Feedback and Communcation in Online Courses

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Feedback is an important part of communication in the online  environment. In essence, feedback is a form of communication provided to the student that is constructive and specific on an assignment or task in the online classroom. Feedback can be provided in a variety of ways, such as written, recorded, videos, chats, and other mediums. Feedback and communication in online  courses is a topic that online instructors and instructional designers have been putting a lot of thought into as of late. Many instructors and facilitators of online courses have been developing or improving their skills on providing feedback to their students. As the offering of online courses continues to rise, instructors are beginning to see the need for creating a better learning experience for our students, especially in online courses. One way to improve the online experience for our students is to make sure we provide thorough and useful feedback for each student.

While there is a lot of research out there on what it means to provide effective feedback to students, there is a general lack of understanding from many instructors and facilitators on what is needed to make the feedback useful for each student.

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What do the students say? 

Students, especially college students, need feedback. Students need to know what they can do to improve their work and they need to know that they are gaining the knowledge they need from each assignment they complete.

Overall, students report that they need and value feedback. According to Beaumont, O'Douherty, and Shannon (2011), students reported that they valued feedback from instructors and that it encouraged improvement on their future work. This research indicates that students read and evaluate the feedback that instructors provide. Other research supports this finding. According to Ertmer et al. (2007), students reported that feedback is essential to their personal learning. While much of the literature suggests that students need and value feedback, students are not without criticisms of the types of feedback that they receive. According to Beaumont, O'Douherty, and Shannon (2011), students reported that feedback often made them feel discouraged because it was too critical. Students need to know not only where they have gone wrong, but also be reassured where they were correct. Students have also reported not understanding the feedback that had been provided in courses. According to Nichol and Macfarline-Dick (2006), students reported that they need to understand the feedback they are receiving. Too often, instructors are vague in their feedback and students do not know how to apply the feedback they receive to their next assignment. A good example is when an instructor puts a question mark next to student writing but does not explain why that question mark is on their paper. While the instructor knows why he or she is putting a question mark next to a statement, the student may not know what that means. The student does not have the ability to look inside the instructors head to know what they were thinking. In essence, the student does not know what they do not know. With all of this feedback from students, it is essential that instructors and facilitators work to provide feedback that is useful for students throughout their learning process. 

What can instructors do? 

Providing thorough and effective feedback to students can help improve student learning and student experience. There is a lot of research that has been done in order to evaluate how an online instructor can be effective in the learning environment using feedback. Upon review of some of the literature, several themes emerged. These themes included promptness of feedback, constructiveness of feedback, and method of feedback.

Promptness of Feedback

A consistent theme, through all of the research reviewed, indicated that students need and expect prompt feedback. According to Miller (2009), timeless of feedback plays a role in supporting student learning. Students must be able to see the results and the feedback of that work in a timely manner in order to effectively apply corrections and their learning to the next assignment or assessment. Other research has also supported this idea. According to Getzlaf et al. (2009), students reported that prompt feedback gave students "ample time to use the information in a meaningful way" and to "process the feedback and use it for another assignment (p.13). This indicates that students value feedback that they can use for future assignments. 

It is important to note that what students consider "prompt" feedback is varied. According to Getzlaf et al.(2009), students reported a range of acceptable feedback time as early as 24 hours and as late as two weeks. This indicates that students have varying perceptions on what "prompt" means. While it is not essential to follow the students definition of "prompt", research suggests that a time frame for feedback on assignments should be established early in the course. According to Espasa and Meneses (2010), establishing a time frame for feedback is essential for students. Students must know when to expect the feedback so that they can plan for improvement. Students need to know what they are doing and if it is on track or not with expectations. Other research has confirmed this as well. According to Getzlaf et al. (2009), students indicated it was important for them to know when to expect feedback. Instructors should set guidelines for when students can expect feedback and stick to that time frame. It is also essential that the instructor inform students if feedback will be delayed so the student knows what to expect. 

Constructiveness of Feedback

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Another theme to emerge from the literature was that of constructive feedback. Students expect that the feedback they receive to be helpful to their learning process. According to Getzslaf et al. (2009), students stated that they desired feedback that was "supportive" and "positive". Students need, not only, to be corrected for their mistakes, but they also need feedback that encourages them to think critically and leave them feeling successful, even in their mistakes. Getzlaf et al. (2009) also noted that students are cautious of overly positive feedback. Students need to feel that the comments to them are authentic. This is supported by other research. According to Beaumont, O'Doherty, and Shannon (2011), students perceived overly positive comments with no suggestions for improvement with laziness on the instructors part. Students feel if there is no area of improvement, then the instructor did not read or put much effort into the feedback. This means that instructors must find a balance between making a student feel positive in the feedback as well as providing some criticism.  

Method of Feedback

Another theme that emerged was the method of the feedback. According to Beumont, O'Doherty, and Shannon (2011), students felt more connected to the feedback if the instructor provided live feedback on assignments. In essence, students reported wanting a post-assignment conference in order to fully understand the feedback provided. Beumont, O'Doherty, and Shannon (2011) also noted that students prefer some kind of recorded feedback as opposed to typed or written. Personal feedback seems to make a difference with students. Similar findings were uncovered in other research. According to Getzlaf et al. (2009), students view feedback as a mutual process that includes input from both parties. Some students reported, in the same study, that feedback would be most useful is they were consulted by the instructor prior to the feedback in order determine what type of feedback the student would find most useful.  The research seems to indicate that students want live or recorded feedback, as opposed to written and in some cases the students want to design the type of feedback most useful for them.

Below is an image of several things to think about when providing feedback to students. 

Some tips on effective feedback.
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Wrap up

While the research is definitive on the importance of feedback and communication in online courses, more research is needed to determine what effective feedback is. Research indicates that there are several aspects of feedback that are essential for students. This includes timeliness, constructiveness, and method of feedback. It is essential that instructors ensure that the feedback they are giving is personal and helpful for each student. It is the only way in which a student can benefit from their work. 

Resources:

Beaumont, C., O’Doherty, M., & Shannon, L. (2011). Reconceptualising assessment feedback: a key to improving student learning?. Studies in Higher Education, 36(6), 671-687.

Ertmer, P. A., Richardson, J. C., Belland, B., Camin, D., Connolly, P., Coulthard, G., ... & Mong, C. (2007). Using peer feedback to enhance the quality of student online postings: An exploratory study. Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication, 12(2), 412-433.

Espasa, A., & Meneses, J. (2010). Analysing feedback processes in an online teaching and learning environment: an exploratory study. Higher education, 59(3), 277-292.

Getzlaf, B., Perry, B., Toffner, G., Lamarche, K., & Edwards, M. (2009). Effective Instructor Feedback: Perceptions of Online Graduate Students.Journal of Educators Online, 6(2), 1-22.

Miller, T. (2009). Formative computer‐based assessment in higher education: the effectiveness of feedback in supporting student learning. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 34(2), 181-192.

Nicol, D. J., & Macfarlane‐Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self‐regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice.Studies in higher education, 31(2), 199-218.