A. Implement course design and construction strategies to improve equity

A1. Create opportunities for students to revisit, revise, and resubmit materials after incorporating timely, specific, and actionable feedback.

All students should understand the progress they are making towards the learning goals and what strategies they can use to improve their performance. Targeted timely feedback can tell students what they are or are not understanding, where their performance is going well or poorly, and how they should direct their efforts (Ambrose, 2010).

 

Strategies & Examples

  • Use the LMS features to provide feedback on quizzes or regular homework assignments that emphasize how students can improve their performance as well as whether or not their answer is correct. For example, on a multiple choice quiz the feedback for each quiz question could include not only if the answer is correct or incorrect but also what resources should be reviewed (i.e. re-read Chapter Two or review the Echo recording on calculating standard deviations). Allowing students to then retake the quiz provides an opportunity to incorporate feedback.
  • Peer reviews, even in large enrollment classes, can be a valuable way for students to receive feedback particularly on writing assignments prior to the submission of a final paper. There are LMS features that can help organize the process. In addition instructors will find it helpful to provide students with guidance for the review process and clear expectations for the final assignment submission.
  • Rubrics can be used to evaluate many kinds of assignments including for example research papers, lab reports, coding projects as well as multimedia and other authentic assessments. Rubrics provide clear targeted feedback on specific indicators of performance and can be used by instructors, TAs, peers or even students themselves to assess initial drafts.


Considerations

Feedback can be more challenging in very large enrollment classes however feedback does not always have to be targeted to individual students nor does all feedback have to include grading. Consider creative ways to provide aggregate class level feedback as well as peer reviews and self assessments into the design of feedback cycles.

 

Resources

A better way to do peer review of writing in large classes. Faculty Success Lauren McCarthy, Legal Studies and Political Sciences. Center for Teaching and Learning.

EducationWeek: Using Rubrics for Targeted Feedback

How do I Design Meaningful and Clear Writing Assignments? Center for Teaching and Learning.

Using contract grading to ease student anxiety about grades. Faculty Success Jennifer Fronc, History. Center for Teaching and Learning.