Distance Learning - Part 4 Feedback

For an online course to be successful and meaningful for the students and teachers, individually and as a group, there needs to be constructive feedback.  Feedback has also been called assessment or critique and it's benefits can be huge to the student and the teacher when it is mutually shared between the two. In order for feedback to be constructive, there are 3 key elements that need to be included in the process: 

• the type of feedback
• how the feedback is communicated
• the timeliness of the feedback. 

Type of Feedback - Online learning should have a combination of different types of feedback to gauge student learning and understanding in the forms of summative and formative assessments.  Both, summative and formative assessments, facilitate student learning and engagement. With assessment it may be discovered that the online learning module (OLM) should be scaffold-ed with the activities or assignments to create an optimal learning environment and to make sure students use all the resources available. Training new technology teachers is no different. There are many digital tools and apps available to give meaningful feedback and an online learning module should utilize various types to deliver guidance and instruction.  

How Feedback is shared - Communicating the feedback is just as important as providing various types of feedback. . An OLM should be able to provide various types of communication student to teacher or student to student.   Communication such as, comments or annotation inserted into the assignments handed-in or use of digital tools to provide face-to-face interaction via MS Lync or Google Hangout or other app.  When training new technology teachers, the instructor should use a format that is readily available to all the new teachers since many of them will also be working at their teaching positions while participating in an online learning module during planning or after school hours.  

When to Provide Feedback - In an online learning module the teacher must provide timely and consistent feedback to monitor the students progress through assignments and projects.  This is especially important when the use of digital tools facilitates or empowers student learning and the new technology teachers need to quickly process new learning to use it in their own teaching positions.  

All of these key elements of feedback bring the focus back to the importance of social presence. When student's do not receive on-time and regular feedback, throughout the online course "students will miss out on numerous opportunities for scaffolding, higher order learning and the development of meaningful learning" (Kerr, 2011).  

"Formative vs Summative Assessment - Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation - Carnegie Mellon University." Formative vs Summative Assessment - Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation - Carnegie Mellon University. Carnegie Mellon, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
Kerr, Shantia. "Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Teaching in the Online Classroom." TechTrends 55.1 (2011): 28-30. Web.
Morrison, Debbie. "Online Learning Insights." Online Learning Insights. N.p., 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
Pappas, Christopher. "9 Tips To Give and Receive ELearning Feedback - ELearning Industry." ELearning Industry RSS. N.p., 03 July 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.