Beth,
It's awesome that you are using rubrics and encouraging the students to review them so that they know what is expected. Using the rubrics also helps you (as you know) be consistent in your feedback.
Students at times do not review the rubrics to begin with, but typically after the first assignment is graded, they learn quickly how helpful the rubric is. It's important not to put informaiton in the rubric that tells them exactly what to do, but the standards with which you will hold them accountable.
For example, if they are writing a report or analysis of something they have read, the rubric should include something such as
5 points = No grammatical or spelling errors
3 points = 1-2 grammatical or spelling errors
0 points = More than 2 grammatical or spelling errors
You are right that the students can improve their work and it also elminates the questions from students such as: "Why did I get 10 points taken off for this assignment?" It's clear with the rubric.
Thanks!
Hi Janelle,
I like to use the 2 x 2 strategy myself. Have you ever found yourself struggling to find 2 areas in need of improvement when grading an assignment from a very strong student? I do find that at times there really isn't anything that needs to be improved (depending on the type of assignment) particularly toward the end of the term when students have truly used my earlier feedback and made adjustments and corrections to their work. I don't like to feel forced to point out a weakness when I really am having trouble finding one. Do you ever experience this and if so does your feedback then just become "2" rather than 2 x 2?
Beth
Hi Alysha,
Good mention of the importance of maintaining a positive tone when providing feedback to a student. I can recall how important instructor feedback was to me when I was a student and how "crushed" I would have been if I sensed a rude or impatient tone from an instructor. It is very possible to point out quite a few errors a student is making while sounding upbeat and positive about their effort at the same time.
Good point!
Beth
Hi Rachel,
Good point about the importance of feedback being timely. It isn't fair to students to allow them to repeat mistakes in Week 3 that they made in Week 1. I try to always return work within 72 hours and find that that seems to be the standard at many online schools these days.
Beth
Hello,
I believe that meaningful feedback must be very specific, detailed and it must refer to the assignment objectives and criteria specified in the grading rubric.
I always encourage my students to use the grading rubrics as a checklist of sorts and that by doing so they can almost choose and predict the grade that they will receive. They can know before submitting the assignment if they have covered everything asked of them, met the length requirement, used proper formatting etc.... The rubrics along with the assignment instructions do spell out exactly what is expected of them and how their instructor will be evaluating their work.
The feedback I provide will then point specifically to the rubric and indicate how many points out of the possible number they received on each item listed in the rubric.
As students get more familiar with and comfortable using grading rubrics it is my belief that they can improve their work and decide to a certain extent what they want to receive on an assignment and eliminate any surprises when they do receive their graded work.
Do you feel as if your students do consult the grading rubrics prior to completing or submitting their work?
Beth Stewart
Dalene,
You are right on with positive, specific and motivating. Being positive many times is difficult, but necessary. Being specific and motivating will help students see their errors, but more importantly your feedback will help them understand why it is incorrect. Understanding the "why" will help them improve on future assignments.
Nice job!
Jennifer,
You are right one. Being timely, consistent and specific in your feedback helps students get the individualized feedback they need. This helps them improve and be more responsive to learning.
Nice job.
Dr. Crews -
I believe that feedback should be first of all positive, then specific and then motivating.
I commend my students for their submitted work, commend the content and format; then I note specific areas that were outstanding and then areas that could have been improved, including specifics on how the improvement can be made. I then encourage the student to incorporate the suggestions in their next assignment, and keep up the great work.
When developing meaningful feedback for assignments/projects in a course, I believe the following points are important:
- Make sure to provide the feedback in a timely manner. Otherwise the student may not be able to gain from the feedback if they are already focusing on the next assignment or project.
- Make sure to provide concrete and specific feedback. In other words, don’t just comment that the project was “well done†or “good work.†These types of comments do not teach anything to students and are too generic.
- Make sure to provide feedback in a positive tone. I think this provides for a learning experience for the student rather than a reason for a student to get defensive. Try to be a helpful instructor who shows they want their students to succeed!
Thanks,
Jennifer
Tod,
You are right on track. Nice job. Developing feedback to help students improve definitely combines what you have discussed in this forum.
