Hi Dr C: There are so many great responses to this question that have already been provided. It's a challenge to come up with three more things that haven't already been mentioned. But here are three things I would suggest: 1) To address the person by his/her first name when providing the feedback in the gradebook. This one is so simple, I'm almost embarrassed to even mention it but I've seen where instructors just jump in without acknowledging to whom they are speaking. 2) Make sure the feedback is specific to the content and not "cookie-cutter." I've seen instructors who provide the same feedback to every student without regard to the differences in content. I know people are probably scratching their heads saying "Huh? how can that be?" But I've seen it happen! And 3)Remember the golden rule and treat people like you want to be treated. I'm not saying to be easy or to lower the standards. I'm saying that in an online environment, there's no face-to-face contact, so our words carry all the weight. We can still be nice as we provide insightful feedback.
1)Giving the feedback in a timely manner is essential. The information must be fresh on the student's mind.
2)Giving specific feedback that demonstrates shortcomings with regard to the learning objective and not necessarily the student's grade.
3)All feedback must come across as constructive and positive and not as a way to scorn the student.
I believe that feedback provided to students in general, should be 1) connected to learning objectives. Students need a lot of guidance to stay on track of learning the important stuff. Feedback 2) should be frequent with a positive tone. Positive reinformcement keeps the momentum. Then 3) feedback must be individualized and be specific and detailed. The student afterall is in class to learn and it will take individulized feedback to give specific direction.
Richard,
I agree. I think their needs/wants have driven us to reply more quickly. Providing meaningful feedback is essential. Thanks for your feedback.
I also believe consistant and timely feedback is not only important for learning,but in my experience with students, is expected. When my students hand in thier quiz, they are very anxious to see what they have yet to improve on.
Ken,
Oh no worries at all. I love the discussion. Thanks for your input.
Dr. Crews,
It was just an observation; not a complaint or condemnation, which leads me to another observation: I teach on ground, and statements can be said with facial expressions to imply and explain what was stated - not so with written statements.Obviously, one must be careful what one writes as the reader does not see the facial expression of the author. My written observation was meant to be slightly humorous as I was laughing at myself. I forgot the .
Faith,
Nice list. Detailed, positive and timely feedback is essential. Remember also to develop meaningful feedback that will help the students improve. Thanks for your input.
Ken,
I do not see the posts in the same environment you do, but I will pass this information along. Thank you.
Ken,
Right on! Feedback should help students improve. Providing clear, concise and relevant feedback help ensure more meaningful feedback. Thanks for your input .
The three most important things to remember when giving feedback to students in my courses are:
1. Detailed information on what was done well and what needs improvement. I use rubrics to maintain consistency as well.
2. Being positive even when giving correction
3. Being timely
After spending several minutes attempting to locate my posts, I discovered the most recent post are at the end of the thread; it would seem to make more sense to place the newer threads at the top - less searching. This is my attempt at meaningful feedback.
Ken
There is a time to be original, and a time to use the input of another; this is that time:
Re: Developing Meaningful Feedback
by William Sims
I believe that feedback should be:
1. Timely so that the students do not get discouraged while waiting for the feedback.
2. Feedback must relate to the rubric and the objectives of the lesson
3. Feedback must be positive as possible, starting with a compliment and end with a compliment.
The only change I would make to the above statement would be to insert this comment between #s 2 & 3:
2.5 Feedback must be critical when warranted, and accurate, to provide the student with information that will help him/her further understanding of the materials. Sometimes being positive may not be enough.
Cynthia,
Consistent, positive, timely, constructive, meaningful, specific, etc. These are all good words to describe meaningful feedback. Thanks for you input.
Cynthia,
You chose three excellent things to discuss. The feedback should encourage students to improve and not just tell them what they did wrong. Right on! Thanks for you input.
Yes, be timely in your feedback, I agree. I didn't think about that originally but you're so right. I teach an online course and we have to answer within 48 hours. I try to do it in less time because the student is more apt to reply again and keep the communication going. Also if the time is too long than the student sometimes feels that they are not important.
1. Be positive
2. Acknowlege what the student does know
3. Give clear feedback on areas that the student is confused with
4. Ask questions to stimulate the thought process and encourage the student to answer back
Dr. Kevin,
Consistent, timely, meaningful, constrtuction, and specific are all effective words to use when describing feedback. It should be designed to help the students improve and not just tell them what they did wrong. Nice job.
Cynthia,
Meaningful and relevant feedback is critical. The feedback should also be developed to help the students improve and see a link between the course objectives and what they are learning. Thanks for your input.
There are a number of things to consider when providing feedback in an online environment. I would say three of them (not in any particular order) are:
Timeliness – timely feedback allows students to improve future work based. It’s important in all online classes, but even more so with accelerated courses.
Detailed and specific – providing canned responses in terms of feedback is a trap that must be avoided. Students need (and deserve) to be provided feedback that they can truly use to develop their knowledge about a given topic.
Promotes deeper thought – There are a number of ways to do this. Feedback could include follow-up questions, comments that require students to think further about their assertions, or suggestions for additional resources to learn more about a topic.
