Feed backward, forward and up

Feedback: “Nice job. I enjoyed reading this. A-“

I took a cohort program for my master’s and had the same instructor for 4 or 5 courses. Each assignment was an essay. On every essay I got exactly the same feedback – absolutely no comments on grammar or specific ideas, but rather the generic “Nice job. I enjoyed reading this. A-.“ To this day, I have no idea on why “Nice job. I enjoyed reading this. A-“ rather than “Nice job. I enjoyed reading this. A+“ (which the student who sat next to me always got). (This feedback was especially sad when considering that this was a masters in adult learning. But that’s another story.)

Feedback can guide students, but in different ways. Here I would like to focus on three types of feedback: Feed backward, feed forward and feed up (not to be confused with “fed up” – which is what I was in my master’s program).

Feed forward (FF) – feedback that explains how to improve future assignments

Feed backward (FB) – ipsative feedback on current compared to past performance

Feed up (FU) – feedback that explains why this (the assignment or assignment details) is important

Essay examples:

FF – “Although you have a great deal of information in your essay, it could benefit from a better organization. The assignment provided one organizational sequence; however you may decide to use a different organization. Using a solid organization will help you both ensure that you cover all elements and organize your thoughts more.”

FB – “On your last assignment I noted that you changed ‘voice’ often. Here you are consistent and your essay is much easier to read because of it!”

FU – “You do not seem to have a firm grasp on the differences between the behaviorist and constructivist theories. Understanding this is important because workplaces will want you to develop training based on these.”

Multiple choice exam examples:

FF – “To improve your work on your next assignment, you can review the articles listed in the syllabus reference section and those posted in Blackboard.”

FB – “You are doing a better job studying. Your improvement is great! ”

FU – “Understanding the basics of Excel which we cover here will be critical to your success in your accounting class.”

Is feedback important?

I remember the feedback I got 15 years ago in my master’s program because it was so bad. It did not inspire me or help me improve.

Good feedback may not be as memorable long term, but research has shown that good feedback serves as an individualized teaching tool that can help students improve not only what they know, but how to study and how to apply their learnings.

(For more about feedback, see C10)

References

Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of Feedback. Review of Educational Research77(1), 81–112. https://doi.org/10.3102/003465430298487.

Hughes, G. (2012). Ipsative assessment: comparison with past performance. Higher Education Academy Workshop and Seminar Series 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2014, from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucgbarg/OU_workshop_files/TWO37-GH.pdf

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