There comes a critical time during the semester that the quality of the feedback students receive can shape their ability to adjust and correct any misconceptions they have about course topics or procedures. It is vital that your feedback provide them an opportunity to learn, as much as understand how well they performed. One of the first questions you need to ask yourself, though, is whether you consider feedback to be a tool for assessment or an opportunity for instruction!
Formative feedback is feedback that “moves learning forward” by providing students guidance and information that allows them to take corrective action or make changes that improve their outcomes. We learned that there are seven characteristics of good feedback:
- Goal referenced: describes what you were expecting
- Tangible: clearly explains what went wrong
- Actionable: identifies what can be fixed
- User-friendly: uses language and tone that is student-centred
- Timely: responsive and allows time to make a change
- Ongoing: not a one-shot opportunity for improvement
- Consistent: does not contradict previous feedback
Good feedback does not make value judgments, but provides clear guidance and encouragement to do better. If we are effective at our feedback, we will model the kind of thinking and review we want our students to do as self-assessors, and as a result improve their skills as self-directed learners, and the quality of their work.
