10/30/14

"Giving feedback is part of a lecturer's job in virtual environments"

Phil Ice ,

How would you define feedback in the context of traditional education and e-learning?
In a traditional university context, talk of feedback makes us think of what happens in a classroom when the lecturer interacts with students, asks them questions and, depending on their answers, follows up with further questions or suggests new ways of approaching a topic; or when the lecturer writes comments on the work students hand in. In online education, the actual learning process is different. Feedback is even more important because students don't get verbal signals or benefit from face-to-face interaction. They consequently regard feedback not only as something that refers to content and their work, but also as a social element of their experiences with their lecturer. That social aspect provides an extrinsic basis that helps to improve a student's intrinsic motivation. In virtual settings, feedback must be frequent, targeted, relevant to the student and as personalized as possible to help establish a bond with the lecturer.
In the case of e-learning, is feedback given by email?
I began working with audio feedback years ago. Written comments, which can be typed using the comments feature in Word or Acrobat, tend to be brief. We mainly communicate verbally by telephone or by means of audio recordings nowadays. Making comments vocally has advantages. Our intention is clearer, we're more descriptive, and the language we use is richer when we speak in comparison to when we write. Some colleagues and I have also experimented with an approach based on Skype or other conferencing tools. The idea is that a piece of work is displayed via video, and the lecturer makes a recording while reading or listening to it, pausing to comment on problematic or very positive aspects. They also provide information when making corrections, circling elements, underling them and so on, meaning that students see the entire process rather than just its end result. There's a cognitive improvement in students when we give them audio feedback, by the way.
Why does feedback need to be personalized?
One of the worst practices I've ever witnessed was some lecturers copying and pasting a set of comments on common errors into every piece of work from a Word document. That's like getting a model letter via mail; you just ignore it. Activating a voice function and recording a comment doesn't take any longer than copying and pasting. Giving audio feedback has actually been shown to be quicker than typing comments. In the case of group work, the lecturer also has the option of addressing all the students involved at once.
Is it better to make comments while students are carrying out their work or when they've finished it?
Students need both types of feedback, formative and summative alike. Feedback provided while a student is carrying out their work serves as a guide, helps them identify erroneous concepts and gives them ideas regarding resources. It's important to provide feedback when they've completed their work too though. In itself, a "B" grade doesn't tell a student anything about what they've done well or badly. Even when they've done excellent work, it's still important to offer them guidance and say "this is really good".
What difficulties does giving feedback in a virtual context entail for lecturers?
Technology was a problem for many years, as even the most basic resources sometimes didn't work. It's more and more user-friendly now. The technical barriers of the past are much less of an obstacle these days. There's an interesting problem I'd highlight at present. From time to time, you come across a lecturer who wants to go into the forum and comment on everything. It's necessary to strike a balance between stimulating conversation and making sure students think on another level on the one hand, and being so over-zealous that students are put off from participating because the lecturer has already said everything there is to say on the other. It's also important to be aware that there are many nuances in the way we speak and in language. You don't need to consider the implications of every word you use, and your comments shouldn't appear to have been rehearsed, but you do have to take care with what you say. You must be careful about the way you give feedback or you might end up sending out an unintended message.
Are lecturers trained to know when it's better to give corrective feedback and when to focus on questioning a process?
That's a very interesting point that goes beyond feedback. If you think about a face-to-face lecture, very few people have been trained to teach, other than those who've studied education. Someone who's an expert in their field might also be the worst lecturer you've ever had. That could go unnoticed in a face-to-face context, at least by university authorities. Online, everything generates data and everything that happens is more transparent. It's easy to detect someone's strengths and weaknesses. For that reason, and given that the medium is relatively new, it's important that training for lecturers include when and how to provide feedback. Before giving lectures online, they ought to have been trained to be aware of the problems that can arise. I also think that every lecturer should give a virtual course at least once in their life, to find out what it's like.
You've talked about lecturers' difficulties with giving feedback. Do students have problems with receiving it?
Not in most cases, and studies show that they prefer to receive it via different channels. Our students, particularly the younger ones, are so used to technology that listening to an audio file or watching a video is perfectly normal for them. There can be technical problems in the case of mature students. Additionally, we sometimes encounter people who only like written feedback, but they're a very small percentage. They're outstanding students, the best on their course, and are usually taking many subjects and courses at once. They think they don't have time to listen to or watch a recording. They only want feedback they can read. They already know their work is perfect and want to move on to their next task.
Are there lecturers who complain about not having enough time to give feedback?
That's not a problem we've had at my university. Besides, lecturers have to give feedback, it's part of their job.

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