Feedback is action taken by an external agent (instructor, peer, audience...etc.) to provide information regarding some aspect of one's performance on a task. John Hattie, a University of Melbourne education professor, has done extensive research that shows feedback has one of the biggest impacts on learning. This is because it sits at the intersection of two of our basic needs: our drive to learn, and our longing for acceptance/acknowledgement. 

But not all feedback is considered equal. Not all of it improves outcomes. And certainly, not all of it is read by our students. 

The most important part of feedback is that it should be forward-looking rather than backward-looking. In other words, the purpose of feedback should be to improve the work on tasks that students have not yet attempted. This means that feedback (received in the form of descriptive commentary, peer assessment, coaching, or formative practice) should be provided prior to a heavily-weighted, high-stakes assessment task. 

Another important consideration is what kind of feedback your students receive. Imagine this scenario: You are taking a class on typing. Remember those? Here are some examples of feedback you might receive:

  • You type at 45 words per minute.
  • According to the rubric, which breaks the task into three criteria (speed, accuracy, and technique) you get a B+ for typing.
  • You are one of the fastest typists in the class.
  • You are a fantastic typist.
  • You are 5 words per minute short of the standard expected to pass.
  • You are 10 words per minutes faster than last week
  • You can improve your speed by keeping your fingers on the home row.
  • I can see that you are always trying your best. Great job!
  • This is what an expert typist looks like. Compare yourself and see where you can improve.
  • Congratulations! You have reached level 5 of typing. You can now advance to level 6. Just three more levels to go!

Feedback can be categorized as appreciative (in the form of encouragement and acknowledgement), evaluative (scored or labeled), or coaching (providing specific instruction to improve future performance). All are helpful for different reasons, but coaching feedback sprinkled with a little appreciative feedback is the most effective for improving performance. 

Feedback doesn't just have to come from the instructor. It can be implicit in the task (e.g. in games or when students receive a score), it can come from peers, audiences, and other experts. Or, it can be metacognitive, through reflection and self-evaluation.  

STOP & THINK: What kind of feedback do you most often provide students? Are you the only source of feedback? 

There are six possible responses to feedback by the student or receiver (adapted from Kluger & DeNisi, 1996):

  • Change their behaviour in a positive way - give more effort to improve performance
  • Change their behaviour in a negative way - give less effort when one realizes that improved performance is not acknowledged, or required, or worth the effort.
  • Change the goal in a positive way - raise the target and set higher expectations for themselves
  • Change goal in a negative way - lower the target, or abandon it all together because they believe it is out of reach or they lack self-efficacy.
  • Reject feedback or discredit feedback giver - they don't know what they are talking about. 
  • Fail to read or ignore the feedback - very common when it comes to comments on assignments!

Only two of these lead to positive outcomes, so how to ensure you avoid the other four?

  • Get to know your students and build trust.
  • Give feedback that is useful for improving learning, not just making students feel good about themselves in the moment. 
  • Don't put comments and scores/grades together. Do one or the other.  This was demonstrated in a well-cited study by Ruth Bulter (1998), which you can read in the articles section.  
  • Build students' capacity to use feedback. Practice in low-stakes situations.
  • Encourage a culture of growth mindset (Carol Dweck, 2006)
  • "Don't grade or score students while they are still learning." (Alfie Kohn, 1994). A grade or score often shuts down the learning process.
  • Don't give feedback on everything, and don't give feedback unless you factor time for students to respond to it, i.e. design for feedback and make it forward-looking
  • Show respect for student work.

STOP & THINK: How can you can design for feedback in your next course?


Last modified: Tuesday, 1 March 2022, 11:02 PM