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Meaningful Feedback in the Online Learning

EnvironmentBy Jenna Linskens

Northcentral UniversityPrescott Valley, AZ

ELT7008-8-6

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Focus Concepts:Definition of Feedback

Importance of Meaningful FeedbackBenefits of Feedback

Strategies for Meaningful FeedbackFinal Thoughts

Definition of Feedback“Feedback is information about how a student has performed in relation to some standard or goal (knowledge of results)” (Nicol and Milligan, 2006, p. 1).

Compared Feedback

Constructivist Theory of Feedback

Constructivism stresses that “meaning is a function of how the individual creates meaning from his or her experiences and actions” (Jonassen, 1991, as cited by Dabbagh & Bannan-Ritland, 2005, p.167).

Feedback “creates a point of connection between participants and allows them to look at their ideas in another light” (Palloff & Pratt, 2007, p. 179).

Cognitive Theory of Feedback

Cognitive theorists recognize that learning involves “associations established through contiguity and repetition. They also acknowledge the importance of reinforcement, and stress its role in providing feedback about the correctness of the response over its role as a motivator” (Good & Brophy, 1990, as cited by Mergel, 1998, p. 7).

Importance of Meaningful Feedback“Students learn faster and more effectively when they are provided with the feedback of their current performance and what might be needed in order to improve” (Balaji & Chakrabarti, 2010, p. 6).

Results of Feedback

In a Learner-Centered

Environment

Encourages meaningful dialogue

Increases collaboration

Promotes peer and self-evaluation

Builds a sense of community

Prompts reflection

Allows students to summarize, evaluate and construct broader connections

In an Instructor-Led Environment

Provides organized instruction

Enhances the learner’s self control of information processing

Relies on learning strategies to facilitate understanding

Focuses on performance mastery

Supports learning strategies that promote articulation of understanding and reflection on performance

Benefits of Feedback

“The e-moderator has a critical role to play in identifying key issues remaining to be addressed, making explicit ideas or issues that have newly emerged, [and] suggesting paths for further development” (Benfield, 2002, p. 4).

Good Feedback Practice

helps clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, expected standards);

facilitates the development of reflection and self-assessment in learning;

delivers high quality information to students about their learning;

encourages teacher and peer dialogue around learning;

encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem;

provides opportunities to close the gap between current and desired

performance;

provides information to teachers that can be used to help shape the teaching.

Strategies for Meaningful Feedback“External feedback should focus on scaffolding students towards greater self-regulation in learning” (Nicol and Milligan, 2006, p. 1).

Best eLearning Practices 4 Prompt Feedback

Video Prompt feedback is attained through: online quizzes, layered responses, online surveys, emails, and chat forums, all completed in a timely manner.

How to improve feedback: escape distractions, be more specific, asking probing questions, using peer evaluations, recycling responses, and increasing 1:1 feedback, managing time better, tagging comments, using chat rooms for more immediate feedback, triaging questions, improving time management skills, and using the cut & paste features.

Instructor’s Role in Feedback

In the Constructivist Theory of Feedback

Facilitator, mentor or coach

Feedback occurs through online discussions with periodic and timely summaries, timely feedback to questions, and written acknowledgment or confirmation, and affirmation to work and participation through praise and reassurance.

In the Cognitive Theory of Feedback

Lecturer

The delivery of curriculum and instruction is the central focus of the course.

Feedback is limited to successful completion and understanding of specific goals often times measured through standardized assessment

Guidelines for Feedback

Plan ahead, don’t make up the feedback

Think first, get your thoughts straight before you type

Make notes, figure out what you want to say

Use short paragraphs, less is more

Make it clear, the reader needs to be able to understand what you are saying

Don’t over quote, and then say “I agree”, summarize the message and add your comment

Don’t just agree (or disagree) with the writer, tell why you feel a certain way and support it with facts

Read through before clicking submit, check for spelling & grammatical errors and that the message is appropriate without being demeaning or insulting

Provide feedback in a timely manner, don’t wait until the end, which can result in feeling rushed and providing less meaningful feedback

Final Thoughts“Detailed instructions provided for completing the activities, regular feedback from the instructor and increased communication among students encourages greater participation” in an online environment (Balaji & Chakrabarti, 2010, p. 16).

The Empowered Learner: A Constructivist View

The more we engage students in self-evaluation, the more meaningful the course.

The more we engage students in collaborative activities and assessments, the longer the learning community will last

The more meaningful the course, the more likely to build lifelong learners

“Learning online is about inclusion, caring, and inquiry. It is a co-constructed learning environment” (Palloff & Pratt, 2005, p. 53).

ReferencesAlley, L.R. & Jansak, K.E. (2001, Winter). The ten keys to quality assurance and assessment in online learning. Journal of Interactive Instruction Development, (13)3, 3-18.  Balaji, M.S. & Chakrabarti, D. (2010, Spring). Student interactions in online discussion forum: Empirical research from ‘media richness theory’ perspective. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 9(1), 1-22.  Benfield, G. (2002, June 27). Designing and managing effective online discussions. Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Learning and Teaching Briefing Papers Series. Retrieved from http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsd/2_learntch/briefing_papers/online_discussions.pdf   Dabbagh, N. & Bannan-Ritland, B. (2005). Online learning: Concepts, strategies, andapplication. Columbus, OH: Pearson. *Lee, J., Carter-Wells, J., Glaeser, B., Ivers, K., & Street, C. (2006). Facilitating the development of a learning community in an online graduate program. Quarterly Review of Distance Education. (7)1 pp. 13-33. Retrieved from Proquest. Nicol, D.J. & Milligan, C. (2006). Rethinking technology-supported assessment in relation to the seven principals of good feedback practice. Innovative Assessment in Higher Education. London: Taylor and Francis Group Ltd. Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (Ed.) (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Vonderwell, S., Liang, X., & Alderman, K. (2007, Spring). Asynchronous discussions and assessment in online learning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 39(3), 309-328. Retrieved from ProQuest.

Winegar, M. & Burns, E. (2012). Best eLearning Practices 4 Prompt Feedback [Video]. Retrieved from YouTube http://youtu.be/TPsaQRYG3d0