CU Guidance on Providing Feedback

Our students are adults with complex lives and also, many students have negative experiences with traditional education. This means we need to take care in how we give feedback. Moodle gives us the opportunity to give textual, audio, and video feedback as well as help students see more clearly what they need to do (This 2:44 minute video shows how to give video/audio feedback).   

In supporting student learning, we should be using an asset-based approach that recognizes their contributions and guides them to improve through resubmissions and conversation. When giving feedback–especially, textual feedback–it’s important to think about and anticipate the “worst possible interpretation” of feedback and how that might be experienced.

When providing feedback, we must think about what it means to evaluate students in terms of what is actually helpful to their learning and progress. Please take care when delivering feedback, listen to student responses to feedback, be conscientious of tone in written feedback, and avoid punitive approaches that can detract from student motivation.

Timeliness

It’s important to give timely feedback to students. It can be contextual within the course but in general, students should have feedback (both commentary and grades) within a week of when they submit. Sooner feedback on prior work is necessary with scaffolded assignments. For instance, it’s important to give feedback on Week 2’s discussion before the half-way point into Week 3’s discussion (otherwise, students’ don’t have the chance to course correct).

Videos that may be helpful in structuring and giving feedback to students:

• Where to Grade and Provide Feedback for Activities (4:52 min)

• Submitting Google Docs for Assignments in Moodle (6:35 min)

• For students: How to Share a Google Doc (6:18 min)

• How to Provide Feedback in Assignments in Moodle (13:09 min)

• How to Create a Marking Guide (7:13 min)

• How to Create a Rubric (6:13 min)

• How to Make a Grade Column for things outside of Moodle (4:52 min)

• Creating Assignments & Delivering Feedback (48:27 min)