Instructors’ Perspectives of Challenges and Barriers to Providing Effective Feedback

Instructor perspectives regarding the challenges they experience in enacting effective feedback processes have not been the focus in the literature on effective feedback processes. This study investigated the challenges that instructors experienced in providing effective feedback to students between January and April 2020, particularly considering campus closures and the shift to online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study consisted of six focus groups held between January and April 2020 with five instructors from different disciplines at the same institution with class sizes ranging from 14 to 82. Through a thematic analysis using a constant comparison method, it was found that the biggest challenges instructors experienced in providing effective feedback was their own workload, the disruption that student inaction on feedback brought to the feedback process, and how the instructors managed their own affective responses and mindsets towards feedback. These findings are discussed within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and based on these findings, recommendations for instructors include considering their own limitations when designing feedback processes and checking their beliefs about feedback with their students’ perspectives on feedback in order to align understanding.

How Game-Based Learning Can Effectively Engage Minority Students

One of the important questions for teachers and education policymakers is how to engage new age learners, especially minority students, in a meaningful way. Game-based learning provides a platform where minority students can be intrinsically motivated to stay focused. The incorporation of multimedia design and instructional design principles in educational games would potentially help learners comprehend the information and engage in deeper learning. The decision-making process in a game-based learning environment is tied to the neural system of information processing. As research studies point out, the reward that the learner gets is, in fact, the stimulus that with desirable properties that drives behavior. Other than that, the effective feedback in the game-based learning environment has a powerful influence on learning.

21st Century Learner Self-Report Feedback Inventories: A review and defence of psychometric approaches

Interest in how learners understand, respond to, and value educational feedback has increased notably in the last two decades. Much of the current evidence of the impact or influence of feedback arises from self-report inventories. Self-report respondents are presumed to be well situated to report on their own experiences, attitudes, and behaviours. However, considerable validity threats exist in this method, which may limit the meaningfulness of self-reports. Consequently, many researchers are concerned about the disproportionate role self-reports play in informing our understanding of effective feedback. The validity of claims about learner self-reports on feedback depend on the credibility of the measures used. Inventories developed within the psychometric tradition are expected to provide theoretical and empirical evidence for the validity and reliability of the measures to support subsequent interpretations and decisions. This review provides a defense of the potential value of psychometric self-report data in informing the psychology of effective feedback. A systematic review of 14 feedback self-report inventories published in the 21st century found 25 empirical studies that replicate one or more of these inventories. Thirteen survey and 12 experimental studies were reviewed to provide a thematic analysis of the state of research. Seven studies used latent theory modeling to test the robustness of the MIMIC-based inventories, relying instead on estimates of scale reliability. Eight of 25 studies reported full replication of the inventory. Just four studies had an independent measure (academic achievement), with the vast majority of studies relating feedback inventories to self-reported constructs. Most effects were small and used small samples, which weakens reproducibility. The data showed that feedback perceptions have complex overlap with psychological control and competence beliefs, largely consistent with self-regulation of learning theory. Psychometric methods can improve the quality of research into how students understand, experience, think about, and use feedback that is given to them.

TEACHING LISTENING AMONG BANGLADESHI LEARNERS: A CASE STUDY ON TEACHERS’ EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK AND STUDENTS’ SITUATIONAL IMPRESSIONS

Listening centralizes upon the comprehension of messages coupled with pronunciations or sounds from speakers-be they are native or non-native and local or foreigner in the scopes of formal conversation, business talk and classroom lectures in the context of Bangladesh. Bangladeshi learners find listening as a complex and incomprehensible skill of four skills of English language. They often are not able to understand pronunciation patterns and accentual variations used in speeches or conversations. Listening requires systematic strategies in understanding audio or vocal track for which logistic support is highly essential. Managing technical support is at times difficult for teachers and administration because of financial constraints. This study will concentrate on how teachers ensure pedagogical supports and experimental aspects to help learners understand listening effectively with methodological study. This paper will deal with how learners overcome the stages of listening difficulties and comprehend different phonological aspects successfully. In addition, one of the prime concentrations of this paper is to identify impediments of teaching listening, teachers’ inefficiency in listening skill and students’ negligence in achieving mastery on listening.

Improving Feedback for Hematology and Oncology Fellows Via Virtual Workshops: Sustainability Analysis

