Sandi,
Developing feedback that is meaninful and helps the students improve is very important. You're right in developing feedback to encourage students. That's so important. Nice job.
Joel,
When feedback is consistent, prompt and helps the students improve, they see the importance of the feedback. Nice job.
I think the three most important things are:
1. To provide feedback that is encouraging and builds on strengths
2. To provide feedback in a timely fashion
3. To provide feedback that is clear and precise and that closely aligns with the course objectives
1. Feedback should be prompt
2. Meaningful feedback should be honest but positive, offering tips for improvement
3. Feedback should be fair and directly relate to the content/assignment
Robert,
You are right. Being negative in any situation turns people off. Students need constructive criticism at times to help them grow and improve, but this can be done in a positive light as well. When feedback is connected to the learning outcomes, students see how to move forward and improve. Thanks!
Renee & Juliette,
You are both right on track. As the instructor, you are the role model for positive, meaningful feedback to help the student improve. Nice job.
Feedback must above all else be provided in as positive a manner as possible. Negative feedback tends to drive away the student.
Feedback must be timely such that the student can use the information in study's for the next section of the course.
Feedback must be specific and relevant to the objectives of the lesson.
Hi Juliette - What you have stated regarding meaningful feedback is so true - making the feedback positive and constructive and guiding a student to do better work in the future also motivates the student to WANT to be a more successful student. HOW we go about this when assessing the student performance can present challenges and believe it also depends on the content of what we are teaching - in the courses I teach I have found that not only showing the correct answers to questions but the logic behind the correct answers and how we came to those answers helps a student to understand and comprehend the "background" thought process.
1) Timely - Yes I saw this in the 1st post, but if we are expecting students to take the current material and apply it in future assignments, if they do not know how they did or what is wrong until everything is submitted, they will most likely carry over the wrong thoughts into all assignments.
2) Consistent - Using the Rubric allows the student to know the expectations and the instructor to apply the same criteria too all assignments.
3) Substantive - Many times I tell students that while there response was correct, they didn't receive full points because I was expecting more details. This should be the same with feedback. Do not simply assign points based on the Rubric tell them with meaningful feedback what and where points were taken off.
Ginny,
Right on! What you have described would be considered meaningful feedback that would help the students improve. Nice job.
Hi Dr. Crews,
Three important things to remember when writing feedback are:
1. Feedback must be encouraging, upbeat and
meaningful.
2. Feedback should be accurate and contain
suggestions for improvement.
3. Individual feedback should be consistently
provided as quickly as possible.
Thanks,
Ginny
Chelsea,
Thanks for your input in this forum. You bring up some good points. The rubrics have to be specific enough so that students understand what is expected, but not so specific that they don't have to "think" and just "dump in" information into a report or assignment. Communication is the key. Thanks again.
1. Create a rubric that relates to the specific assignment(s). Generic rubrics are confusing for students as they can'ts ee how they apply specifically to the assignment at hand.
2. Utilize tools for commenting directly to student work - like "show mark up" and "review" in Word.
3. Use clear and professional tone to communicate issues. Offer praise in addition to critical feedback. Let the students know what they are doing well and what needs improvement.
Laura,
You are right on target. For feedback to be meaningful, the instructor should provide positive feedback and constructive, specific feedback. The feedback should be timely and help the student improve. Nice job.
The three most important things to remember are:
1) Promptness
2) Encouraging words
3) Specific feedback
Jeanette,
Positive, timely, meaningful feedback and communication in general are essential. I love rubrics and am glad others know they help the instructor as well as the students. Thanks!
Three of the most important things I stress when creating feedback are:
1. A positive attitude communicated to the student. I always begin with a few friendly words and praise for what the student is doing well, before offering suggestions for improvement.
2. Feedback must be detailed and clearly related to assignment and course objectives. I always suggest specific resources to help the student based on his/her needs, and even add page numbers and web links to help students access the right materials.
3. I include a rubric for consistency in addition to my personalized comments.
Margaret,
Feedback should be designed to help the students improve. Any individual feedback you can provide is very important. Nice job.
When developing meaningful feedback I believe it is important to:
(1)Focus on increasing learning rather than just on the grade
(2) Get the feedback to the student as soon as possible after the assignment is due
(3)Try to give each student personal attention, perhaps through methods that can use your own voice
Richard,
Right on! The students need detail to be able to understand the expectations. Communicating the objectives, rubrics, etc. and providing feedback in a timely fashion is essential. We also try to connect everything to the course objectives. Nice job.
