A comparison of electronic and paper-based assignment submission and feedback

This paper presents the results of a study evaluating student perceptions of online assignment submission. 47 students submitted assignments and received feedback via features within the Virtual Learning Environment BlackboardTM. The students then completed questionnaires comparing their experience of online submission and feedback with traditional methods. Results indicated that 88% of students reported a time saving and many reported financial benefits using online submission. 93% of students preferred having their feedback available online rather than printed and handed to them. Overall, students preferred online assignment management to postal or physical hand-in. The main disadvantage of electronic submission appeared to be student distrust of the receipt system. The use of online assignment submission and management is recommended for use in Higher Education establishments where students may be remote. It is most suitable for assignments that do not require inclusion of many images. Introduction There are many potential benefits associated with online assignment submission and management (OASM). As Weir (2004) noted: ‘Network-based electronic submission promises greater convenience and potentially full elimination of physical delivery.’ Bridge and Appleyard (2005) have previously described other potential benefits and pitfalls for both staff and students, including time saving and the ease of production of electronic feedback, as well as the need for a reliable back-up system.The virtual learning environment (VLE) Blackboard is currently used across the Sheffield Hallam Radiotherapy and Oncology course to provide essential support to our learning, teaching and assessment. A previous study (Bridge & Appleyard, 2005) compared traditional paperbased assignment submission with the online equivalent offered by the VLE. Unfortunately the assignment submission date coincided with a crash of the VLE, resulting in a British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 39 No 4 2008 644–650 doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00753.x © 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA. week of down time and loss of data. The marker perspective on the process was detailed in that paper. This paper presents the results of a follow-up study that did not suffer from such a system failure and concentrated solely on the student perspective. The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of OASM for use with a large cohort of students, many of whom are remote to the university. The benefits and problems associated with it were to be determined to guide future planning of assessment procedures. Study Forty-seven 1st-year undergraduate students on the same 1st-year radiotherapy physics module were required to submit an essay-style assignment electronically using the VLE. Questionnaires were used to gather their perceptions of the submission and feedback process. The same cohort of students was asked to compare their online submission experience with recent assignment submissions for another module which had been paper-based and which had frequently involved postage of assignments. Both electronic and paper-based submissions were of similar length and had similar timeframes for completion and submission. Quality of assignment was not assessed as a result of the assignments being for different modules and for different tutors. Submission and feedback procedures were evaluated separately because the 3-week time gap between them. This was a result of the lengthy marking process and other time constraints on the markers. Feedback consisted of a separate sheet of a marking grid and detailed comments that was uploaded into the VLE for students to access. It was deemed important to determine the extent to which full electronic compilation of assignments impacted on student workload. Thus, students were also asked to compare the ease of compilation. Compilation in both cases was performed off-line. Results: compilation The cohort represented a diverse range of backgrounds and ages, which are factors that could potentially affect perception of online submission. Students were asked to provide self-assessment of their information technology (IT) and VLE skills, which were generally at an acceptable level (see Table 1). The students had all used the VLE for a semester prior to the assignment submission, so none were meeting it for the first time. Concannon, Flynn and Campbell (2005) reported a similar finding, with all 600 of their Table 1: Student self-assessment of information technology (IT) skills and virtual learning environment (VLE) skills Self-assessment % of students IT Skills VLE Skills Expert 0 9 Good 55 57 OK 41 28 Poor 2 6 Very poor 2 0 Electronic and paper-based submission and feedback 645 © 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. students being able to access the ‘Accounting’ e-learning materials irrespective of previous IT skills. The correlation between IT skills and VLE skills was weak at 0.43. A similarly low correlation of 0.42 was found between students’ IT skills and the ease with which they compiled the assignment.