Scenario 1: I would discuss the feedback of Mike's assignment in a private setting to start. Before reviewing the final grades, I would ask Mike to discuss the areas of his performance that he felt he did well on and then I can comment on the skills. I would try to discuss the positive areas first and then move towards the areas needing improvement. At that point, we can set goals or create an action plan to achieve a higher grade on the next assessment.
Scenario 2: I would aim to follow the same pattern as above with starting with positive feedback on the assessment to build confidence in the learner. I would focus on the strong areas and encourage the learner to see her strengths in hopes that she will feel more confident of her next self evaluation.
For Mike, I would first congratulate him on completing the assignment. My feedback would also start with the positive things he did that met the assignment requirements. I would follow up with constructive feedback on those items that did not meet the assignment requirement and things he could do to correct this.
For Kathy, I would also congratulate her on completing the assignment and give her feedback on the what she did well. My communication wouldn't be much different than Mike's as I'll also give her feedback on those areas where she can improve her performance.
With Mike I would positively point out the points that he made that were good and explain the other points another way, and see if he could rewrite it from the new perspective.
With Kathy, it would probably be easier, as I would ask her first why she thought she didn't do as well, and then point out why she did do better than she thought.
For Mike: I would give him the option of resubmitting his paper. I would not attack him but bring out his good attributes.
For Kathy: I would not get to critical or it would turn her off. I would point out her good points. I feel she is quite critical of herself which means she lacks confidence. Build her up.
I would communicate to Mike that although he thinks he did well, he could have done better and maybe list some of the online resources available to him to improve his performance in the areas where he may be deficient. With Kathy, I would be more encouraging and maybe give her some supportive quotes that would help to motivate her. As with Mike, though, I would point put the areas she was deficient and some resources that she could acess to help her improve.
I would first praise Mike for completing his assignment in a timely manner and meeting the deadline. I would then point out any positive points regarding his assignment such as any information he provided that supported the directions given for the assignment. Next, I would explain what information was required and explain to him that he did not provide enough information in his answer to support what was asked of him for the assignment. Last, I would identify ways in which he could have made his work better. I would offer suggestions and resources he could have used to improve his chances of earning a better grade.
I think that I would use the same method as I did with Mike. I would find something positive about Kathy's work and highlight that first and proceed the way I did with Mike. I would also suggest to Kathy that in the future consult with her instructor if she is unclear with any assignment instructions.
Scneario 1: I would first point out the positives in his assignment and thank him for his inquiry. Then I would carefully go over the rubric and discuss the missing information and ways he could remediate the deficiencies in future assignments. I would then give him a psitive closing remark on his learning and active approach to wanting to enhance his learning and critical thinking.
Scenario 2: With Kathy, I would respond to the forthrightness and honesty in her assessment. Then I would proceed to address remediation approaches with her and follow it up with reinforcing her desire to imporve and active learning that she is evincing in the class.
In both cases, I would focus on postive learning outcomes and motivation to improve and become a self directed learner.
I start feedback with a brief review of the assignment and the standard with an example. Sometimes I provide a checklist of what was required to aid a student in understanding the assignment.
Next, I would tell Mike what he did well. Further, I explain where Mike has been improving from one assignment to another.
Last, I provide information on areas where Mike could improve. I use specific but constructive language. For example, I would say “You had the right idea to define ….however, I needed to see you provide more detail on….â€
I always let students know they can contact me in email, call, or chat to cover the feedback or work on issues together.
Herbert / Peers,
As an instructor I have experienced this in the past. I guess I may be somewhat of a failure in this regard, because in both instances I open by indicating acceptance of the work: Great work, Excellent work, Nice work, etc. Then I go into detail specifically recognizing failure to meet specific requirements in the assignment. Then close with some type of motivational comment. As can be seen, at least in my perspective my communication/response/comment does not vary much except as noted in the opening and closing comments. Actionable feedback is reflected in the review of the requirements of the assignment.
With Mike you need to advise him the issues that came up in the assignment in a positive way in order to secure further participation. If needed explain in detail what items were missed, and what items were completed. The interaction shows that you are being observant, and also shows a concern for the student to do better.
With Kathy you can acknowledge that she was correct in her assessment. You can then assist in ways to aid her in future assignments so the same errors don't come up. Positive reinforcement.
Because of the content area in which I teach, (Visual Communications - Graphic Design), my approach with Mike might be different than if he were in another class or another program. I find that it is most helpful to use visual examples to convey what is expected to the students. With Mike I would refer to the example that I discussed during the recorded Live Chat (which he could watch later if he wasn't present for it). I would also refer him to the example that I would have posted in the Instructor Files section of our classroom. I have found that a student will often think that they have done a good job (and they might have done a good job based on their own skill level) but their work is not at the level that it needs to be to be competitive in the field. It is a matter of giving them feedback that recognizes their efforts (particularly if you already have some sense of their capabilities based on other assignments) and showing them what their competition is doing and encouraging them to improve their work so that ultimately they can be successful in the field and enjoy working at a profession that they are in school to learn. I would encourage any student whose work really needs improvement to resubmit it to be reevaluated and the grade improved if that is allowable within our course guidelines.
I would follow much the same approach with the student who recognizes the quality of work produced. I would give positive feedback on those elements that were good or showed potential. I would recommend improvements on other elements and refer to the examples from our chat that I had posted for students to refer to. And finally, I would give the student an opportunity to resubmit and get further feedback to show if they've succeeded in addressing the issues that were lacking.
