I enter to the students "problem-oriented" tasks (homework).

I evaluate these tasks immediately and get a "set of mistakes" and these mistakes I can discuss with students (not disclosing authors of errors).

That gives pretty good results.

I would go through written submissions with a fine toothcomb, editing everything I could. It was an overkill, but the only 'negative' end-of-year written criticism I received was "I do not like Dr Kennedy's glasses"!

Gloria:

Usually, I would copy the rubric with the student's name to the top into the paper and use shading to indicate the corresponding mark and criterion the student received for each component of the assignment. Then I would provide some brief comments on how to improve the gaps (e.g., from satisfactory to excellent). In the actual body of the paper, I would highlight and include tutorial links for any infractions found in the paper. Hope this helps!

Many thanks,

Debra

Thanks Debra, you say you provide some brief comments concerning gaps in their knowledge or skills or understanding.What I am interested in knowing is whether the feedback you provide feeds forward to their next assignment and /or to the next educator to better ensure those gaps are addressed. if so how is this managed?

Josef, you write that you discuss errors with students in problem-solving. Do you then get students to apply that knowledge in subsequent problem-solving tasks and provide individualised feedback?

 Harshvardhan thanks for your response. You discuss how you evaluate students' knowledge but what feedback do you give to the students?

Gloria:

Yes, the feedback given is expected to improve students writing and knowledge/skills on the range of topics covered in the course. If the writing deficiencies are really serious then I would forward the graded assignment to the next instructor, so that she/he can provide the needed support for the student to improve the writing.

Many thanks,

Debra

Thanks Rita. I agree that the grade can get in the way. When undertaking the feedback study we thought students were only interested in the grade and didn't care about the feedback but our survey indicated they were extremely interested in feedback. The problem for them was only some feedback by some lecturers and the nature of the feedback was worth reading and taking note of.

From Tunisian context where, in general,  our students interact rarely with their teachers, we still try to encourage our teachers to make their pupils speak with open questions, mirror questions, with asking for rationals. Then we train teachers to provide feedback by very limited amount of information and by following the pupils suggested itinerary until they discover their non sense results and ask for alternatives. At that moment, pupils will be led to new ways, feeling that they are discovering those ways by themselves. 

Dear Gloria

Teachers have to change the evaluation forms. Today there are effective instrument as rubricks

But from my point of view observation with good esclas is a good instrument

Best reguards

Our university is using Google Drive. I have my students share assignments with me using Google Drive. I use the comment feature in the documents to give feedback for written assignments.I highlight the section I am commenting on and add comments to the right of the document. Look at the video to understand how this is done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQlzjAVnb1w  There are several ways for students to share the documents with you. I am not going into that here unless people tell me they are interested how I collect the assignments. For Presentations and projects I use rubrics and add feedback comments. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQlzjAVnb1w

Carmella, does the feedback you provide feed on to other assignments to other courses? What expectation is there for students to act on the feedback provided?

This is a very important question. I feel that when the students realize that the professor pays attention, that he gives feedback, supporting the teaching and learning process, they try harder to succeed. The teaching and learning process needs constant evaluation and also interaction, with the professor and also between students. 

We try different strategies for feedback. 

After each class, for example, I post at Moodle Platform complementary material on the class subject and open up a forum, inviting students to read the contents and comment. It is important that the professor keep on giving return on the posted comments, and also posting questions on the same subject, stimulating students to participate. 

After evaluation, it is important to show students their mistakes, and make sure they understood.  

For graphic design it varies from one on one consultation feedback sessions. Another would be a group feedback session where I would strategically select students artworks that highlight frequent problem areas and as well as good work for discussion.  Another form of feedback would also be via email. Students would email their designs digitally in pdf or jpeg format and would then reply back with quick feedback.

Glória:

My experience in online education brings me to develop various types of feedback. In all feedback genres contained constructive criticism. I intend, with all of them, make the student discover the mistake and learn from it. The feedback submission does not just repeat the content, but want to make every student can, individually, discover the error in order to correct it.

Best regards,

Carla Alexandra Gonçalves

A colleague and I launched an online training program and built focused formative feedback and a more broad summative feedback. The goal of the two levels was to facilitate student self-proofreading skills and encourage discussion around challenges. However we are finding that students are incredibly diverse in their willingness to share and disclose difficulties. They are happy to cast aspersions, but seldom critically engage problems. This diversity in reactions seem to be related to student professional experience and age, but loosely. In a classroom it would be easier to guide these discussions, but on-line there is a challenge in facilitating feedback vs. just giving corrective feedback.

Hi Gloria

Your perception about student is your feedback, which may be bias sometime as concerned with his/her performance in your subject/ class. I suggest following way which will make faculties's feedback more effective for student:

a) A structured SWOT analysis of student showing with some evidence duly validated by other faculties feedback.  

b) Highlight his / her attitudes and habit which need to be modify or make strong tools for further growth in career as it would be difficult to change entirely him except he/she has great will power.

c) Ask him to make his SWOT analysis, as his own perception is also important. He will be motivated where it find similar and where he find difference then may surprise but may  agreed due to evidence and will accept challenge to improve further his/her weakness. 

d) Put/ show  more positive feedback so that he/she will connect with you and they also share their some weakness or strong point and deeply interact with you and listen feedback with  positive knots .... and encourage them that SO will definitely help them to achieve a great success. 

e) Feedback should be a great surprise for him/her for the strength and opportunities which is unknown to him. 

Last but not least your presentation skill based on his/her psychology is critical and very important to make feedback very very effective.

Regards 

I work mainly with graduate students, both in teaching and as a research supervisor. Striking the right balance between honest criticism (when effort is clearly lacking) and encouragement (when effort sometimes takes time to produce its dividends) is a hard but important balance. Paul

The feed backs I give my students tend to be through:

Peer feed back, group feed back and individual feed back. Purpose if  students are learning, where there are gaps in their learning and where improvements can be made.

Peer feed back is more bias and perception is different on scale. However group feed back is supporting in validating attitude on team work, initiate, extra ordinary skill being observed by group during team work and less bias.  Peer group feed back is good on finding student's attitude and behavior aspects.  

Hello Gloria,

I personally use three types of feedback : feedback regarding the correctness of the answer; feedback providing the correct answer; elaborated feedback (providing an explanation. According to the research literature, elaborated feedback produced a large effect size on students' learning. 

Denis and other contributors,

Once again thank-you. While most address the kinds of feedback provided, the 2nd half of my question (about its effectiveness) is still left without response. And I think it is here that the core of the question and the usefulness of feedback resides. As we invest a great deal of time and thought in providing feedback, how are we attempting to ensure that the feedback feeds on to other problem-solving tasks? What happens to the feedback we provide? What expectations (if any) are inherent for the learner to take up that feedback? How do we know?

Rita,

I too am a fan of Donald Graves and writing for authentic purposes. Do you provide opportunities for them to transfer the feedback given to future tasks to ensure they are developing the skills?

Lucila, I know that timing is important with respect to receiving and acting upon relevant feedback. How are you monitoring the feedback you provide?

Just short notes written on test papers and home works. It is effective on motivating them to study harder but not much on getting higher grades. By the way, I'm teaching mathematics.

Thanks David. I suppose I was wondering about the nature of the feedback. For example, when I think a task is very strong, I still give them something to consider something to rethink or someone they might like to read to take their skills,knowledge or understanding further.