Background Effective feedback is an important tool in medical education for the learning and growth of trainees and for faculty development. It allows learners to remain on course in reaching competence in clinical, research, and interpersonal skills, yet the impact of teaching feedback during hematology-oncology training has not been studied in depth. To tackle the lack of effective constructive feedback within our hematology oncology fellowship program, we initiated a quality improvement (QI) project to identify barriers in delivering and receiving high-quality feedback in the program and to create a curriculum aimed at teaching fellows and faculty how to engage in more effective feedback conversations. In the initial phase of the pilot study, a pre-intervention survey identified the two main barriers for effective feedback in our program as discomfort in giving feedback and lack of protected time. A virtual workshop improved quality of feedback by addressing these barriers and providing tools necessary to give and receive constructive feedback. We aimed to highlight the sustainability of these interventions. Methods Utilizing the results of the pre-intervention survey, we built three 2-hour interactive virtual workshop sessions conducted through the ASCO Quality Training Program. Skills that were emphasized and practiced included appropriate set-up, low-inference observations, dialogic feedback conversations and a structured approach to reinforcing and modifying feedback. A follow up session was conducted three months later allowing for reinforcement of the skills. Post-intervention surveys were given immediately after the initial workshop and after the follow-up session. All surveys were identical employing Likert scale and open-ended questions. Weekly email reminders for protected feedback time were also set up. This project was developed through the ASH Medical Educators Institute. Results Eleven out of 15 attendees completed each of the questionnaires. At baseline, 81.8 % of the participants reported they do not have protected time to complete evaluations. This decreased to 63.6% immediately post-intervention and to 27.3% at the three-month point. Similarly, only 65.5% of the participants reported they were comfortable giving feedback prior to the workshop, increasing to 81.8% immediately after the intervention and was sustained at 81.8% at three months. Half of the participants reported that the feedback was not actionable in the initial questionnaire, decreasing to 10% post-intervention. Majority of the participants agreed that the workshop helped address barriers for effective feedback in our program. Conclusions This study showed the sustainability of positive changes, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, for giving and receiving quality feedback implemented in our fellowship program. Its outcomes are salient given that it utilizes a simple intervention that could be expanded to other training programs as feedback is a systemic problem in medicine. It also underscores the importance of formal workshops in overcoming barriers for effective feedback. Limitations of this QI study include the small sample size and single-institutional design. Our future goals include incorporating a formal yearly curriculum assigning weekly protected time for feedback to ensure these results are sustainable and reproducible with incoming fellows. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Feedback in New Zealand Classrooms: Do Students Get the Message?

<p>There is increasing evidence that feedback is a key factor in successful teaching and learning. It is also clear that there are effective and less effective forms of feedback. To be most effective, feedback should incorporate assessment for learning principles. Although there is a large body of literature on feedback, there is limited use of the student’s voice, and little from a New Zealand context. This thesis investigates students’ understandings of feedback in New Zealand classrooms. A feedback typology is used to categorise and analyse examples of teacher feedback given by the students. Individual student interviews were conducted with responses informing the kinds of questions used for the teacher interviews. Advisory work in schools that involves classroom observations on feedback was also used to substantiate the findings. The sample used for this research came from two schools, four classrooms and focussed on sixteen students. The classes ranged from Years 3-6, which meant that the students were aged between 7 and 10. The analysis concludes that while New Zealand students can describe a range of both evaluative and descriptive feedback their understandings do not always match what the teacher intended. The feedback typology was found to be a useful tool but was problematic in that there was no assurance that feedback was against shared expectations of the task.</p>

Feedback in New Zealand Classrooms: Do Students Get the Message?

<p>There is increasing evidence that feedback is a key factor in successful teaching and learning. It is also clear that there are effective and less effective forms of feedback. To be most effective, feedback should incorporate assessment for learning principles. Although there is a large body of literature on feedback, there is limited use of the student’s voice, and little from a New Zealand context. This thesis investigates students’ understandings of feedback in New Zealand classrooms. A feedback typology is used to categorise and analyse examples of teacher feedback given by the students. Individual student interviews were conducted with responses informing the kinds of questions used for the teacher interviews. Advisory work in schools that involves classroom observations on feedback was also used to substantiate the findings. The sample used for this research came from two schools, four classrooms and focussed on sixteen students. The classes ranged from Years 3-6, which meant that the students were aged between 7 and 10. The analysis concludes that while New Zealand students can describe a range of both evaluative and descriptive feedback their understandings do not always match what the teacher intended. The feedback typology was found to be a useful tool but was problematic in that there was no assurance that feedback was against shared expectations of the task.</p>

Praise or Criticism? How Should Teachers Give Effective Feedback in the Classroom Teaching?

Tere are many factors that affect students' academic performance. Early studies emphasized students’ existing foundations, their own abilities (Stigler, Lee & Stevenson, 1986), family factors (Wang, 2015), school or class organizational structure (Angrist, & Lavy, 1999; Häkkinen, Kirjavainen & Uusitalo, 2003), cultural factors (Stigler, Stevenson, 2005; Geary, Bow-Thomas, Fan & Siegler, 1993) and other influences on their academic performance. However, the research on the influence of teacher factors has only received attention since the 1980s. Researchers explored the relationship between teachers’ classroom behavior and students’ academic performance, trying to focus on the teaching process (Lockheed & Komenan, 1989), teacher guidance (Brophy, 1988), teacher feedback (Gettinger, & Stoiber, 1999), Teacher planning and preparation (Peterson, Marx & Clark, 1978) explored the causes that can significantly affect students' academic performance.

Ten Trees a Day: How learning science and a story of multilingual buffalo help students learn syntax

This paper describes an activity designed to help students improve skills in drawing syntax tree structures without significantly increasing instructor grading time. In this formative exercise, students draw ten trees prior to each class period, correct their own work, and reflect on their mistakes. This assignment incorporates many practices that research on learning suggests are essential for understanding and retention of material. In addition, this exercise incorporates some best practices on effective feedback. The activity works best when students understand the science behind it, so discussion of the pedagogical reasons for the exercise is essential. Further, overt discussion of how to learn helps students develop effective skills for learning linguistics. Self-correct homework assignments like this can be applied to many courses that involve learning skills or terminology.