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Building Trust and Engagement Through Meaningful Feedback

In Ken Bain’s 2004 study of college faculty, he found that highly effective instructors believe that their students want to and are able to learn. These faculty build trusting relationships through their teaching and mentoring practices. As part of this mindset, we should assume that students care about getting meaningful feedback because it helps them build confidence in themselves as learners. Mutual communication between students and their instructor about the educational process goes a long way to build a relationship of trust that encourages curiosity and engagement (Bain, 2004).

We know that the right kinds of feedback at the right times can motivate students to improve. Feedback is not the same as criticism; it should be clear, specific, balanced, timely, and focused on growth and development. Formative feedback provides an opportunity to learn and improve. Grades are a form of summative assessment and should be kept up-to-date with details available to students.

Best Practices for Effective Feedback

Be Clear and Transparent

• Set Expectations: Be specific about what you expect and what resources are available when students get stuck. Include clear grading policies and procedures for submitting assignments in your syllabus.
• Use Rubrics: Create rubrics for major assignments and use them as a way of communicating your expectations when you explain the assignment. Rubrics also align with inclusive teaching by making grading more transparent and less prone to bias.

Be Frequent

• Provide Regular Feedback: Give feedback at least once a week through low-stakes assignments, quick polls, or short reflections. Frequent feedback reduces anxiety and helps students stay motivated and on track with their work.
• Early Feedback: Assign a series of brief, low-stakes assignments in the first couple of weeks of the semester. This early feedback can help students focus their studies, know when to work harder, and when to ask for help.

Be Timely

• Return Work Promptly: Aim to return graded assignments and post grades within 7 to 10 days. Timely feedback allows students to correct errors before building new knowledge on misunderstandings.
• Stick to a Schedule: Create a timeframe for when all assignments or tests will be graded and returned, and stick to it. This consistency helps students plan and reduces uncertainty.

Be Specific

• Actionable Advice: Replace vague comments like “good job” or “this needs work” with specific feedback on what students are doing well and how they can improve.
• Example: “Your argument is strong, but consider adding more evidence to support your main point.”
• Constructive Language: Use clear and constructive language that focuses on growth and development.

Be Balanced

• Feedback Sandwich: Use the “feedback sandwich” approach by providing corrective feedback sandwiched between positive comments.
• Example: “You’ve presented a compelling thesis (positive), but the supporting details need more depth (constructive feedback). Keep up the good work on your thesis development (encouragement).”
• Highlight Strengths and Areas for Improvement: Let students know what they are doing well, rather than just stating “good job,” and provide guidance on areas where they can focus their efforts to improve.

Feedback can be informal and ungraded:

• Use iClickers or short Canvas quizzes for quick checks of understanding.
• or Assign brief writing tasks where students summarize what they've learned or identify areas of confusion.
• Practice Opportunities: These activities allow students to practice skills and get feedback without the pressure of grades.

Midterm Check-In

Provide a Midterm Grade: Organize course assessments so you can provide a course grade at midterm. This gives students time to make changes and improve.

Gather Student Feedback: Midterm is also a good time to get feedback from your students about how the course is going and ways you can improve your instruction.

Course Alerts: Worried about a student? CU instructors can enter Course Alerts for students demonstrating poor performance. This early alert strategy puts a support system in place for students who need assistance.

Use Technology to Enhance Feedback

Canvas Tools: There are many for communicating grades and providing feedback.

• SpeedGrader: Use the annotation feature in Canvas SpeedGrader to embed comments directly into student papers, guiding them through your feedback and showing exactly how to improve.
• Audio Comments: For quick and personal feedback, consider recording audio comments. This feature is available in SpeedGrader and allows you to provide detailed guidance efficiently.
• Video Feedback: When tackling complex problems with multiple steps, video feedback can be especially effective. Use Canvas’s recording feature in discussions to visually explain concepts and provide step-by-step solutions.
• Canvas offers robust tools for maintaining an updated gradebook. You can import , , and .
• Support from OIT: The Office of Information Technology (OIT) can help you anytime you get stuck with these tools.

Time-Saving Approaches

Rubrics: Simplify Grading and Clarify Expectations

• Transparency: Rubrics provide students with a clear understanding of the evaluation criteria before they begin an assignment.
• Consistency: They ensure grading is fair and consistent across all students.
• Bias Reduction: Rubrics make grading more transparent and less prone to bias, supporting inclusive teaching practices.
• Canvas Integration: You can create rubrics for various types of assignments and assessments within Canvas.

Peer Review: Engage Students in Feedback

• Collaborative Learning: Peer assessments promote collaboration, communication, and community-building.
• Early Drafts: Have peers evaluate early drafts to give students time to make improvements before submitting the final version for grading.
• Canvas Tools: You can strategically assign students in groups within Canvas or have the system choose students at random.
• Guidelines: Share clear peer review guidelines with your class prior to assigning reviews to ensure constructive and focused feedback.

Gathering Student Input on Feedback

• Empower Students: Ask your students what they think about your feedback practices to put the power back in their hands over their own learning.
• Inclusive Environment: This approach fosters an inclusive environment by acknowledging and valifying students' perspectives.
• Anonymous Feedback: Increase the odds of honest feedback by granting anonymity via a survey or a poll.
• Adjust Practices: Use their input to adapt your feedback methods to better support their progress.

Conclusion

Quality and timely feedback are integral components of student success, but it can be a time-consuming process. By implementing these strategies and utilizing available technologies, you can provide meaningful feedback that builds trust, encourages engagement, and supports all students in their learning journey.

Further Reading & Resources:

Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Harvard University Press.

Wiggins, G. (2012, September).  Feedback for Learning, 70(1), 10-16.

Creating and Using Rubrics – CU Center for Teaching & Learning