Introduction
Each of us has had the experience of getting a major paper or test back with a grade:
"A"/ "C." If you're like me what followed was a hopeful scan of
the paper, looking for a word, a stray mark, a question—anything that would
indicate what was right, what was wrong, what we might do better. Each learner has the
same need; each teacher has the need as well—some response, a signal of connection.
Giving prompt feedback is a key to the learning process.
More formally, feedback is responsive communication (verbal or non-verbal) showing a
reaction—"teaching" through the learner's own work. Feedback can come
from teachers, peers, the self, or relevant professionals outside the teaching-learning
relationship.
Active learning requires not only prompt but also specific, challenging, catalyzing
feedback. Without it the learner is most likely to recycle past achievements and errors
rather than create new insight, ability and competence.
Early on, some argued that online learning would limit the possibilities for providing
feedback with technology as a barrier. Actually, technology has created new opportunities
for online and face-to-face teachers alike to actually facilitate and participate in the
learning process itself. Here are some ways I have used technology to give feedback: 1)
scheduling "live" one-on-one time via email or chat; 2) reviewing and
commenting upon papers and projects in draft before submission; 3) "chat"
rooms or discussion databases for student feedback to each other; 4) referral to sources
through hotlinks; 5) networking with professionals who are actually doing what the
learner is trying to do.
Major theory related to the notion of "pure" feedback is being
developed in the field of Interpersonal Communication. For feedback
in teaching and learning, the best source is Division 7 of the International
Communication Association, "Instructional
and Developmental Communication." Top papers from each recent conference
are normally available online, but the server is currently unavailable. Specifically,
relevant terms for follow-up would include "affiliative communication,"
"affinity," "non-verbal and/or verbal immediacy."
Perhaps the most unique application of the feedback described here is
"tutoring," as practiced in
Problem-Based Learning
and in the major universities of Europe. A key American thinker on the subject is Howard
Barrows
(The
tutorial process.
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield IL . 1988.)
Relevance
After 37 years of teaching, I find that the best results come not from a power
relationship but a collaboration between teacher and learner—both focused on the
student's achievement. This collaboration is based upon the creative tension among
learning goals and expectations, teaching/learning process, learner performance, mutual
assessment and careful reflection. The tool for blending these elements into
"learning," is feedback.
Resources
Statistics and Research
Relatively little specific research has been done about online interaction
and feedback. A few key researchers look at teacher-learner interaction for the
sake of learning. J.B. Arbaugh (2001) in
"How Instructor Immediacy Behaviors Affect Student Satisfaction
and Learning" has found that students both value and demonstrate stronger
learning outcomes when "Instructor Immediacy" (strategies the teacher
uses to demonstrate his or her presence to the learner), is high.
Student voices.
I sent a quick email to a few of my former students in the
Ohio
University online MBA program. You will find first that they know exactly what is
meant by feedback because it was
such an integral part of the learning process. Second, many of them speak most highly of
feedback most when it came from professional practitioners.
Here are a few responses:
-
"The feedback provided by professional groups offers real-world views and judgments
that students need to hear. Feedback, in my opinion, is a critical element to the overall
process of learning and improvement. As a professional consultant, I rely on timely
feedback for almost everything that I'm involved with to learn status, direction and even
failure. You are traveling a blind path without appropriate feedback. Feedback to
learning, is like cash flow to business!" (Tim Martin, MBA, President, Martin
Consulting)
-
"The feedback I received from peers, faculty, and outside guests at the WB was
important to me for several reasons: First, it came from a group that was completely
removed from my day-to-day work and home environment. That provided a fresh
perspective and removed the organizational or emotional ties that can inhibit truly
constructive feedback (or the ability to hear it). Second, it came in an environment
where experimentation and "stretch" were encouraged, and where
"failure" really meant you weren't trying something new. As such, the
feedback helped to reinforce new skills and learning. Third, it came in a variety of
forms. Some of it was "in your face" ---good and bad. Some of it
[peer feedback] was anonymous. Some of it was verbal, some written….Fourth,
it was almost always immediate, so I could reflect and act on it in real time. Finally,
it was important to me because I knew it came from people who were connected to me, and
whose opinions I valued. That made the positive feedback even sweeter, and the
negative feedback easier to hear" (Mike Johnston, MBA ‘02, Chief Technology
Officer, Cumming Engine).
-
" Reading responses [online] from the team, staff and our own responses was a good
part of the learning process….Our responses (to each other) were key because they
held us accountable and maintained our daily focus…. I would [recommend a] 2 week
cycle. External feedback from reviewers was very effective because it provided a real
world non-biased approach. This challenges the team to implement all their skills and be
successful in a real world setting. It held us accountable" (Tony Danta, MBA '01,
Senior Regional Account Manager, Novartis Pharmaceuticals).
-
In the two years working in WB I have
to say that the best feedback I received was from Darien… because he engaged
us, challenged us, brought us to seemingly unrelated matters that when we put
it all together brought us to realizations from different angles and points of
view….In other words he was very careful not to spoon feed information
to the students but it was obvious that he carefully listened to our questions,
read our Learning Points [MBAWB talk for structure reflection], reviewed our projects
and seemed to be able to tell whether our outputs were just opinions or well researched
thought processes. His feedback came back to us in many forms, questions, requested
readings, follow up statements and questions, sometimes three and four times.