Hello,
In the first scenario with Mike, I would use a compounded strategy. The first comment would focus on a positive part of the submission. I would then acknowledge that he reviewed his performance but that there were areas that need additional detail or attention. I find that saying something is wrong or missing can be offensive. If you acknowledge that the right intention was there but the entire goal was not met, the student usually takes the constructive criticism in a more positive way. I would then end with suggestions on how to improve performance, again highlighting a part of the submission that was correctly completed.
In the second scenario, I would proceed in a similar fashion. I would make sure to provide encouragement before closing. The student already indicated the poor performance. This can be an opportunity to suggest a conversation with the student to find out if the student was sick, busy at work or struggling with the content.
Best
Tyra Hall-Pogar
With Mike: I would start with some positive feedback and then more to the specific areas where he missed the topic or point of the assignment. A gentle reminder to stay focused on what is being asked and to read the assignment carefully could also be used.
On Kathy: I would note her honest evaluation and assure her that she still has the opportunity to do well on future assignments by using her energy to develop more comprehensive materials and make other suggestions (i.e. start sooner, do a little each day, etc.) for performance improvement. Some positive encouragement and recognizing her ability to do better (based on past performance) should be used as well for some motivation.
Both of these scenarios often occur in the classroom. With Mike, and any other student for that matter, I would use the "sandwich" approach. I would begin by telling them what they did right followed by areas in which they need to improve, ending with positive parting comments. I don't necessarily think that there is any reason to "knock him down a peg". I think any amount of criticism, though constructive, may do the trick. I often find that overconfident students tend to take any form of criticism much more harshly and are willing to make the necessary improvements.
For Kathy, much like the scenario with Mike, I would use the "sandwich" approach as well. However, I have found that students with a poor self concept and a lack of confidence in themselves can be helped through a focus more on positive feedback. It is important to explain the expectations and the reasons for their grades as well as suggestions for improvement. But with these particular students, they can really benefit from that extra attention and a pat on the back if you will for their effort and obvious concern for their grade. Certainly this is not the case with all students. There may be another reason for their poor submission and it is important to look more into the situation.
Elizabeth,
You can certainly "buffer" the situation by pointing out the things they did right first, then what they did wrong, then maybe finish up with one other thing they did right so you close on a positive note. I also use rubrics on the majority of my assignments so that they students have a clear framework that is applied the same to all students and it helps them better understand where they lost points and what needs to be improved. However, even then, students sometimes still need a little more clarification.
Herbert Brown III
You definitely have to build a rapport with students. It is difficult to deliver bad news to a student who thinks they performed. With Mike, I would begin by pointing out the things he performed well on. I would then venture on to point out SPECIFICALLY the items that need improvement. I would be concise as possible so he would understand exactly what I was looking for and why his assignment fell short. I would not reference his self-evaluation at all since I did not agree with it.
I do not think my communication would differ very much with the second student. I would try to clearly point out what she did wrong and tell her what she needs to do to correct it moving forward. I would try to encourage this student and also point out anything that she did well.
In both scenarios, it would be important to first explain what was expected. Then follow that up with some of the good points in their submission. I like to sandwich critisim between good points so the shortcomings would be explained and how they could be improved on based on what was expected. I would then follow up with encouragement and final good thoughts about the work. There should not be a need to treat these differently if a balanced approach is used.
Robert,
I agree with your response to Mike. Start off with the positive and gradually go into areas for improvement. I try to be as specific as possible when providing feedback to the students.
I also give them the opportunity to resubmit an assignment if the get more than half wrong.
Mr. Brown & thread:
In the scenario where Mike had some mistakes but thought he did well, there are several things to address in the feedback. The feedback in this case (and in all cases in the online classroom) is very important to the academic success of the student. The student needs to know what they have completed successfully, and what else needs improvement--after all, this is the way we learn. One would start with the content praise--recognizing the work that was submitted with relevant and substantial feedback. The next step would be the content polish -- this is where we can tell Mike content related improvement in his work (recognizing what was wrong with the submission and providing supportive details). One can also provide an example of a correct response, or inform the student what the instructor is looking for in the response. The last thing to consider in the feedback is the tone--the tone must be conveyed in a professional tone that is supportive, respectful and positive.
The feedback is of great importance in the online course room, and it must be presented properly for learning to take place.
Cheers
Su Yen
Scenario 1: To begin with, I would recognize Mike's efforts in completing the assignment. I would focus on the good qualities of his work, followed by a "however". I would discuss in my feedback areas that he did not address or were not answered properly. Being that he thought he did an excellent job, I would again focus on what was done right and indicate areas that need to still be addressed. I would be clear in my communication so that he understands where he went wrong. (If he thinks he did a great job, he may need it clearly outlined for him where the problems lie.) I would end my communication by again recognizing his efforts. I believe in the "sandwich effect" - good comments, problematic feedback - good comments.
Scenario 2: Since Kathy has already indicated that she didn't do a good job on the assignment, it is clear that her confidence is low. My communication would be sensitive to that so Kathy is not discouraged. I would find something positive to relay and then follow that with areas that need improvement. I may ask Kathy why she believes she did poorly. This information may indicate that she did not understand the material or that she did not put enough time into completing her work. Either way, it is a starting point to try to help her get back on track. Being that her confidence may be lacking, I would communicate as much positive areas that I could justify in an attempt to keep her motivated and encourage her efforts.
