Five Tips for Effective Feedback
February 20, 2023
Abby was disappointed she did not receive specific feedback for her essay even though she received a solid grade for it. Since the assignment was at the beginning of the semester, Abby wanted to understand why she received the grade and how she could improve her essays in the future.
Feedback should consist of more than the grade. Students learn and improve their skills when feedback is specific and measurable and it’s provided shortly after submitting the assignment. Feedback should be used to help students improve upon the current assignment and encourage them to continue working on those skills to achieve mastery.
Five Feedback Tips
Quality Matters©, a training organization, offers a structured take on feedback. Quality Matters provides a systematic look at course design and construction. The organization highlights ways to align course materials, assessments and outcomes. Here are five tips for providing effective feedback:
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Constructive |
Try to offer solutions, not just identify problems. |
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Specific |
Include a specific example of what is being recommended. |
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Measurable |
Suggest ways that the student will know a recommendation has been implemented. |
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Sensitive |
Keep recommendations and comments on a positive note. Avoid the use of negative language. Use phrases such as “you may want to consider…” “It would be helpful if…” “I would like to suggest…” |
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Balanced |
Point out strengths as well as weaknesses. |
Each of these tips helps the student understand the assignment. The student can review previous errors to help them improve on the next go-around. If the feedback contains specifics about the assignment and a measurable way to achieve the goal, then the student can glean ways to improve the next assignment. Feedback should balance strengths as well as weaknesses.
Rubrics
One of the most transparent ways to measure assignments is rubrics. Giving a rubric prior to the assignment gives the students explicit information and expectations as to what criteria they will be receiving feedback. Clear rubrics can help the students know what to expect by defining a thorough, well-done assignment.
Feedback Loop
Many courses are designed with a mid-term and final and various assignments, projects and presentations scattered throughout the semester. Offering more frequent formative (low stakes) assessments can provide the student the opportunity to improve the quality of their work.
In the Journal of Education and Practice, authors, Mamoon-Al-Bashir et.al. offer a variety of practical tips, one of which is creating a feedback loop. Closing the gap between the submission of the assignment and the grade is best done quickly. The authors even go so far as to offer the student the opportunity to redo the same assignment. This practice emphasizes progress over perfection. i
Reflection and Self-Assessment
Giving students the opportunity to write reflections or self-assessments can also bring about improvement. When students identify their own challenges and issues, it can be helpful and insightful.
Use Different Tools
While feedback can be time-consuming for faculty, there are embedded tools in the Learning Management Systems such as in the quizzing feature. You can insert feedback as part of a question. This can be helpful for students to see immediate feedback.
Abby’s subsequent assignments fared much better. Her writing improved as she focused on critical thinking, clarity, and continuity.
Bibliography and References
Agarwal, P.K., Bain, P.M. (2019). Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning. Jossey-Bass.
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org, ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.7, No.16, 2016 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1105282.pdf
Workshops, Guidance, Help and Resources
The Learning Design Team is here to help you create test questions in your course. Please reach out to learningdesign@bentley.edu or to a specific instructional designer for ideas and help.