Abstract
Applicable feedback is crucial for student persistence and success. Without feedback that students can apply immediately, ambiguity about how to improve can cause a breakdown of the dialogue needed to narrow the transactional distance of online higher education. This chapter will review and demonstrate giving applicable feedback, why that is important, and how online university resources can be leveraged to support faculty feedback cycles. Additionally, this chapter will continue to draw connections between applicable feedback, andragogy, and the online learning capacity building continuum.
Hi, Student A,
Wow! First of all, let me comment on your strong command of academic writing skills. You have put together a solid abstract [paragraph] using sound organization and discipline-specific vocabulary. I can also see that you will include relevant research in your work. BRAVO! I have some academic writing feedback to help you as you move forward. I want you to visit the online university’s writing center for some support. When you join a tutoring session, please let the tutor know that your instructor has asked you to visit for some help with subject/verb agreement, using articles, and some help with vocabulary. I am confident that with the tutor’s support that you will do well with your next draft.
If you are a discipline-specific faculty member who is not familiar with the parts of speech, no worries! That feedback might look like this:
Hi, Student A,
Wow! First of all, let me comment on your strong command of academic writing skills. You have put together a solid abstract [paragraph] using sound organization and discipline-specific vocabulary. I can also see that you will include relevant research in your work. BRAVO! I have some academic writing feedback to help you as you move forward. I want you to visit the online university’s writing center for some support. When you join a tutoring session, please let the tutor know that your instructor has asked you to visit for some help with grammar. I am confident that with the tutor’s support that you will do well with your next draft.
Even if a discipline-specific faculty member does not recall the parts of speech, this feedback still gives the student an action plan—something applicable that can be worked on immediately. This is important. Not only has the instructor provided the student with a path, they have also connected the student to university resources that are crucial to that student’s success beyond the current course. Additionally, this applicable feedback is not ambiguous.
Below is Student C’s work (altered with permission). The objective of this section was to discuss how an author uses rhetorical analysis to prove a point.
This essay is about Florence Kelley.
-Florence Kelley (1859 – 1932), a prolific United States social reformer and social worker who helped influence many reform movements of the 20th century United States.
-In her speech given to the convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, she calls attention to the usage of child labour across the United States.
-She employs strategies within the speech using her structure, diction, and imagery to emphasize the audience’s direct involvement in the continuation of the practice, relating them directly to the issue, to draw their attention to her proposed solution.
-Kelly’s usage of these devices perfectly encaptures the audiences guilt and sympathy for child labour while calling for their participation in ending it.
In Chapter 6 we focused on praise. At this point, the feedback can continue with immediately applicable feedback.
What feedback would you provide?
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Is that feedback immediately applicable? Is the feedback free of jargon that the student may not understand? Asking the student to double check their article use may cause some confusion.
As with Student A, a discipline-specific faculty member can provide immediately applicable feedback for this student even if not an English or writing teacher.
Student,
First of all, Florence Kelley’s speech is a great one to choose! She certainly used specific imagery to provide an account of the status of life. I look forward to how this unfolds more. You are going in a good direction, and there are a few suggestions I would like to make. Recall that the assignment asked for paragraphs. I am curious how you would convert your bullet points into a paragraph. I would like for you to visit the online university’s writing center and ask for support converting these bullet points to a paragraph. You can even create the paragraph and then have the writing center check it. They are very supportive and want to help you with writing. You can also let them know that your instructor suggested you reach out for help.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Continuum for Capacity Building Framework: The framework that will be used through which to position the broader study into the context of online higher education. This framework shows that through the combination of andragogy and pedagogy, while keeping in mind the building heutagogy of online students, faculty can narrow the transactional distance of online higher education.
Transactional Distance: This is the psychological and communicative distance that is between students and instructors in online education.
PAUSE: A framework for giving feedback that reminds faculty to provide praise, and then applicable, understandable, specific, and encouraging feedback.
Feedback: Summary information provided to students to help them understand their areas of strengths and opportunity with the skills and subskills needed to complete assignments or to be successful in the online university.