Thank you.
George,
Again, thanks for the organized thoughts. When we think about meaningful feedback it certainly includes tone along with specific and detailed information. It must also be timely and consistent and help students improve.
Thank you.
The three things I would need to remember to provide meaningful feedback in my classes:
1. Specific and detailed
My students are typically learning specific features of a software program, so the feedback I provide would need to be very detailed so I could adequately explain to students what was done correctly and incorrectly in the project they submitted. Meaningful feedback would also include specific direction on how to fix any errors in a submitted project.
2. Individualized
For my feedback to be meaningful, it would need to be directed toward the individual work of each student. Each student will have a unique style and will apply the software features I’m teaching in slightly different ways, so my feedback would need to be very specific and unique for each student.
3.Connected to learning objectives
The context of my feedback should always be directed towards the learning objectives of the particular class I’m teaching, since each class covers unique software topics and may be the only opportunity the student has in their degree program to learn the specific skills I’m teaching.
Dr. Crews,
My three are:
1. It must be sent on time before the next assignment.
2. It should be specific and not too detailed and windy.
3. Tone must be friendly, comforting, soothing and inviting.
Hearty cheers,
Dr. George Ojie-Ahamiojie
Donna,
Thanks for your input. I like the point you bring up about the fact that if students wait too long on feedback their motivation and passion will decrease. Students do appreicate consistent, timely feedback.
As you also noted, begin clear, positiveand concise is also appreciated. The more feedback you can provide that helps students improve, is the best thing. Nice job.
Dr. Crews...
Providing meaningful feedback to students is one of the most important tools in a successful online learning experience.
I believe the feedback must be prompt. Students are always eager to see what the results will be. Causing them to wait too long will difuse the anticipation and could decrease their motivation and passion.
Setting a positive tone will encourage the student to continue with assurety.
Providing clear and concise feedback, leaving no room for interpretation, will benefit the student as well. Students will also benefit from their instructor taking an honest approach. As instructors we should point out the positive attributes and build upon the negative issues.
Lynn,
You are so right by starting on a positive note. Stuents need to know that the feedback is relevant to helping them improve as well.
Being timely and consistent is also key so that students know what to expect and when to expect it.
Nice job.
I think that it is important to start on a positive note. Then any suggestions included in the feedback will be taken with an open mind. Conveying a warm, caring concern helps the student relax and realize that the instructor is striving for the best possible outcome. Working together to achieve the objectives and goals helps both the student and the instructor in the learning process.
Next feedback should be specific and meaningful so that the student can see the relevance of the assignment and the importance of comprehending the material.
Last a timely response is important. A time frame of 24-48 hours has been mentioned in other posts. That is what is expected of me as an instructor. I make sure that the students know when I can be reached and how quickly I respond depends on that schedule. Communication regarding this matter is essential.
Clayton,
Nice job. You are correct in that feedback must be personalized and timely and provided to help students improve. Many times instructor and students feel like assessment is something done "to" students, but it should be something done "with" students.
Thanks for your input.
Assessment is always a challenge for any instructor. No matter how well written the rubric there are always students who seem to fall somewhere in the middle. It is important to provide meaningful feedback to provide greater opportunities for student learning. For me, the three most important points to remember are:
1. Feedback has to be timely. Feedback that comes weeks after the assignment has been post is in all likelihood going to useless to the student. The student has moved on from the assignment has has other projects or issues on their minds.
2. Feedback needs to be specific and personalized for full effectiveness. Exactly what did the student do that was not up to the standards of the rubric. What does the student need to do to improve this project or future projects.
3. Feedback needs to be provided for all students, not just the lower performing students. All students, even those, who post work that consistently draws the highest marks, can improve in some way. It is important that we show those students ways to better their work as well.
Charlene,
Your insights into feedback are correct. As an instructor, you must be specific to help the students not only understand that they did something incorrectly, but why it was incorrect. This helps them improve.
When you tie feedback to learning outcomes/objectives (typicaly through the use of a rubtic), the student further understand what is expected of them.
Very nice.