His feedback was not used to provide answers as much as they were used to keep
us from using blinders to thinking that there was ONE right answer. Primarily,
the value of Darien 's feedback was not so much in the quantity of his involvement,
but in the quality of his responses. It was obvious he read and contemplated our
work. Feedback, whether positive or negative, must give the recipient the impetus
to go to the next step or to back up a step to re-evaluate. (James Mazzocca, Chief
Engineer, Consol Energy, MBA '03)
-
I so enjoyed when guests came in and offered comments on their area of expertise as well
as their take on global business principles. That was rich!!… On the occasion that
I heard from a classmate, I found the comments to be both remarkable and profound,
regardless to whether they agreed or disagreed with me. I enjoyed being challenged: it
forced me to not just say things, but have a basis of facts (learning)…. The
feedback that I might receive from a banker may be very different than that from an
engineer or educator, but that was a part of the unique, diverse and rich learning
environment that was proposed with OUMBAWB. … It is my contention that the level
of and feedback about diverse perspectives is at the very core of this learning model.
(Reginald Gooden, Project Manager, Astra Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, MBA '03)
Principle in Practice
I believe that providing feedback means some form of electronic "talking"
with the learner
while
he or she is working to learn
as well as
providing strong, targeted information about the final product of the
learning—whether it is a test, a paper, a presentation or a project of some kind.
Here are some ways this can be done:
-
One can offer a "rubric" which lays
out for the learner those elements perceived to be important and which will, ultimately,
be evaluated. I do this in my classes-both face-to-face and online- and I find
they greatly reduce the stress of justifying a poor grade since the student had
before him or her the standards by which they would be evaluated.
Here is an example rubric template from San Diego's Triton project. Here is
another example rubric template
from Midlink sponsored by NC State University and the University of Central Florida.
You can have some fun with a
"rubric generator" from Teach-nology.
-
The "one minute paper" is a powerful focal point for dialogue between teacher
and learner. Asked to perform a task quickly in writing, the student will clearly
communicate what he or she understands (and doesn't) and the teacher can make the
"teaching moment" happen.
More about the one minute paper
from the University of Virginia.
Resources
-
Do Not Miss This One
: Perhaps the most powerful self-assessment tool I have ever seen for educators committed
to collaborative, action-oriented learning is
"The Learning
With Technology Profile" provided by the North Central Regional Education Laboratory.
The site provides an interactive framework and will generate a profile instantaneously.
While learners—especially experienced learners—have usually developed
coping strategies to deal with teachers whose approach is one of "take it or leave
it," research has shown that interaction during the learning process makes a difference.
Some would argue that our work as educators is to foster independence and that
the only feedback necessary is a final grade. The grade communicates everything.
Students clearly tell us that—without timely, focused feedback, however,
the final grade means little except a shift in the GPA.
For More Information
Assessing the Benefits
In my experience, "feedback on feedback" is fairly easy to obtain. Truly
engaged learners understand the process as a collaborative one and are quite willing to
help the teacher grow as well. The first, most obvious way of seeing the results of one's
feedback is to ask. Simply, at reasonable intervals during the term, ask learners to
advise regarding the usefulness of any tool: one minute papers, rubrics, editorial
interventions, etc. Focus on the new approaches you are trying with targeted questions.
You will be surprised at the helpfulness of results.
Resources
-
"
Constructive Friends
" (PDF) is a relatively new, though helpful approach to personal teaching
competence development from the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. In our
case, one could restructure the proffered form to focus an any aspect of
teaching/learning such as feedback.
- "Journaling" has been shown to positively affect professional development.
By keeping a personal journal of challenging, interesting or "stumping" feedback
situations and experiences, the teacher can keep track of personal development
over time. You can use a blank screen, piece of paper or a
template such as this one
from NCREL (PDF).
-
A more formal way to focus on feedback's impact is to run two classes differently. Then
measure the results in terms of changes in student behavior, grade results or
satisfaction. Any resource which guides the development of student feedback forms would
be helpful here.
-
In addition to traditional methods of retrieving student feedback, a powerful tool,
uniquely accessible to both faculty and student online, is the
electronic
portfolio.
Looking Ahead
Technical advancements for the exchange of feedback between faculty and students are
multiplying.
In 1989 at The Interactive Learning Federation (ILF) conference in Glasgow, Chaveau in
his paper
On the Electronic University of the Future
envisions the use of networks which would link universities throughout the world and
enable them to share resources (e.g. libraries), and thus become "borderless
universities" where students will use networks for learning process from a
distance. The same capacity will be available for obtaining feedback from non-faculty.
Imagine, for example, the possibility of a student reading evaluative comments on his
or her presentation from the president of the company reported about!
For those interested in existing advanced technical resources for instructor-learning
interaction, the
Institute for Information Systems and Computer Media has an extended discussion of an
applet
which allows immediate interaction between faculty and learner during online
"lectures."
-
The Interactive Learning Federation defines interactive learning as
"learner-centered learning using a multimedia approach." It appears, however to
have become
a catch-all term for both software products and technical systems which facilitate the
exchange of feedback between faculty and students. Instantaneous feedback, for example,
can be obtained through
a device held in the hands of students
in a classroom. The technology that supports this could easily become available for
online instructional interactivity.
The Ohio Learning Network would like to thank
Content Specialist Valerie S. Perotti
for thoughtfully gathering and organizing
the content about this Principle.
