their skills. In addition, video sharing can allow students to peer assess. An activity using learners’ video
recordings in English debate classes will be shared. A discussion and adaptations of the activity for skills
development and learner-participatory assessments will also be explored.
Keywords: assessment, peer assessment, self assessment, video recordings, reflection journals

Introduction
In fall 2021, first-year students from three English debate classes were required to make videos
on an online video-recording and video-sharing tool, Flip (Microsoft, 2022), as part of their homework.
All three classes had TOEIC scores from 480 to 699, with two classes having in-person lessons andone class having online lessons. Students were also expected to compare their performance from aprevious lesson with a more recent one to reflect on their performance as well as complete two
reflection journals and two optional online surveys about viewing the videos and self- and peer
feedback. In the debate class, during debate tests, The instructor would assess and provide feedback,and students would share feedback of the classmates’ performances after the debates. The videorecording activity was created to help the students practice their debating skills, particularly
arguments and summaries. The current article builds on research already presented in Arthurson(2022). By taking a more pedagogical focus on implementation of the activity, it is hoped that thearticle might be of use to other practitioners interested in conducting a similar task. Furthermore,
based on the instructor’s comments using the rubric for each video submitted by students, it was
hoped that learners would become more familiar with performance expectations, enabling them toimprove their own performances through self assessing and to better understand how to give
feedback to their classmates when peer assessing.

Literature Review
Using student video recordings alongside self- and peer assessments has many advantages in
the language learning classroom with regard to learners’ increased usage of skills outside theclassroom, more control of output, reduction of stress, and a greater ease in assessments. Students
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can practice multiple times and determine which performance they decide to submit, giving them
control of their output (King’s College London, 2022). In contrast with real-time assessments, videos
allow for multiple viewings for assessments of speaking tasks. For students, this can better allow for
self- and peer assessments because if they are uncertain about how to grade, they can review thevideo again while confirming the scoring criteria. They can also watch the video again in case they
think they may have missed or not understood something. Furthermore, having students view theirown and peers’ performances on their own computers or devices may reduce the number of
distractions that can occur in the classroom.
In addition, many EFL students in countries where English is not the native language may havefew chances of speaking English when not in class (Göktürk, 2016, p. 72). Having students makevideos allows them to practice speaking skills wherever their chosen site of recording is and to use
English, or any other foreign language under study that is not spoken by the majority of the
population, multiple times. For grading, having student recorded videos lessens the stress that often
comes with being tested in front of the instructor and classmates versus a testing setting determinedby the students who use their devices (Sumardi, Adzima, & Wijaya, 2020, p.67). One point to notewhen using video recording of student performances is that some learners may not be comfortablewith video and prefer only their audio be recorded (King’s College London, 2022, para. 15).
Self- and peer assessments allow for students to have greater control over their learning, selfawareness, and reflection of their performances. By having students use grading rubrics inassessments, they can understand what is expected of them as they also use the rubric instead of
only the instructor, resulting in more autonomy of their learning (Benson, 2011; Sebba et al., 2008, p.
1). Students can also understand more concretely how their skills have developed or need to be
developed when using videos for self- and peer assessment (Qureshiet al., 2019; Sumardiet al., 2020;
Tailab & Marsh, 2020). According to a study by Cotter & Hinkelman (2019), students using theirown videos with student-led assessments, resulting in a better future output (p. 98). Students can also
use their videos as reflection tools (Sumardiet al., 2020, p.67). Accordingly, students can put theirperformances into the context of how the past performances shape their future performances. By
viewing their performances, the learners may also be more confident and potentially more motivatedabout the language under study (Göktürk, 2016, p. 87). If students have more responsibility overtheir learning by better understanding how they need to improve their skills, this could lead to agreater desire for life-long learning (Baleghizadeh & Masoun, 2013; Sebba et al., 2008, p. 5).
Christian, Hoskins, and Watanabe’s (2010) study of Japanese university students’ video
recordings with self- and peer assessment tasks proved that such activities can be effective in
improving learners’ speaking skills and providing them with more awareness of their performances.
Students would go to their instructors’ offices to record their videos using webcams and view them
there for the assessments (Christianson et al., 2010). However, changes in accessibility to technology
now allow students to choose when and where to record their performances, as most students haveaccess to a computer or device. Accordingly, using online tools to record and share videos seemed
an ideal way to also help students to self- and peer assess in EFL classes.

