Feedback From Online Instructors
One of the biggest complaints I hear about online instruction is that the instructor does not give quick feedback. Any ideas?
Margaret,
Feedback should be given on every assignment, even if it is...."I like how you formatted this project". Say something to your students and you keep them feeling part of the class. Good point Margaret.
Shelly Crider
What would be an acceptable response time? Is there an industry standard or will it depend upon the educational source/institution, etc.?
Cindy,
Students really like response within 24 hours when possible. There are some courses or assignments where that is a little more difficult to do (English papers or term papers).
Shelly Crider
Margaret,
I think it is important to always give substantive feedback to students, and this is one area that my students love me for! Our feedback should communicate where point loss was incurred, what the student is doing well, and what areas need improvement. This is necessary for students when it comes to consistently improving on their deliverables. When providing personalized feedback such as this, 72 hours would be a realistic turnaround time for grades and feedback.
In the university I teach, the feedback for assignments is due within 24 to 48 hours. I have noted that even if you are prompt what the students really needs is a detail feedback of what was completed and what was not. I take some time providing individualized feedback to each students trying to assess the assignment in accordance with the rubric which make it a little difficult to meet the required time; however, the more detail you are, the more the students will appreciate the feedback. I do focus on one assignment grading at a time. Since assignments at my university are due Sunday midnight I make my goal to assessed all Discussion Board participations on monday and the Individual project on tuesday. I do prepare a template of all the requirements of the assignment and try to just adjust the areas applicable to the student specific assignment; like for example, name of the company financial analysis and so forth. It helps me and them since all reuqirements are address in the feedback. It is important to provide a timely feedback, so the students that are starting there next assignments do not make the same mistakes. The goal is to make them reach their full potential. I think the key is to provide the students with the specific detail as to when they can expect the feedback and try to meet those expectations. The more detail and clear your and their expectations are, the better the communciation. It is a two way communication.
Rubiela ,
That is awesome! Students love to know there is someone there and feedback....love it. Feedback needs to be more than "good job".
Shelly Crider
72 hours is realistic, but I have just recently started grading papers as they come in....So I dont wait untill Monday, I actually start on Friday. I knw I do get alot submitted on Sunday, But by then, I should have at least half grade.
william,
Students appreciate this as we live in an "instinct gratification" society!
Shelly Crider
One of the problems is that in the world of cyberspace we have all become accustomed to "instant gratification" where the availability of information is concerned, and I think that can include the expectation regarding how quickly feedback should occur. The Web is open for business night and day, but we all have to sleep at some point and many instructors of online courses are adjunct faculty with other jobs.
Isn't one of the keys to manage expectations in our students? This can be done in part by making sure they understand what the expected turnaround on grades and other feedback on assignments normally is so they don't have the expectation that they will get a reply to an email, an IM message or a DB post immediately.
Debra,
Oh so true and then you throw the time zone in there. Many students are not in the same time zone as where we are. An instructor may return feedback first thing in the morning, but that may be late afternoon in some places.
Shelly Crider
Do you find that your students actually use the feedback? In my experience, very few students are actually using my feedback to improve future assignment and I make the same comments every week. It is a bit frustrating.
Any suggestions?
Barbara Bucur
Barbara,
You can lead a horse to water, but cannot make them drink!!! We as instructors give feedback and students may or may not take it to heart.
Shelly Crider
I am constantly reminded thatn the INTENT of e-mail was not to replace other forms of communication, but to add a level of increased ability to share information.
Some students will send an e-mail that is chatty, in-formal, and "familar", much like a text-baesed message.
Others may just say " yes", to a complex open-ended querstion, instaed of engaging in ANY form of inter-active dialogue.
( and don't even MENTION spell-checking of e-mail !)
The biggest by far concern from my Students is in the tardy grading of papers, quizzes, etc.
David,
I honestly did not know this!
Shelly Crider
