Evaluation Methods and Communication Practices

Discussion topics:

• How do communication practices in the online environment correlate to effective feedback?
• Why is authentic feedback important for online learners?
• In what ways might an instructor enrich a student’s online experience through feedback

In the online environment, professors must provide very detailed notes and explanations because the student is not actually present in class, in your face to ask questions, or even to see your facial expressions.  And, feedback in the online environment tends to be delayed because teachers and students do not have to be online simultaneously.  Feedback in an online environment must also be very specific so students will know how to self-correct issues.  However, I have learned that feedback that is specific in the traditional classroom still even needs just as much re-do opportunities because students don't like to listen!  Effective feedback is meaningful feedback.  I have had only a few teachers in online coursework that actually gave effective feedback.  Most of the feedback that I have received was very generic that I wonder if the teacher even read the material.

Authentic feedback is tailored to that specific student's work.  I don't think authentic feedback only benefits online learners; it benefits all learners because the feedback is tailored to the student's specific strengths and weaknesses.  The beauty of online feedback is that most people type faster than they write, so in some ways it is faster.  Authentic feedback is quite time consuming, so everything a student does cannot actually receive authentic feedback.  Some feedback must be canned responses to save time.  After all, online teachers have other responsibilities as well.

I hate to say this, but many teachers do not even provide authentic feedback in the traditional setting.  If online teachers/professors provide that kind of feedback, it would personalize the teaching and learning relationship for all stakeholders, especially students and teachers.  It would also add a feeling of "being heard" in one sense.  And, I think it would put online learning in more of a positive light.  Lots of people look down on degrees earned in online schools, but just about every school offers it, including the Ivy Leagues.  It is the way of the future.  I think authentic feedback would rid the idea that online learning is not real learning, it is not real teaching.  It would potentially build respect for this type of learning.

Instructors have a number of resources at their discretion to give feedback.  And, I would use as many as I possibly can.  I annotate work, especially on assignments submitted through Edmodo.  This is beautiful because I can point to specific items in the work and personalize the feedback.  And, it is all done in typing!  Another method that I have not done but would like to do is voice feedback.  When students write essays, I really need voice feedback because essays tend to have so many problems that it is too time consuming to write or type everything.  As a traditional classroom teacher, I also tell students to submit assignments in parts or phases to prevent overloading myself and students.  This helps in the holistic grading because I don't have to spend so much time on re-reading and teaching older parts because students have self-corrected those from the chunking method.  Feedback can also be used through a few canned responses.