ProcedureVideo-making was part of the students’ homework tasks, with eight videos to be recorded witha video-recording and -sharing tool, Flip (Microsoft, 2022), during fall 2021’s 14-week semester.
Students also used a debate textbook, Up For Debate (Mishima et al., 2021), with the same rubric that
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the instructor used for assessments. The videos would be the basis for students’ debate practice,review of instructor feedback based on the rubric, familiarization with the rubric, self-assessments,
and peer assessment preparation. The steps students would follow for the activity will be outlined andthen followed by a more detailed explanation for each step. The outline is below:
1. Write their argument to the assignment proposition and position for weeks 1 to 6 and thedebate summary for weeks 10 and 11.
2. Record their argument on the online tool for weeks 1 to 6, 10, and 11.
3. Receive instructor feedback of the video based on the rubric via the private section commentsof the online tool for weeks 1 to 6, 10, and 11.
4. Compare week 2’s video with week 6’s video and then write about that process in a reflection
journal. See Appendix A. Then answer an online survey about self-assessing the debate skills.
See Appendix B.
5. Compare week 6’s video with week 11’s video and then write about that process in a reflection
journal. See Appendix C. Then answer an online survey about peer-assessing skills. See
Appendix D.

Step 1
To prepare students for the video recording, part of the homework task included a prompt in areflection journal requiring them to write an argument for the lesson’s proposition and position,
including the target language. This would enable the students to be ready for the recording,potentially lessening any anxiety, and to simulate what was required for the mid- and final-term
debates, which also used written arguments.

Step 2Using the prompt from the reflection journals, students used the video-recording and -sharing
tool. Students were given up to five minutes of recording time. The prompt for weeks 1 to 6 was asfollows:
Please use your Reflection Journal to help you. Use the proposition and position (affirmative/
negative) you were given in class. You can use your team’s arguments and sources. Write yourspeech with three points, each with a source. Include the summary. Also use Appendix A “Useful
Expressions for Debate Skills” on page 58.
The prompt for weeks 10 and 11 was as follows:
Please use your Reflection Journal to help you. Use the summary your team made in the lesson.
Remember to include your team’s three points, the other team’s points, the proposition, and yourteam’s position. Also use Appendix A “Useful Expressions for Debate Skills’’ on page 58.

Step 3
Before the next class, the instructor viewed the recordings and posted individual and private23

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comments to each student, using the rubric for the argument’s organization and quality. An exampleof the feedback for the argument speech is as follows:
Argumentation’s Organization: Good
Argumentation’s Quality: Supported all points using data and sources
Summary: Restate the points again
An example of the feedback for the final debate speech is as follows:
Well done! The summary had your team’s proposition, position, three points, and the other team’s
three points.
Students were expected to read their feedback before the next class. At the start of the class, theinstructor gave general feedback about the videos and commented on particular students who had
given good performances. During this time, students could also view their feedback.

Step 4Students were once again assigned the reflection journals for week 6; however, the prompts
were focused on the self-assessment process. See Appendix A. The survey questions were also
included in the week 6 reflection journal to prepare students for the online survey. The link to theonline survey was shared during week 6 and given time at the start of week 7’s class. Students wereasked to compare week 2’s video with week 6 ‘s video. Then they were asked to answer an optional
online survey about the self-assessing debate skills such as the level of difficulty assessing theirargument’s strength. See Appendix B. Students were also asked if watching their videos assisted withassessment.

Step 5This step followed a similar process to step 4, with a reflection journal for week 11 having
prompts focusing on the peer-assessment process. See Appendix C. Furthermore, the second online
survey’s link was shared during week 11, and time was given at the start of week 12’s class. See
Appendix D. The videos to be compared were week 6’s video and week 11’s video. This survey’s
question focused on peer assessment.

Discussion
The activity was crafted to help the students develop their debate skills and assessment abilities.
In general, most of the students completed the video activity. This means that they practiced theirarguments at least once outside of the classroom, developing their debate skills. Furthermore, somestudents may have had multiple attempts at recording their arguments before posting their final
submissions, resulting in more practice of their skills. On the whole, most students completed thevideos, though as the semester progressed, the number decreased. The quality of the submissions
was quite good, with students completing the requirements of the rubric.
The rubric was often referred to in the class, and the applicable parts were used as the24USING LEARNERSʼ VIDEO RECORDINGS FOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENTS

