Personalizing Online Feedback

For the past few weeks, the topic of feedback has come up again and again. How important is feedback? Who should be giving the feedback? Under what circumstances? What should the feedback look like and sound like? How should feedback change when it is delivered electronically?

As teachers our lives revolve around giving feedback. We give feedback to our students informally when we smile at a response while nodding our heads. We give feedback to students formally when we identify the strengths and areas for growth in an essay. We see the impact of our feedback when it delivered well: “light bulb” moments, improved writing, persisting in a challenge. We have also seen the impact of our feedback when it was delivered poorly: tears, frustration, giving up. So we got better at giving feedback. We learned how to personalize the message to each student. When we have to give students negative feedback – which we do – we know how to couch it with support. But, as more and more of our assessments are given and feedback is received digitally, how do we have to modify it?

Research shows that tone and interpretation of online communications are entirely dependent upon the mood of the reader. Yikes! Knowing that we can’t possibly know, predict, or control the mood of the reader, how can we effectively communicate with our students about their learning progress?

Michelle Gill, Vice President of Professional Learning for PLS 3^rd Learning, an organization dedicated to helping teachers develop and facilitate online learning, suggests a few things.

• While brevity is often glorified, particularly in email communications, when giving feedback it can have detrimental effects. The more you can explain your feedback, the better. Another option is to use an online voice recorder lie Vocaroo to record your feedback orally. This can also personalize the message as it literally has your voice.
• Read the feedback aloud before you send it. Can you read it in an angry tone?
• Be cautious about the use of an exclamation point. The exclamation point can easily be misinterpreted. Instead, use vivid language to express your enthusiasm. Gill rarely uses them in electronic communications.
• Get feedback on your virtual voice. Ask a colleague – or, for the truly brave, your students – to analyze your communications for tone and voice. Your goal with your online communications is friendly, supportive, and open to further communication.

While these tips may not change the mood of the recipient of the feedback, they may mitigate it. Just as we developed skills in giving feedback to students in-person, we’ll develop skills in the online platform.