Course Development: Step Two

Read Step One here.

Step Two

In step one you reflected on your own passions as a first step to igniting the motivation of your students. In step two, we’re going to do a bit more journaling, but instead we will reflect on your experience receiving feedback both personally and within your disciplinary or professional context. Both positive and negative experiences can be instructive.

Feedback is the cornerstone of effective learning and growth. Some of the most pivotal moments in our professional lives are marked by some kind of feedback. Effective feedback in online courses leads to higher achievement and greater satisfaction among learners.

Consider “feedback” in the general sense to mean information that is targeted toward someone after they have acted, responded, demonstrated, or explained in view of others. The flashing blue and red lights in my rearview mirror are feedback on my driving skills. The expression on the face of a toddler taking a bite of Brussel sprouts is non-verbal feedback. The affirming words of an English professor my freshman year was feedback that changed the trajectory of my professional life. 

Journal Prompt 1: In your professional life, what feedback has been the most beneficial? List both the pivotal moments (a teacher or professor) and the everyday occurrences (flashing lights/toddler face). Most importantly, what did each instance cause you to learn or change?

Journal Prompt 2: When has failure provided you with feedback in a positive way? Negative way? Is trial and error a normal part of your discipline? What gives you the persistence to keep trying? If you have taught before, what are the most common points of failure among students in your discipline?

Journal Prompt 3: For people in your profession/discipline, how do they typically receive feedback? Are there conferences, publications, websites, user groups, certifications etc., that people regularly engage with as a form of constructive feedback? Have you ever questioned the credibility of sources of feedback you receive, professionally? How did/do you evaluate the credibility of the feedback sources in your life? (ie. “I take ___’s feedback with a grain of salt.”)

Journal Prompt 4: Research shows that skills and knowledge are best gained through repeated attempts with timely feedback after each attempt and opportunities to try again. Has this been true for you? How or why not? Has self-reflection or self-assessment been a valuable growth mechanism for you? Is it a practice that is baked into your discipline/profession, or does it feel a bit foreign to critically self-evaluate? 

Journal Prompt 5: In general, here are six dimensions of effective feedback (listed below). Rank order these from most to least influential for your growth and development. 

• Timely: Soon after you attempt something, you receive feedback on your attempt
• Distributed: You receive feedback at regular intervals
• Individualized: The feedback that you receive is targeted specifically to your activity
• Personalized: The provider of the feedback shows that they know you personally
• Credible: You trust the source of the feedback 
• Content-specific: The feedback is not motivational but relates specifically to the goal you were trying to achieve. It helps you unlearn and/or relearn. 

Reflect on your journaling from this step.

Highlight the aspects of your own growth and development that you could replicate for your students. For each of the types of feedback below, list learning goals from your discipline that could be achieved with each type of feedback. 

Examples: 

• Trial and error feedback: In many professions, people get feedback when something fails. This feedback is automatic and objective. Could you replicate that in an online class in a non-threatening way?
• Peer feedback: In many professions, individuals receive feedback from their colleagues before they pitch to an important client, attempt a procedure, or enact a strategy. Could you replicate this through peer feedback? What could make classroom peer feedback as effective as feedback from a great colleague in professional life?
• Individual, reflective feedback. As individuals, we can give ourselves feedback. We use critical thinking and problem solving strategies that involve "self-talk." For example, a leader may reflect on her daily commute: "Self, what strategy should I use to approach this complex situation?" or "How could my approach have been more successful?" How could feedback during formal education better enable the transfer of problem solving and reflection skills from classroom to life?