instructor’s comments on the online tool to give individual feedback. Furthermore, the instructor
had occasionally referenced those students demonstrating good performances in their videos at thestart of the lesson in classes following the video homework task. It was expected that students could
have a better understanding of the rubric based on this. Furthermore, it was hoped that the surveys
and reflection journals would provide the instructor with more feedback about the effectiveness ofthe videos for self- and peer assessing. It did provide some information as some students felt thatassessing was not difficult, yet many felt that they lacked the confidence to correctly assess.
It appeared that during the peer-feedback sessions after the mid- and final-term debates, thestudents were comfortable assessing their classmates using the rubric when presenting their
feedback to the class. Through the surveys and reflection journals about assessments, many students
felt using videos was a helpful tool in assessment. The reflection journals, Appendix A and C, wereused to prepare students for the two surveys. The surveys, Appendix B and D, were used to get thestudents to compare their performances and elicit feedback for the instructor about how they viewed
self- and peer assessments using the rubric. There were some issues about receiving duplicate andcontradictory responses using the online surveys, in addition to getting students to submit both thesurveys. It should be noted that students’ consent was gained for the surveys as part of anotherresearch project, but the journals were not part of that project, so the instructor had no permission
to share journals’ contents. These surveys were optional tasks. Consequently, this resulted in 20% of
students completing the homework tasks for the required videos to be previewed and correctly
submitting both surveys. Nevertheless, a portion of the students’ survey responses will be sharedbelow, focusing on videos in relation to self- and peer assessment.
From Survey 1’s Question 5, “Did watching the two videos help you to learn how to judge yourperformance?” Responses are with 7 answering agree, 5 answering not sure, and 1 answering
disagree. The responses to the optional prompt are as follows:
Agree because comparing the two videos helped me learn how to judge because of the differences.
Agree because I saw obvious change[s] in two videos. Two videos have a big difference[s].
From Survey 2’s Question 5, “Do you think watching your own video helps you to judge otherstudents’ performances?” Responses with 7 answering agree, 4 answering not sure, and 2 answering
disagree. The response to the optional prompt is as follows:
Agree because I can find the difference.
There are limitations, such as with students not completing homework or reading their feedback
or using the video-sharing component of the online tool. If students did not do their homework, they
did not perform video recordings. Though students received written feedback on their videos, it isdifficult to determine if the written feedback was read on the video-making and -sharing tool by thestudents and if they viewed their videos again to better understand the feedback. During the mid- andfinal-term test peer-feedback activities, students directly referenced the rubric in class, and at thattime, the instructor also gave oral feedback on how well they assessed their peers. Students wererequired to take notes when judging, so they could give more accurate feedback, but the instructor
did not check or give formal feedback on their notes. Doing this may have helped the learners gain
more awareness into expectations about giving feedback, consequently helping them to gain more
confidence. Furthermore, having students view their classmates’ videos on the online tool would also25

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be helpful so that they might understand how their feedback compares with those of the instructors.
This would give students more awareness of how to assess, especially during the mid- and final-term
debates.

Adaptations
The activity was created for a debate class, but it could be adapted for any class that uses
speaking skills such as presentation or discussion classes. Steps 1 to 3 would be most applicable forvideo recordings and assessment, as any speaking task could be assigned alongside the appropriate
rubric. The benefits of using the video recordings such as awareness of skills, potential improvementof future output, and a source of reflection will still occur (Cotter & Hinkelman; 2019, p. 98; Qureshi
et al., 2019; Sumardiet al., 2020; Tailab & Marsh, 2020). Steps 4 to 5 could be changed from a survey
or reflection journal to pair or group discussions or even a student video recording for the instructor
to gain more understanding of how students perceive assessing. Though these two steps could also
be omitted, it is useful to know how students feel about the difficulty of assessing and the usefulnessof video recordings so that appropriate support might be given by the instructor. Therefore, it isrecommended that the journal prompts and survey questions from the appendices be shared withstudents and altered based on the students’ needs.
For those instructors interested in having their students video record to aid in self- and peer
assessments, they can model an ideal performance in a video. Showing it in the classroom could be
more practical and beneficial than the aforementioned actions. This video could also be used as a
discussion point that could aid learners in reflecting on their own performance regarding what they
achieved and still need to achieve pertaining to their skills. Using students’ recordings for others topeer-assess would also be useful. Students could compare their comments about their peer’s
performances with their instructor’s to see how their assessing skills are. In addition, checking
students’ assessment notes of this practice activity would also be beneficial. Moreover, instead ofsurveys or reflection journals to gain students feedback about assessing, in-class discussion where
the instructor would determine the areas of uncertainty based on students’ comments and addressthese to the class could be more appropriate. Such modifications may give students more guidance
in developing assessment skills.

