1. The feedback should tie to the learning objectives.
2. The feedback should be clear and meaningful to the individual student. While some portion of the feedback may be canned, for example, "Thank you for submitting your Week 1 assignment," the majority of the instructor response should be individualized to the student.
3. The feedback should be actionable. If it causes the student to respond, "Huh," it's probably not clear and even more likely not helpful, actionable feedback. The feedback should clearly articulate to the recipient what is was great, was 'wrong' or could be improved, and in the latter case, how that improvement or correction might occur.
:-) Ruby
Give the student positive feedback on what they did correct. Tell them what they need to improve on and explain why I deducted points.
William,
Yes, the connection between the feedback and the learning outcomes is essential. Thanks for your input.
Karen ,
I am glad you mentioned the objectives in conjunction with the rubrics. I list my objectives within the rubric so the students can plainly see them. Thanks!
William,
Concise, yet informative is harder many times than it seems, but when connected to rubrics, students should have well-rounded feedback. Thanks!
William,
Connecting the outcome(s) to the assignment is very important. I always put them in the rubric as well. Thanks!
Rubrics that accurately evaluate the assignment objectives; feedback that is thoughtful and tailored to each respective student's submission; feedback that is both corrective and constructive
I usually begin my comments in the feedback with what the assignment was and what was expected as an outcome, then explain what they did well, provide corrective comments and end with a positive comment.
Exactly they need to be concise but informative. I have seen rubrics created by institutions that I could not figure out as the instructor and others that place so much emphasis on objectives having nothing to do with the actual learning material that the student did not have to learn much to pass as long as they could use proper APA and write well.
First the feedback needs to be tied to the learning outcomes and objectives so that learning is enhanced. It also needs to be detailed and not generic so each student receives feedback specific to what they have done. Finally, the feedback needs to reflect the grading rubric that the student had prior exposure to which also helps maintain standardization of the grading.
Pam,
Yes, starting with positive feedback, adding constructive criticism to help them improve, and then adding something positive at the close is called the sandwich approach. The positive feedback on both ends is the "bread" and the constructive criticism is the "meat." Thanks!
Pam,
Yes, the objectives are so important and we have to communicate those expectations clearly. Thanks for your input.
Feedback should include both positive comments along with comments on how to improve.
Feedback should be personable.
Feedback should be direct and discuss what exactly was missed and how to improve.
I do agree. You must relate it to the objectives.
Matthew,
Right - and connecting everything to the learning outcomes is essential. Thanks!
1. Will the student learn from this assignment and or project?
2. Is the assignment or project directly related to the content of the course?
3. Is the assignment or project properly listed and explained in the syllabus?
Karen,
Starting off positive is a good thing and then providing specific feedback to help the students improve is very helpful.
Omari,
Excellent. We do need to have a variety of tools we use for various assessment and feedback. Nice job.
Su,
Good list. I like that you call it content polish. This is a great term. Thanks for your input.
When developing meaningful feedback for assignments and projects, the three most important things to remember would be to provide feedback that is positive in tone. This helps the student understand that the instructor is there to help and to guide him or her. Secondly, the feedback should be individualized. Each student is unique and their feedback should be structured to address their specific needs. Finally the feedback should be connected to the learning objective. This helps the student to see where they did well and also identifies where improvement should be made in preparation for other learning activities that may address those same objectives.
