Assessment Feedback using Screencapture Technology in Political Science

This article serves to introduce a new technology for student feedback on written assignments to political scientists. Developed in the field of composition studies, screencapture commentary is a novel technique designed to provide audiovisual responses to student writing. To receive feedback, students watch a recorded video of the instructor’s computer terminal, listening to the instructor’s commentary while watching the cursor move and highlight selections of the text for illustration. The final section of this article demonstrates preliminary evidence of improved educational outcomes in courses taught at two large 4-year universities where screencapture technology was employed. On the basis of these findings, I also argue that screencapture comments may be especially beneficial in online course environments.