Scenario 2
Scenario 2: Kathy turns in a self-evaluation of her performance on the assignment that indicates that she knows she didn't do a good job on the assignment. When you grade it you find that she accurately evaluated her performance.
How will your communications differ from how you communicated with Mike?
What will be your area of focus to provide actionable feedback to help her improve performance?
Since Kathy understood that she did not do well, I would be more direct with Kathy on why she did not do well on the assignment. I would spend more time discussing what I can do to assist her going forward. It is clear that she understands the expectations of the assignment. How do we get her to raise her personal bar? That is the challenge.
Scenario 1
Scenario 1: Mike turns in a self-evaluation of his performance on an assignment that indicates that he thought he did an excellent job and met all of the criteria in the grading rubric. When you grade Mike's assignment, you see that he has not done as well as he thought he did.
Describe how you will communicate with Mike regarding his performance in relationship to how he thought he did.
Without providing the details of your feedback, discuss the ways you could provide actionable feedback to him to help him improve his performance.
I like to use rubrics to be fair and consistent in my grading. For the scenario provided, I will thank Mike for his self evaluation and his efforts. I will then start by stating the requirements of the assignment and then specifically point out where he did not meet the expectation and why. I will not be rude or condescending, but more encouraging him to perform better on the next assignment.
Amir,
Well stated! Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Dear Dr. Vaillancourt,
In both scenarios I would provide a grading rubric and specific point deductions on where the points are loss. I would also use the “sandwich approach†and make sure the areas that the students did well, they are acknowledged. In addition, I would provide information on where they lacked on parts of the assignment. Here, I would provide examples of what I was expecting on the assignment and resources that they could have used to get a better understanding of the materials as well. Finally, in both scenarios I would always end with the statement...â€Please contact me if you have any questions/concerns and I will try to assist you.†I have found this type of ending, shows the students that I am willing to answer and try to assist them on the past, current, or upcoming assignments.
For Mike, the key I have found to be most useful is the choice of words I use on describing their work. Here, I try to avoid using negative words. Being positive at the same time, getting to the details on where he lacked on the assignment. Finally, I would provide directions on where he should focus his research on for the upcoming assignments.
For Kathy, I would use the more positive and motivational key words as in being different and providing actionable feedback. Finally, similar to what I would share to Mike is that I would provide directions on where she should focus her research on for the upcoming assignments.
Amir
Justine,
Excellent individualization for each student's needs. Do you prefer to accomplish this dialogue by phone, email, chat, IM, texting, or???
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Scenario 1: I would begin by addressing the things Mike did well with the assignment. Next I would focus on areas that needed improvement by providing specific details about what could be done differently to meet the assignment's requirements. I would close by praising Mike on his hard work in class and let him know that I was confident in his ability to improve on the next assignment.
Scenario 2: I would spend more time noting the positive with Kathy by helping her see exactly what she did well on in the assignment. I would also encourage her to take pride in her accomplishments and recognize her hard work.
Jerrianne,
Your real-time, verbal outreach to Mike would likely enliven the his engagement with the content. With Kathy, the Socratic (questioning) approach is a proven technique for drawing out adult students and getting them to take more responsibility for their learning. Additionally, making the topic relative to 'real life' is very strong for adult instruction. These are good approaches for both students. Thank you for your insights.
Dr Vaillancourt,
In my interactions with Mike, I would call the student and we would do a line by line review, along with the grading rubrics assigned. I would also explain to Mike how to be proactive in addressing some of these items, if he is unclear. I also insist that the student contact me rather than "guess" on an assignment.
As for the second student, I would have to first ask "why" she rated her work at a low standard and still submitted it....??? Is the student lacking interest in my course? As an accountant, how do I get her interested in participating? I would try to figure out the issue and move forward. If this is a student that hates the topic, then I would try to tie it to her personal finances or something that would grab her attention.
Jerrianne
Scenario 1: First, this provides an opportunity for you to evaluate the rubric to make sure that it is clear enough. Assuming that it is, you would then cite examples from Mike's assignment that show where he failed to meet the expectations of the rubric. Then make suggestions for improvement.
Scenario 2: The actual feedback you provide is very similar to scenario 1. Identify examples and make suggestions for improvement.
Jake,
Nice, individualized approaches for each student. Both are excellent examples of the metacognitive approaches indicated by research (US Dept of Ed - May 2009 - Meta-Analysis) to contribute significantly to student success in online classrooms.
I would probably ask Mike to elaborate on which parts of the assignment he performed best, asking for specific examples from his submission. This would allow me to see where he thought the most important parts were and redirect him if he missed the mark.
With Kathy, I would take a similar approach, but ask her to indicate why she felt it was a bad submission. I could then address her concerns regarding her perceived poor performance and provide positive feedback on the parts that were done well.
Louise,
Using the rubric (the established class criteria) as the basis for indiviualizing the assistance provided to the student is sound approach. Consistently implementing positive reiforcement, recommendations for improvement and linking to the next learning task are all marks of quality instruction. Nice work.
When I grade a student response I provided positive feedback on the areas where the student met or exceeded the expectations. I always grade using the rubric, which is posted in advance for students to see. My comments follow the rubric.
For both students I would commend the work and effort and explain how they could improve their answer, offer suggestions for the next assignment.
Steven,
Confirmation of successful performance is a powerful instructional component - very good. Using the rubric to confirm performance (both positive and negative) provides credibility and confidence for the evaluation. Your metacognitive approach with Kathy is a strong position to take for this adult learner.
Nice job.
Scenario 1:
I would use the grading rubric as an outline to show Mike the areas he did well in and the areas in which his performance was below expectations. I would then focus on the areas in which he did not do well and provide feedback or an example addressing the expected level of performance.
Scenario 2:
I would still use the grading rubric as an outline but would ask follow up questions about why she thought she did do as well as she could have. I would then follow up with responses and guidance based on what she sent me.
Jeremy,
The positive approach with detailed reinforcement and improvement feedback is the way to go. Providing appropriate affirmation of correct answers is a strong instructional tool to gain studnet confidence in you and themselves. Then provide the improvement insights to both for an unbiased and equitable learning environment. The extra encouragement for Kathy is probably a good move. Thanks.
In scenario 1, Mike needs to continue to be supported by the instructor. He feels that he is doing well in the class, and I want him to maintain that positive outlook, while at teh same time providing custructive critisism to him to help him improve.
I would start by going through the course rubric line by line and identifing, firstly, the things that Mike did correctly as he identified. I would then state that "I think he can do better" by extending his work in this direction. IN that way, I support the work that Mike is already proud of, and offer him a way to even make it better than he thought it could be. IN addition, by going through the rubric line by line, Mike will better understand how to read and adhere to the rubric.
As for Kathy, she has already identified that she did not do her best work. My comments would be very similar to Mike as I want to remain unbiased to my students. The main addition to Kathy would be to offer additional help to her in terms of explaining the topics that she may not understand, or offer some tips on time management if that was her issue with this assignment.
Tanya,
These are very professional and reasonable approaches that will likely have a positive effect.
