● How do I provide written feedback in an online environment? ● How can I provide clear explanations and constructively address errors when I am not face-to-face with a student? ● Will my tone seem too critical? ● Why isn’t the student understanding and implementing my comments? ● How can I address different learning styles online? Feedback on Written Works in an Online Environment

Feedback on Written Works in an Online Environment Rachel Grammer and Amy Lindquist Walden University

●Writing instructors in a writing center at a fully online university ●Background Who we are and what we do ●Paper review appointments ●Short answers, ●Webinars, podcasts, blog, material development for website

Who we work with ● Graduate and doctoral students ● Undergraduate students ● Mostly nontraditional students ● Students seeking a higher degree after being out of school/university for years ● Many multilingual and international students

Purpose To discuss ● what we do o Provide feedback to students in various online formats ● how we do it o Feedback tools and strategies

Paper Review Logistics ● Asynchronous o Asynchronous vs. synchronous ● Scheduling system o Platform for making appts.; student privacy concerns; vs. in-person ● Appointment form o Goal setting; student concerns; student’s articulation of writing process

● MS Word and commenting features o Consider resources available, familiarity of students with technology, etc. ● Follow up o Measure application of feedback and writing progression ● 30 minutes o time limit; focus; enforced selection of topic Paper Review Logistics (cont.)

How we give feedback

General considerations: ➔ Focus ➔ Language choices (metalinguistic knowledge) Tone: ➔ Direct vs. Indirect ➔ Specificity ➔ Constructive and positive

Focus ➔ Organization/content ◆ Paragraphs, thesis statement, topic sentences, support ➔ Grammar ◆ Mark, explain, and give resources about the first instance of a type of error; mark additional instances; tell writer to look out for more ➔ 2-3 Major issues ◆ Read for a few minutes and take note of 2-3 patterns, comment only on those patterns ➔ Student-elected area of concern

Language choices ➔ Anticipate students’ metalinguistic knowledge Example: “High school students need motivation to be success in their future careers.”

Tone ➔ Direct vs. Indirect, Specificity ◆ “In this paragraph, I would add a topic sentence.” ◆ “You might want to change ________.” ◆ “Grammar error.” ◆ “In this paragraph you do not have a topic sentence. Each paragraph needs a clear topic sentence to guide the reader. A topic sentence is...” ◆ Give action steps.

Tone ➔ Constructive/Positive feedback ◆ It’s easy to focus on the mistakes mistakes and things that need to “get fixed”. ◆ Don’t forget to encourage writers. “I see some great progress since our last appointment. This is a strong thesis statement; it effectively captures the overall purpose and argument of your paper.”

How we give feedback Modeling: ● Giving options ● Students’ work as model Differentiated learning strategies: ● Highlighting/Color coding ● Audio comments ● Bubble comments and track changes ● Categorizing/Coding ● External resources

Giving Options

Modeling

Highlighting/Color Coding

Audio/Video Comments See an example video here:

Bubble Comments and Track Changes

Categorizing/Coding

External Resources

Questions?

List of Tools and Links Jing Videos: Microsoft Word Support (Track Changes): and Walden Writing Center:

Contact Info Amy Lindquist Rachel Grammer