Social Connectedness Through Digital Feedback: Connecting the Whole Class

The positive feeling people get from staying in touch with friends and family can extend to students and teachers in a digital learning community. In face-to-face classrooms there are a wealth of opportunities to socially connect and education research supports the idea that meaningful social interactions benefit learning outcomes. But what do “meaningful social interactions” look like in a digital learning space? Feedback — students need it on their work, but more importantly they want it from their teachers.

“Feedback on coursework is very important to me. It was great to get nearly instant feedback on graded assignments sent to my [smartphone] via email.” ~Anonymous Student of Scottsdale Community College (Schilling & Gaudet, 2012)

Just imagine trying to draw a line that is exactly four inches long with your eyes closed. Now, imagine trying to draw 3,000 4-inch lines with your eyes closed. A classic study on the psychology of learning did just that, and to no one’s surprise, when students were given no feedback on the accuracy of their work, they were no closer to 4 inches on their first attempt than they were on their 3,000th attempt (Thorndike, 1931).

While there are many different types of feedback and many different ways to give it, the research is clear: feedback benefits learning (Azevedo & Bernard, 1995). The research is also clear that teachers who are connected to and supportive of their students have students who do better (Libbey, 2004). Unfortunately, positive praise is not going to cut it; feedback associated with real learning requires more.

So, instead of:

“Nice work!”

“That’s right, you got it!”

We should try for:

“The first page of your paper really grabbed my attention: you stated the problem clearly. Then you drifted into a dialogue that was confusing, were you “talking” or referencing others? Review the section on in-text citations from Week 2.”

More time, more effort, more details, but that’s what it takes to make feedback effective. Research suggests that feedback should be: (1) goal-referenced and descriptive, it takes the focus off a student’s sense of self and directs them toward the tasks they are performing; (2) actionable and transparent, it puts students in a position to move forward at that moment and in the future (Kluger & De Nisi, 1996; Wiggins, 2012).

When comparing students who receive feedback in a digital learning environment (to those that do not; Azevedo & Bernard, 1995):

• In the short-term, 79% of them score as well as or better than their peer-controls on achievement tests.
• In the long-term, 64% of them score as well as or better than their peer-controls on follow-up achievement tests.

Teacher:Student — Effective Feedback

Digital teaching is not about using the best technology but about using the technology best. LMSs can be used as a feedback delivery tool to help to lessen the pressures put on teachers to put in more time, more effort, and more detail. In general, they all have features that make feedback a little easier. But the feedback features in Canvas give teachers the tools they need to connect with their students, and give them timely and consistent feedback without feeling burdened.

• Rubrics make it possible for feedback to be transparent and consistent. Students can use rubrics and feedback to avoid making the same mistakes over and over. When teachers use Rubrics they can see measurable improvements in their students’ performance (Powers, 2013).
• SpeedGrader, combined with annotations and audio/video comments, helps teachers provide timely feedback. It is the most efficient way to give feedback—teachers love SpeedGrader (University of Pennsylvania). Plus, it helps focus students’ attention on the actual artifacts of learning, and frame feedback in the context of larger course goals.
• Conversations allows feedback to be ongoing throughout the academic term. Students can refer back to Conversations whenever they like, and teachers can easily have “…over 70 one-to-one interactions with the majority of their students” throughout the duration of a course (Powers, 2013).

Student:Student — Peer Review

When students get good feedback from their teachers they have a template for giving good feedback to their peers. Research shows that a majority of students find peer review helpful, and that students will actually use their peers’ feedback in ways that improve their performance (Mangelsdorf, 1992; Gielen, Peeters, Dochy, Onghena, & Struyven, 2010).

Many teachers genuinely appreciate the more common Discussion, Collaboration, and Conference tools available to students in Canvas (Oregon State University, 2014). Some of the lesser used tools that also encourage student:student connections are ePortfolios and Peer Review.

• ePortfolios are a space where students can collect and display a record of their own learning. They can include significant assignments, reflections on these assignments, goals, extracurricular activities, even a formal resume (Salt Lake Community College, 2015). ePortfolios allow for comments from peers (and teachers) on any page or artifact—which can prompt students to think critically about their work, now and in the future.
• The Peer Review, in Assignments, provides space for students to get input from many perspectives, review their materials, and reflect on their own thinking. Students can link one assignment to another so their progress can be made even more visible. As a formative part of an essay writing assignment, for example, Peer Review can provide students with a space to give and get feedback throughout the writing process.

Conclusion

Students need feedback to learn, but they also want feedback from their teachers. In digital learning communities students and teachers can socially connect meaningfully through feedback and this benefits students short-term and long-term learning. Digital teaching is not about using the best technology—there is no LMS that automatically gives students good feedback. It is about using the technology best—there is one LMS that makes it easier for teachers to socially connect with their students and give them effective feedback.

To know more about socially connecting with your students in a digital learning space, check out this larger white paper by the Research & Education team at Canvas by Instructure.

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