Conclusion
Using students’ video recordings with self- and peer assessments can be an activity for more
concrete awareness of their skills usage, points of improvement for future performances, areas for
growth, and even practices to develop life-long learning through more participation and control intheir learning. The activity in the debate class required students to record a performing video on an
online tool, most often presenting an argument and sometimes giving a summary of their debate.
Students were then given private written feedback so that they could understand how they use therubric when they self-assessed and peer-assessed. An area of concern was that many students wereuncertain if they were assessing correctly, so in the future, it is important to give students more
examples of how to assess using the video and the rubric. Other speaking classes may also benefit
from this activity, which aids in students practicing speaking the foreign language outside theclassroom, seeing how their skills are developing, and better understanding how to assess by using
videos as a practice for real-time assessments.
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References
Arthurson, D. (2022). Learners’ perspectives of using their video recordings to aid in performing
assessments. Journal of Foreign Language Education and Research, 3, 154-59. ISSN 2436-0325.
Baleghizadeh, S. & Masoun A. (2013). The effect of self-assessment on EFL learners’ self-efficacy.
TESL Canada Journal /Revue TESL Du Canada (31), 1, 42-58. https://teslcanadajournal.ca/
index.php/tesl/article/view/1166/986
Benson, P. (2011). Teaching and researching autonomy (2nd ed.). Pearson Education Limited.
Christianson, M., Hoskins, C., & Watanabe, A. (2010). Evaluating the effectiveness of a videorecording based self-assessment system for academic speaking. Language Research Bulletin,
24, 1-15. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234717241.pdf
Cotter, M. & Hinkelman, D. (2019). Video assessment module: self, peer, and teacher postperformanceassessment for learning. In F. Meunier, J. Van de Vyver, L. Bradley & S. Thouësny (Eds), CALL
and complexity – short papers from EUROCALL 2019 (pp. 94-99). Research-publishing.net.
https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2019.38.992
Göktürk, N. (2016), Examining the effectiveness of digital video recordings on oral performance of
EFL learners, Teaching English with Technology, 16(2), 71-96. https://www.researchgate.net/
publication/305445319_Examining_the_Effectiveness_of_Digital_Video_Recordings_on_
Oral_Performance_of_EFL_Learners
King’s College London (2022). How can I use video for self-assessment https://blogs.kcl.ac.uk/
aflkings/students-directing-their-own-learning/using-video-for-self-assessment/how-can-i-usevideo/
Microsoft (2022). Flip. https://info.flip.com/
Qureshi, B., Roseberry, J., & Qureshi, Z. (2019). Boosting intersubjectivity by digital video recording
project in EFL classes. Journal of English Language Teaching 4 (1), p-ISSN: 2541 -0326. e-ISSN:
2541-0334. https://journal.lppmunindra.ac.id/index.php/SCOPE/article/view/4977/2925
Sebba, J., Crick, R. D., Yu, G., Lawson, H., Harlen, W., & Durant, K. (2008). Systematic review of
research evidence of the impact on students in secondary schools of self and peer assessment(Vol. 1614T). EPPI-Centre. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:f5df1fd5-2bcb-47b1-8226-b38ba
2431019/download_file?file_format=pdf&safe_filename=Self%2BAssessment%2Breport.pdf&
type_of_work=Report
Sumardi, Adzima. R. & Wijaya. A. N. (2020). Digital Video Project: An Authentic Assessment toAssess Students’ Speaking Skills. Indonesian Journal of EFL and Linguistics 5 (1), 52-72.
eISSN: 2503-4197, pISSN: 2527-5070. http://indonesian-efl-journal.org/index.php/ijefll/arti
cle/view/217/pdf
Tailab, M. & Marsh, N. (2020). Use of Self-Assessment of Video Recording to Raise Students’
Awareness of Development of Their Oral Presentation Skills. Higher Education Studies 10,
16-28, http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3499175

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Appendices
Appendix A
Debate Class: Reflection Journal
After each class, you will write a reflection journal due for the day after the class before 23:59 as a
Self-Study Task. Please use the following prompts to help you:
1. Do you think making videos helps you judge how you do in debate, for example:
	a. organization of arguments, b. quality of arguments, c. debate skills and d. Summaries?
Why?
2. Do you feel confident about judging how well you do in a debate? Why?
3.	
Using your notes (and classmates), write as much as you can about the other team’s
argument, for example their points, sources, and data.
4.	Use the proposition and position (affirmative/negative) you were given in class. You can use
your team’s arguments and sources. Write your speech with three points, each with a source
and include the summary. Also use Appendix A “Useful Expressions for Debate Skills” onpage 58.
5. Based on the proposition and position you were given at the end of class, find one point withsource(s) and data to support your argument. You will share it with your team in Lesson 7.
6.	
Optional: If there is anything else that you would like to comment on about the class, feelfree.
7. Include the word count.
**Remember to use page 8 and 9 of Becoming a Better Writer to format your journal correctly.
REFLECTION JOURNAL GRADING INFORMATION: 3 POINTS
Length 1 POINTS

