Abstract
Reflection is an essential component of experiential learning. Traditional means of reflection rely on memory of experiences, which can be incomplete or even faulty. Video-enhanced performance feedback (VPF)—the use of video to as supporting evidence in the reflective process—has the potential to transform reflective practice. In this chapter, the authors describe how VPF has been utilized by 13 instructors across two higher education institutions for the purposes of noticing, self-reflection, and evaluation/feedback. Results of an exploratory case study on perceptions of using VPF to support reflection indicate approximately 90% of students found Vosaic, the technology used at these institutions for VPF, easy to use and helpful to notice strengths and areas for improvement in their professional practice. Implications and considerations for incorporating VPF across disciplines are also addressed.
TopReflection For Learning
Reflection is undoubtedly a powerful mechanism for learning. It is a central component of Experiential Learning, which recognizes the importance of both experience and deliberate thinking about our experiences (Kolb, 2015). Dewey (1933, 1938), commonly viewed as a founder of progressive education, emphasizes the importance of reflective thought for learning and refers to reflective experience as both the means and the goal of education. For learners in higher education, understanding how to facilitate experiential learning is of particular consequence because many programs incorporate practicum experiences as part of their course sequences. Inherent in these experiential components is the assumption that learners will improve their abilities through repeated opportunities to apply essential knowledge and skills. The importance of reflection within this improvement process, however, cannot be overstated. DiStefano, Gino, Pisano, and Staats (2014) found providing an opportunity to engage in deliberate effort to identify and reflect on key lessons from an experience is more important to learning (i.e., a change in how one approaches the same task later) than repeated experiences without that opportunity. In other words, reflection is an essential part of the learning process for clinical or applied experiences; without this critical component, experiential opportunities risk falling short of impacting learners’ future performance. Further, because novices may not reliably know how to focus their attention or interpret what they notice when they engage in reflection, it is essential to build common frameworks and shared language to help novices develop reflective skills (Benedict-Chambers, 2016). While reflection has long been regarded as an essential means by which to promote learning, the extent to which we structure and facilitate such reflections can have a strong impact on the ways learners respond to, and grow from, experiential learning.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Experiential Learning: A process of learning through reflection on doing.
Scaffold: A temporary instructional support to help students achieve a learning outcome.
Noticing: A student’s ability to recognize practices in real-world examples.
Vosaic: The VPF tool used by the authors of the chapter.
Timeline: A visual feature in the VPF tool, Vosaic , that shows stacked rows of timestamped, user-specified video clips.
Reflection: Utilizing evidence to support the intentional and critical thinking about one’s knowledge, beliefs, or practice.
Video-Enhanced Performance Feedback (VPF): A broad term representing a range of terms used throughout the literature (e.g., video reflection, video debrief, video-assisted performance assessment, video analysis), all of which have the shared goal of using video tagging and annotation to support the reflection process.