DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

May 8

 

Good Designs for Written Feedback for Students

  • To get the best out of feedback comments, it is vital that students engage with instructors
  • It is important that feedback is not too narrowly conceptualized as something that happens after the student has produced some work
  • Provide detail when giving feedback so it's not too specific and vague so students can understand what guidance means
  • Give timely feedback before it's too late, or create multistage assignments that can address some of these problems
  • Teachers should try to ensure that students perceive comments as descriptive rather than evaluative or authoritarian
  • Feedback could also emphasize learning goals by acknowledging the role that mistakes and effort play in learning and by avoiding normative comparisons with other students
  • Feedback is more effective when it is related to the instructional context, to the learning outcomes and the assessment criteria
  • By enhancing students' understanding of the requirements and criteria they aer more likely to understand and use the feedback advice they receive
  • Comments should help students find alternative ways of looking at the problem rather than simply highlight misunderstandings
  • The four orientations to the provision of feedback comments are: teachers could provide comments on the task, they might be about the writing process, they might focus comments on the student's ability to self-regulate, or the comments might be personal
  • In order to create meaningful feedback, teachers must tailor their feedback comments to students' needs. Feedback must be supplemented by feedback from other sources and feedback must be geared to strengthening the students' ability to judge the quality of their own work
  • Ask students what kind of feedback they would like since everyone handles criticism differently
  • Students might be more receptive to teacher feedback if the comments they receive from peers agree with those of the teacher
  • Some students lack confidence in the ability or knowledge of peers, but with training they can gain the ability to give positive and effective feedback
  • When students engage in learning activites there is always a feedback dimension, even when there is no external source of feedback advice
  • To help students develop their self-assessment skills it is important to provide them with many opportunities to reflect on their work

The ABC's of Assigning Grades

  • The major part of evaluation should be in the form of comments on papers, responses to student statements, conversations, and other means of helping students understand where they are and how to do better
  • What professors communicate by a grade depends on the meaning of the grade to the person reading it
  • Professors cannot change the meaning of grades
  • The topic of whether or not grades are important has been debated for a while now, as grades crush students' motivation
  • Because grades are commonly used in combination with other variables, no one hsould expect grades always to correlate with success for the students who are selected
  • Important qualities of an assessment is reliability, grade calculation, and validity
  • In order to communicate accurately with all the consumers of those grades, you need to be sure that the bases for your grading are both valid and reliable
  • Standardizing grades is more accepted as you can check to see if the student's major and minor objectives were met
  • You need to be clear about your criteria for grading assignments
  • By keeping students informed during the course about where they stand, you help them control much of the anxiety they feel when the grading system is indefinite and unstructured
  • Offer students the choice to omit some answers on tests and quizzes or submit extra work for a higher grade
  • When a student wants a grade changed, try to understand the student's reasoning and go over the criteria again
  • Focus on meaningful activities that students can see are related to their own future
  • Make the learning challenging but doable and interesting through use of variety and novelty
  • Focus on individual improvement rather than on comparisons with others
  • Recognize effort and progess, but make evaluation private rather than public
  • Encourage students to collaborate learning

I enjoyed Julie and Julia's presentations today. I thought that the way they built their presentations off one another helped make the transition smooth and effective. They covered a lot of material in a short amount of time, but I was able to grasp the concepts they were teaching to us.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.