Tella adds editing control to async feedback — chapters, trimming, visual annotations. Written feedback on student work is often misunderstood. You write "consider restructuring this section," and the student isn't sure which section, how to restructure it, or how important the suggestion is. Video feedback fixes this — you show exactly what you mean while they hear your tone. Tella makes this kind of recording more polished than a typical screen capture, with editing tools that let you clean up the result before sharing.
Quick Answer: How to Record Async Video Feedback for Students Using Tella
- Open: Execute this step in your course creation workflow.
- Record: Execute this step in your course creation workflow.
- Feedback: Execute this step in your course creation workflow.
- Edit: Execute this step in your course creation workflow.
- Chapters: Execute this step in your course creation workflow.
- Share: Execute this step in your course creation workflow.
What you’ll walk away with:
- A polished feedback video with trimmed dead air and removed silences
- Chapter markers so students can jump to feedback on each section
- A flexible PIP layout with your face sized appropriately per section
- A shareable link with view tracking to confirm students watched
Why Tella for async feedback
You could give video feedback with any screen recorder — Loom, OBS, QuickTime. And for a quick two-minute "here's what I think," those tools are fine. Tella earns its place when your feedback is more substantive — when you're reviewing a student's portfolio, walking through a draft lesson plan, or analyzing their marketing copy section by section.
What sets Tella apart is what happens after you hit stop. The editor lets you trim out the parts where you paused to think, remove silences automatically (so you don't have to cut manually), clean up background noise with AI, and add chapter markers so students can jump to the feedback about each section. The result is a tighter, more professional recording than a raw screen capture — and that matters when students are watching your feedback multiple times to implement it.
The picture-in-picture layout is also more flexible than most tools. You can change the size and position of your camera bubble after recording, which means you can make your face larger when you're explaining something general and smaller when you're pointing at specific details on screen.
Step-by-step: Recording feedback in Tella
Open the student's work on your screen
Pull up whatever you're reviewing — their assignment document, their website, their design file, their course outline. Arrange your screen so the most important content is visible. Close other tabs and notifications. Your students will notice if Slack messages pop up during their feedback video.
Start a Tella recording
Open Tella (it runs in your browser — no desktop app needed) and start a new recording. Choose "Screen + Camera" to get the picture-in-picture layout. Select which screen or window to share. Your camera feed appears as a circular bubble in the corner — you can reposition it later.
Tip: before recording feedback, do a five-second test to make sure your audio levels are good and your camera angle looks right. Tella saves recordings immediately, so you're not wasting much time.
Walk through your feedback
Talk through your reactions as you scroll through the student's work. Be specific: "In this paragraph, the idea is strong, but the second sentence is doing too much work — I'd split it into two." Move your cursor to highlight what you're referencing. Students will follow your pointer.
Don't worry about pauses, "um"s, or re-explaining something. Tella's editor will clean those up. Speak naturally and focus on giving useful feedback rather than performing a perfect take.
Edit in Tella's post-recording editor
After you stop recording, Tella opens the editor automatically. Here's where you polish:
- Auto-remove silences: One click trims out pauses longer than a set threshold. This typically shortens a recording by 15-25% without losing any content.
- Trim sections: Cut the beginning (where you were getting set up) and end (where you said goodbye and fumbled for the stop button). Remove any tangents.
- AI noise cleanup: If you recorded in a noisy environment, Tella's AI can reduce background noise.
- Adjust PIP layout: Move or resize your camera bubble for different sections. Larger when you're speaking directly to the student, smaller when the screen content needs more space.
Add chapters for longer reviews
If your feedback covers multiple sections or assignments, add chapter markers. Chapters appear as labeled segments in the video player, so students can jump to "Feedback on Introduction," "Feedback on Lesson 3 Structure," or "Next Steps" without scrubbing through the whole recording. For a review longer than three minutes, chapters make a meaningful difference in usability.
Share the link
Tella generates a shareable link for each recording. Paste it into your course platform's discussion area, send it via email, or include it in a direct message. Students watch in their browser — no account or download needed. Tella tracks whether the video has been viewed, so you know if the student has watched your feedback.
Tips for course creators
Start with what's working
I've found that feedback lands better when you lead with strengths. Spend the first 30 seconds pointing out what the student did well before moving to suggestions. This isn't just about being nice — it helps the student understand what to keep doing, not just what to fix. And it makes them more receptive to the constructive parts.
Keep feedback under five minutes
Longer than five minutes and most students won't rewatch. If you have more to say, consider splitting into two videos — one on strengths and high-level direction, one on specific technical details. The chapters feature helps here too: a four-minute video with clear chapters is easier to digest than a four-minute continuous stream.
Batch your feedback sessions
Recording feedback for one student at a time throughout the week is inefficient. Block out 60-90 minutes and record feedback for all your students in one session. You'll get into a rhythm, your feedback will be more consistent, and you'll spend less total time than if you context-switch between feedback and other work.
Limitations (and when to use something else)
Pro plan required for regular use
Tella's free plan limits recording length and doesn't include the AI editing features. The Pro plan at $16/month (annual) is necessary for regular use. If you only give feedback occasionally — a few recordings per month — Loom's free tier (up to 25 recordings of 5 minutes each) might be enough without the extra polish.
Not a full video editor
Tella's editing is better than Loom's, but it's not a full video editor. If you need to add graphics, titles, or combine multiple recordings, you'll still need a dedicated editor like Descript or DaVinci Resolve. Tella is designed for quick, polished recordings — not complex productions.
One-directional feedback
The feedback is one-directional. Students can comment on the video, but Tella doesn't support threaded conversations or video replies natively. For back-and-forth discussion about feedback, you're better off using your course platform's discussion area and referencing the Tella video link within the thread.
Frequently asked questions
How is Tella different from Loom for giving student feedback?
Loom is simpler and faster for quick, informal recordings. Tella has more editing power — you can trim sections, auto-remove silences, clean up background noise, add chapters, and adjust the picture-in-picture layout after recording. If your feedback is "here are my quick thoughts," Loom is probably enough. If your feedback is more detailed — reviewing a portfolio, walking through multiple issues — Tella's editing and chapter features make the result more useful.
What does Tella Pro cost?
Tella Pro is $16/month billed annually ($19/month billed monthly). The free plan lets you record but limits video length and doesn't include the AI editing features. For regular student feedback, the Pro plan is worth it — the silence removal alone makes your recordings tighter without manual editing.
Can students reply to my video feedback with their own recording?
Tella supports comments on shared videos, but students would need their own Tella account to record a video reply. For a back-and-forth video conversation, you're better off using your course platform's discussion area and having students record replies with a free tool like Loom's free tier or their phone.
Related guides
- How to Record Async Video Feedback Using Loom — the simpler, free alternative for quick recordings
- How to Edit Course Videos Using Descript — when you need more editing power than Tella offers
- How to Record Polished Lessons Using Tella's AI Features — use Tella for lesson creation, not just feedback
- How to Host Live Workshops Using Zoom — when synchronous feedback is more appropriate
From video feedback to a learning community
Personalized video feedback is one of the most valuable things you can offer as an instructor — it's what separates a great course from a library of recordings. But feedback needs context: a place where students share their work, receive your response, and discuss it with peers.
Ruzuku's built-in discussions let you post Tella feedback links right alongside student submissions, keeping everything in one place. Zero transaction fees on any plan. Start free and create a course where feedback drives real learning.