The Teaching & Learning Center

Feedback/Self-Check

Description:

The process of self-checking is more than just completing a multiple-choice quiz and receiving a grade. In this process, students complete a formative or summative assessment, receive feedback, and then “identify strategies that improve their understanding and skills” (McMillan & Hearn, 2008). Feedback can come from the instructor, a classmate, and/or electronically and is most effective when it provides information how students are doing in relation to the learning objective.

Instructional Uses:

• Utilize Student Response Systems to monitor students’ understanding of a course concept during a lecture, through a module, and/or in the beginning of the unit.
• Create practice quizzes in D2L with built-in feedback and allow students to take the quizzes until they have achieved the learning objectives.
• Introduce the peer review process to your students in which they provide constructive criticism to each other to improve upon the organization and cohesion in their writing.
• Provide feedback to students for written assessments in OneDrive by adding comments at specific points within the assignment.

WCU Supported Tools:

• Poll Everywhere
• Qualtrics
• D2L Quizzes
• Microsoft Office

Additional Tools:

• Socrative
• Kahoot!
• Quizizz
• Desmos Activity Builder
• Nearpod
• Mentimeter

Tips for using Feedback/Self Check:

• A feedback conversation should be cyclical in that instructors/peers are providing feedback, students are making improvements, and instructors/peers are reviewing work again until the learning objective has been achieved (Evans, 2013).
• If your students are going to review each other’s work and provide feedback, don’t overlook the importance of training them how to provide feedback. Take the time to model the peer review process for them by providing a sample work and even provide feedback on the students’ feedback throughout the peer review process (Min & Xuemei, 2016).
• The timing of feedback matters. Students benefit from immediate feedback as opposed to delayed feedback. Do what you can to provide feedback in a timely manner and especially before major assessments (Opitz et al., 2011).
• Be as specific as possible in your feedback. Avoid phrases such as “good job” or “needs improvement” do not benefit the learner. Let them know exactly what they did well and what needs to be improved (Hattie & Timperley, 2007).

References:

Evans, C. (2013). Making Sense of Assessment Feedback in Higher Education. Review of Educational Research, 83(1), 70–120. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654312474350

Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of Feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112. doi: 10.3102/003465430298487

McMillan, J. & Hearn, J. (2008). Student self-assessment: the key to stronger student motivation and higher achievement. Educational Horizons, 87(1), 40-49.

Min, G., & Xuemei, S. (2016). Study on Training Strategies for Effective Peer Review. Cross-Cultural Communication, 12(12), 40–44. doi: 10.3968/9141

Opitz, B., Ferdinand, N. K., & Mecklinger, A. (2011). Timing matters: the impact of immediate and delayed feedback on artificial language learning. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 5:8. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2011.00008