Michael,
You're discussing meaningful feedback from the students and that's good, but how would you develop meaningful feedback to give to the students on an assignment, project, etc.? Thanks!
As with many other meaningful criteria, three meaningful aspects of feedback are, how this could improve the current course (if the feedback is formative), how it can be applied to readjust the next course design and that it is anonymous (you can only receive Real-Truthful) answers with this method.
Michael
Tom,
Yes, assessment is not something we do "to" our students, but "with" our students to help them improve. Good input.
It is crucial that an instructor understands the term "assessment" Assessment must be tied to the learning objectives. Assessment should be used as a guide to improve learning not to punish students. Using a good rubric can help students and the instructor. My students are happy when they know how I will assess their work. a rubric enables me to provide objective assessment. It is important to incorporate formative and summative assessments in my course. Continuous assessment will help students to improve. Assessment should be specific and detailed with the aim of help each student improve.
Thanks, Tom
William,
And, connect everything to the learning objectives. Then students understand why they are doing what they are doing.
To connect feedback directly to the project/rubric.
To be clear and concise.
To be positive and find at least one thing the student did well and build upon that.
To be constructive in the negative comments.
Cynthia,
This can also be reinforced through the criteria of the rubrics. When we provide feedback to students or provide such criteria in rubrics, we want to help them improve. Thanks for your input
The three things I believe are important to remember are:
Noting when a student has not followed the directions, therefore has not fulfilled the assignment. This helps to reinforce that students thoroughly read instructions.
Affirming students whose work show instructions were followed.
Encouraging critical thinking that goes beyond what is assigned and helping the student to find their "voice"
Janet,
Right on. The rubric up front is essential. We want to make sure we're all on the same page moving forward so the feedback means something. Thanks!
Hi, Everyone,
The three most important things to do when developing meaningful feedback are first, provide a rubric so that students know what they are being graded on and what the instructor expects from the assignment. Second, provide both quantitative and qualitative feedback, so that the student know both his/her score on various aspects of the paper and also has written comments regarding the assignment. And third, provide both corrective feedback and positive feedback. Let the student know both what he/she did correctly and well, as well as the areas that need improvement.
Janet
James,
Meaningful feedback, as you said, must be relevant, personalized and explanatory. These will all help the students improve and move forward toward the learning outcomes. Thanks for your input.
1. Keep the feedback relevant to the assignment and to the rubrics.
2. Personalize the feedback for the individual student.
3. Be sure to explain why the student lost points, and how to find resources that will help him next time.
Patricia,
Awesome. Thanks for your testimony. I too find this helpful. I typically give the first couple of rubrics for assignments and grade using those and then start to involve students in a bigger project's rubric. But, you're right. They buy in from students is important. Thanks!
Eugene,
Right. That added value is what helps them improve. And, when the rubric has effective criteria, that also helps the students understand why points are being deducted. Thanks for your input.
A tip I learned from another educator is to involve the students in the course in designing the rubric for an assignment so that they are stakeholders in the process as well. I have done this a couple of times now and have been happy with the results.
1) Feedback must add value to the students. Feedback must be beneficial. It should correct, help, or improve the students work.
2) Say something nice. Don't just point out the bad. Compliments are important.
3) Explain why points are deducted. Don't just randomly deduct points, or assume that students know how much points each mistake is worth. It is important that rubrics have some kind of a point explanation. Students want to know what they did wrong, and how much that cost them.
Henry,
Interesting that you note that assessments are "emotional events," With the rubrics I use and the involvement of self- and peer-assessment in my classes, I think the emotions are low as the expectations are high. Thanks!
I think the three most important things to remember in developing an assessment are:
1. The objective that you are trying to impart to the student.
2. The clarity that you would like the student to demonstrate regarding the objective.
3. The fact that assessments are, by their very nature, emotional events. Therefore, your assessment should not be threatening or written in a levle of difficulty greater than is warrented by the course.
Francis ,
It doesn't matter if you have something earth shattering. It's good to keep emphasizing the important things as we go through this module. Thanks!
I wish I had something new or earth shattering to present here, but my thoughts go right along with the group.
1)Be positive - There is a way to let someone know that they have areas to improve in without making them feel worthless. We are mentors to these students and we need to take that responsibility seriously.
2)Be specific - vague commentary is worthless.
3)Look at the big picture - It's easy to get lost in the weeds when grading assignments. Focus on the things that matter and forget the rest.
