kevin,
Yes, a more careful choice of verbiage is need because the nonverbal communication is no longer available to supply nuances of meaning. Very good point.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I would not communicate with Kathy like I had with Mike.
Mike would need to be consulted on the ethics of communication and his practice. Although he did complete the self evaluation his evaluation was false and his work was not satisfactory.
Kathy on the other hand is ethically in the right and although her work was not good you could ask if you could have done anything better to help her understand the work.
With online students, the words we choose to say to a student have more impact than a face-to-face exchange.
In many instances students misread the question. For the sections that Mike received full/partial credit I would provide the appropriate positive feedback. Additionally, (in the rubric) I would indicate to Mike where he did not meet the requirements for the assignment and also point out where and what he should do to make any adjustment for improvement.
I would provide a positive feedback to Kathy for the sections that were correct. The rubric would indicate where she (fail to) met the requirements for the assignment. I would discuss with Kathy what she understand (or did not) about the assignment. In some cases, the question (or the way it was posed) could provide some difficulty for her.
Audrey,
The sandwich is a great tool for these types of situations. Very good.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I think that negative feedback should come in a sandwich method.
1) I would praise the student on what he did right with his performance. After this feedback I would suggest ways that he could improve his performance by giving examples of the correct methodology. In closing the discussion I would leave it on a positive note.
2)I would praise the student with what she did accurately. I would like Mike point out ways to improve her performance and end the discussion on a positive note.
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.
I would be positive in the feedback, and make suggestions to improvement. I do not want to discourage his confidence in his work, but also want to be realistic with the expectations.
Without providing the details of your feedback, discuss the ways you could provide actionable feedback to him to help him improve his performance.
I would guide him to different resources in the classroom (for example the expectations guidlines) and be specific on recommendations for improvement. I would also advise him that their are also tutoring options available to him and provide my office hours.
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?
In this particular case, I would still encourage her, and provide a more socratic approach. For example:
Why do you feel that you did not meet the course expectations and how can you improve on this?
What will be your area of focus to provide actionable feedback to help her improve performance?
My area of focus will be on first assessing what she feels is her weakness as she seems to have a better self awareness of her shortcomings. Once we assess this, I would encourage her strengths and set up a game plan to improve upon her weak spots.
Scenario 1: I would go through point by point on the rubric pointing out the areas where he met the criteria and where did not meet the criteria. In areas where he did not meet the criteria, I would offer suggestions as to what he could have done to better meet that particular criterion. I would also address his self-assessment, not to tear it apart but as to how his self-assessment might not be on the mark with the level of work and why. I would also make sure I point out that if he has any quesitons to please bring them to me for guidance/clarification.
Scenario 2: I have seen these regularly. Before I even grade the assignment, I try to give the student a positive boost by letting them know that even if this is the case, that only means there is room for improvement. However, after grading, I would provide positive reinforcement through all of my comments. I would also ask if there was a particular reason why she felt (even before the assignment was assessed) that she had not done well -- did she not fully understand something, did she not have enough time, or something else. I would let her know that I am always there if she needs to ask questions and reiterate my office hours, my contact information and times that students can call me.
Responding to Mike: (an example):
"Mike ~ I think that there were many areas of your assignment that you excelled in! I could tell that you had put a lot of effort and energy into supporting your position and defended it well with good, logical, and clear statements. I did not, however, see that you were able to achieve all of the assignment's objectives as you stated in your self-evaluation. There were certain areas where you did not achieve the desired outcomes of the grading rubric. I would recommend that you re-read your assignment after reviewing the APA manual for a better understanding of writing college-level papers. I would also recommend that you use more than one reference in your bibliography and that by using the university's online library and databases, you should be find materials that would strengthen the fabric of your paper. Please let me know if you have any further questions on this or if you have any questions concerning the grading process, okay?"
Responding to Kathy: (an example):
"Kathy ~ I appreciate your honesty in your self-evaluation of your assignment. Although you were very harsh on yourself, please realize that there were many good aspects to your assignment. I do realize, however, like you, that there are certain areas that need improvement. I am available to answer any of your questions on how to assist you in improving your performance in writing. There are also several online tools available for you, as well as online tutorials that would benefit you and provide you with the information to write more effectively. Please let me know if you have any questions concerning this ~ I am available to you!"
Dr. Kimberly,
I have created 'the next level" on the details of my rubrics for those very specific errors that occur on a frequent basis. It also helps refine the students' understanding when the receive their grades. I still find both the rubric and the individualized comments are required for providing the optimum feedback. Providing those links is a great touch. - Thanks.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
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.
With a positive spin in everting that I say to Mike I would make sure that he needs to make sure that he clearly answers the questions that are asked of him: honestly, correctly, and completely.
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.
Again, with a positive spin, I would repeat a similar response to Kathy that I did Mike, to help ensure that she continues her efforts in the course to do better; however, the specific details that I would refer to her dealing with her report, would be based upon her work.
Michele,
Very good. This is good advice.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Dr. James ,
These are solid responses for each student. Nice.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
In my experience, the rubric is often generalized and fails to provide the detailed information necessary to inform the student where they fell short of the expectation.
While I use the rubric, my comments on the rubric are very detailed and provide guidance for further papers as well as links necessary to show the "how to" of the work, such as APA formatting.
The type of feedback for both of them would highlight their successes and help them grow in areas of their pefromance. There will always be positives that can be identified to reinforce the student's own perception but also critique them in a way that is still positive that they feel confident to continue to improve.
Christopher: I like your approach with Mike, but I would also point out his weakness in the evaluation of himself.
Amy: How would you know that Kathy was challaenged because of a bad grade. Maybe she did not put the time into the assignment inorder to get a good grade. Of course that would depend on your personal view of how difficult the assignment was or is.
With Mike I think you have to let him know in a mild way that he did not do well on his assignment and the self-evalution is at times difficult based on the picture of ones self. Try to give a personal example of how it happened to you sometime in the past. Inform him that you know he has the ability to do better in the future and when doing a self-evaluation to try to step back and think about your response.
I would inform Kathy that she has a good insight of her own work, which should be that she knows that with future assignments just how good of a job she is doing on the assignment and what she has to do to improve her grades. Pat her on the back a little!
Leigh,
Very thorough and instructionally sound. Thank you.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
In Scenario 1 it would be important to detail the student's achievements, as well as their shortcomings with the assignment material. A grading rubric should be presented, which separates the assignment into segments. Those segments should each have a comment (or two), detailing whether the student met or did not meet the expectations and why.
In Scenario 2 I would provide the same type of detailed/segmented feedback. Even if a student realizes they did not do very well, they may not be able to separate the goals of the assignment clearly, for themselves. By providing a clear rubric and comments, a student can better analyze what an assignment is asking for and can learn to see the goals of an assignment more clearly.