Understandability 1 POINT

Due date 1 POINTS

Minimum length is written

Ideas could be understood

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Appendix B
Sur vey 1First, record the Lesson 6 homework video on Flipgrid. Then, watch the Lesson 2 Flipgrid video.
Next, watch the Lesson 6 video. Use the Debate Rubric information on pages 62 to 63 to help you
complete the Lesson 6 Reflection Journal. After you have completed the journal, please answer thesequestions. You can complete this survey anytime after recording your video and submitting yourjournal for Lesson 6. Furthermore, at the beginning of Lesson 7’s class, I will also give you time tocomplete the survey. If you need to use Japanese, you can.
1. To judge the organization of my arguments is
A. easy		B. so-so		C. difficult

because (Optional):
2. To judge the strength of my arguments is:
A. easy		B. so-so		C. difficult

because (Optional):
3. To judge the debate skills used in my arguments is:
A. easy		B. so-so		C. difficult

because (Optional):
4. To judge my arguments’ summaries is:
A. easy		B. so-so		C. difficult

because (Optional):
5. Did watching the two videos help you to learn how to judge your performance?
A. Agree.

B. Not sure.		

C. Disagree.

Because (Optional):
6. Do you feel confident about judging your performance?
A. Agree.

B. Not sure		

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Because (Optional):
If you have other comments about judging Lesson 1 and 6’s videos, please share them here:

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Appendix C
Debate Class: Reflection Journal
After each class, you will write a reflection journal due for the day after the class before 23:59 asa Self-Study Task. Please use the following prompts to help you:
1. Do you think it is easy to judge how classmates do in debate, for example:
	a. organization and quality of arguments, b. cross-examination, c. rebuttals, and d. final
summaries? Why or why not?
2.	Do you think watching your own video helps you to judge other students’ performance? Whyor why not?
3. Do you think making videos helped your performance in debates? Why?
4. Would you like to record a video of your performance again? Why or why not?
5.	Use the summary your team made in the lesson. Remember to include a. your team’s threepoints, b. the other team’s points, c. 1 or 2 rebuttals, d. the proposition, and e. your team’s
position in the summary. Also use Appendix A “Useful Expressions for Debate Skills’’ onpage 58.
6.	Based on the proposition and position you were given at the end of class, find one point withsource(s) and data to support your argument. You will share it with your team in Lesson 12
to prepare for the final debate.
7.	
Optional: If there is anything else that you would like to comment on about the class, feelfree.
8. Include the word count.
**Remember to use page 8 and 9 of Becoming a Better Writer to format your journal correctly.
REFLECTION JOURNAL GRADING INFORMATION: 3 POINTS
Length 1 POINTS

Understandability 1 POINT

Due date 1 POINTS

Minimum length is written

Ideas could be understandSubmitted on time31

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Appendix D
Sur vey 2First, record the Lesson 11 homework video on Flipgrid. Then, watch the Lesson 6 homework
video. Next, watch the Lesson 11 video. Use the Debate Rubric information on pages 62 to 63. You
can complete this survey anytime after recording the Lesson 11 homework video. At the beginningof Lesson 12’s class, I will also give you time to complete the survey. If you need to use Japanese, youcan.
1. Is it easy to judge the organization of the arguments?
A. Agree.

B. Not sure

C. Disagree

Because (Optional):
2. Is it easy to judge the strength of the arguments?
A. Agree.

B. Not sure

C. Disagree

Because (Optional):
3. Is it easy to judge the debate skills used in the arguments?
A. Agree.

B. Not sure

C. Disagree

Because (Optional):
4. Is it easy to judge the arguments’ summaries?
A. Agree.

B. Not sure

C. Disagree

Because (Optional):
5. Do you think watching your own video helps you to judge other students’ performance?
A. Agree.

B. Not sure

C. Disagree

6. Do you feel confident about judging your performance?
A. Agree.

B. Not sure

C. Disagree

Because (Optional):

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7. Do you think making videos helped your performance in debates?
A. Agree.

B. Not sure

C. Disagree

Because (Optional):
8. Would you like to record a video of your performance again? Why or why not?
Answer:9. Feel free to share any other comments related to using videos to judge your performance.
Answer:33