Giving feedback

Principles of effective feedback

Feedback can be much more than instructor comments that accompany and justify a grade. In fact, targeted, specific, action and learning-outcome-oriented feedback can help students learn (Wiggins, 2012). Sadler (1989) describes the role of feedback as providing information relating to the task that fills a gap between what is understood and what is aimed to be understood (Hattie & Timperley, 2007).

Feedback understood this way is distinct from advice or evaluation. For example, assigning a student a grade on an exam or assignment is an evaluation that alerts them to their standing in the course. A statement such as “Your argument could use more evidence” is advice that can leave students wondering why. Constructive feedback, however, allows students to determine if they are meeting the course’s learning outcomes and to act on the feedback to build up their skills or knowledge moving forward. It can also play a role in increasing students’ effort, motivation, or engagement to fill the gap between their performance or understanding and your expectation (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Keep in mind that students are not typically taught how to receive feedback, so consider taking some time to share with your students your own goals with giving them feedback.

There are ways of working to ensure that the time spent in giving feedback helps further students’ learning. The following principles, adapted from Wiggins (2012), describe key aspects of feedback that promote learning and offer concrete tips for delivering it effectively.

Concrete and specific feedback helps students understand where to focus their attention. For example, students benefit from learning how and why they did something well and identifying places where problems have been spotted. Feedback that is specific can be guided by asking yourself:

What is the problem that I have identified?
How can it be remedied?
If the work is good, why is it good?

Focus on giving feedback that helps students better meet the learning outcomes of the course and the goal(s) of the assignment. Doing so can also encourage students to self-assess their work against the assessment criteria moving forward, so that they can better understand how to fulfill your expectations. Consider writing the feedback next to the relevant criterion if you are using a rubric.

How to do this on Moodle

Feedback alerts a student to how they are doing in meeting the course’s learning outcomes. To feed “forward” implies giving the student tips on what to focus on moving forward (Hattie & Timperley, 2007).

If you are providing feedback on a draft or formative assessment, give specific feedback that highlights what the student needs improvement on leading up to a summative assessment.

When giving feedback on a summative assessment, link feedback to the assignment’s grading criteria and signal how they met them (or failed to do so). Remember that summative assessments allow students to express their overall learning in a course. Pointing out specific qualities in a student’s assignment can help them develop an understanding of their capabilities as they progress through the course and beyond.

Try not to overwhelm students with too much feedback (especially if it’s critical). Prioritize the most important two or three elements. Consider whether your feedback to students addresses elements of the task itself, the process involved in completing the task or metacognitive attributes of the task (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Make sure there is a balance of knowledge or skills for students to work on and recognition of what the student has done well.

Aim to provide feedback to students as soon as possible. While quick turnaround time is particularly challenging in courses with large enrollments, remember that choosing to give targeted and prioritized feedback can lower the number of individual comments on each assignment.

Try to use positive language to strike a supportive tone. Feedback is a powerful tool for engaging and motivating students, which can increase their effort moving forward. Overly critical feedback, however, especially when directed at a student’s personal attributes, can have the opposite effect (Hattie & Timperley, 2007).

Examples of effective vs. ineffective feedback

Instead of:
Using "???" or saying the work is "vague"

Try saying:
"Can you clarify what you mean in this paragraph by providing specific examples or references to class material?"

Why?
Because the references to concrete paragraphs and the absence of specific examples or class materials makes the feedback more specific and targeted, clearly pointing out to the student which sections are unclear and signalling how to remedy the shortcoming.

Instead of saying:
"This is bad"

Try saying:
"I appreciate the effort, but you are missing crucial pieces to the project’s criteria, such as _________ and __________.
Be sure to read the assignment description and rubric thoroughly for the criteria next time, and please don't hesitate to ask me questions along the way if you are unsure."

Why?
Because it changes the comment from an evaluation to actionable feedback that prioritizes what’s important, strikes a more positive tone and outlines specifically which evaluation criteria the student has missed.

By mentioning future assignments, this feedback also feeds “forward,” giving the student the opportunity to apply this feedback in future course work.

Instead of:
"Good job"

Try saying:
"You did a great job outlining the process of your research in your report. Your writing is clear and detailed, but concise."

Why?
Because you are signalling to the student not only that they have met the goals of the assignment but specifically in what ways. The feedback becomes an opportunity to remind them of the intended learning outcomes they’ve achieved.

More resources

Looking for ways to give feedback more efficiently while also providing students with targeted information about their learning? Have a look at our Tips for efficient and effective grading to find strategies as well as distinct modes of delivery through Moodle.