101. The Transformative Power of AI

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Folks, let’s face it. Our classrooms are going to look a little different this year. AI, specifically ChatGPT, is going to change the way we design learning experiences and assess student mastery. I’ll be honest, when I first explored the ChatGPT platform I was terrified. As I have dug deeper into the technology and its capabilities, I realized that while it does pose significant challenges — it also presents us with some pretty amazing opportunities. In this series, we will explore what AI is capable of, its implications in the classroom, and how it can benefit both teachers and students. Let’s start by examining where we have been, where we are currently, and looking forward to where we are going. Whether this is a trip you wanted to go on or not, the AI train has left the station and it is time for all of us to jump on board. From Card Catalogs to Artificial Intelligence I belong to the micro-generation called Xennial. Xennials are considered to be a “bridge” between Generation X a
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#92: Providing Feedback: What's the Path Forward?

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This is Part 3 in a series about providing meaningful feedback for students in a way that is sustainable for teachers. In this post, we will explore ways to reorganize the assessment process to make it effective and efficient.

In my previous post, we looked at how to move feedback and grading out of your living room and back into your classroom. We explored how Side-by-Side grading and Flash Feedback can help provide meaningful feedback to students in a way that is sustainable for you! In this post, I will share two more feedback strategies that I love to use in my own classroom.

The Purpose of Work
I began this series by asking the question, "Why am I grading this?". I learned that my "why" really depends on the purpose of the assignment. The following diagram was developed by Catlin Tucker. Tucker breaks the types of assignments down into three categories; (1) practice, (2) progress work towards a project, and (3) the assessment or finished product. The Purpose of the work should determine the type of feedback that is being provided. In my previous post, I focused on feedback that would be provided during the "Progress" phase of learning. This post will focus on how to use these methods as a "Product" or summative assessment tool.


Delayed Grading
One of my biggest pet peeves is when I hand back an assignment and the student looks at the grade, shoves it in their backpack and doesn't even glance at my feedback. This is defeating in so many ways. First, I feel like I wasted my time. It can take hours to provide detailed feedback. To have it thrown away is dishearterning. Second, it is doing a disservice to our students. Feedback is designed to help them improve. If they don't read it, they can't implement it!

Delayed grading is one way to ensure that students are receiving and interacting with feedback. It leverages the one thing that they all want to know - what grade they got. Consider this, require them to interact with their feedback BEFORE they ever see their grade. This could work for progress or product feedback but I am most likely to use it on a final product.

The Cult of Pedagogy designed the following infographic explaining how to implement this strategy in your classroom.


Brilliant, isn't it??! I wish I had learned this at the beginning of my career. Think of the hours it would have saved me!

Leveraging the Power of Technology
I began providing audio and video feedback to my students during the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, I incorporated audio and video feedback to help build connections with students during remote learning but the practice stuck. I still use it today because I am able to provide a depth of feedback that was not possible when I was writing it. 

Audio and Video Feedback
Research that suggests that providing students with audio feedback can increase their academic performance and overall satisfaction with a class. A study published in the Journal Online Learning compared the performance and satisfaction levels of students who received only written feedback versus audio feedback. The students greatly preferred the auditory feedback. They were also three times more likely to apply the content of the feedback to their work (Stuart, 2020).

There were three themes that emerged regarding why students preferred auditory feedback:
  • The students indicated that they were better able to detect nuance and emotion in the audio mode. This led to a better understanding of the content of the feedback and they were then more likely to incorporate the feedback in their revision.
  • The students experienced increased feelings of social involvement and connectedness with the teacher. The presence of audio feedback increased the "social presence" of the teacher. According to one subject, "The audio, well, I also like it because it makes me feel like a real part of the class. You don't feel like a number when you get that." (Ice, Curtis, Phillips, & Wells, 2007). It reinforced the sense of a "being there" which can be so difficult to mimic in an online classroom.
  • The students indicated increased satisfaction with the teacher. As one participant put it, "the final thing is about the way I think audio shows that you cared about us" (Ice, Curtis, Phillips, & Wells, 2007) .
There are some easy ways to implement audio feedback in the classroom.
  • Pick and choose the best assignments to utilize this strategy. Don't forget to start by identifying the purpose of the assignment.
  • Determine which tool is the best to use. I use the Canvas LMS to provide feedback for my students. In Speedgrader, there is a media comment icon under "Assignment Comments." Each comment takes about a minute per student but I can provide much more detailed feedback than I can using written feedback.
  • If you do not have access to Canvas, another great option is Mote. Mote is a Chrome extension that allows teachers to add voice comments and feedback to shared google documents. It works for slides, docs and sheets. Both of these options will help you build a social presence with your students.
You can find my original post, "Feedback as Fuel for Connections", here if you are interested in learning more about the research behind this strategy.

Personalized Learning Pathways with Mastery Paths
The following strategy is most easily used with a Learning Management System like Canvas. Mastery Pathways are great ways to differentiate student learning based on content, product, and process. It allows teachers to personalize a student's learning experience based on their previous performance on an assignment or quiz. Based on their score, the student can be diverted to different pathways based on their individual needs. This could be a remediation, extension, or even moving on to new content. Once you set up the pathways, it runs automatically. This is meaningful, actionable feedback! Are you interested in giving it a try? Here are some instructions to get started in Canvas.

That wraps up this series! I hope that you found some strategies that will help lighten your load while still providing the students with the feedback that they need. I would love to hear from you! Please drop your comments, suggestions, and questions in the comment section below. Thanks for joining me!

Be Well
Cori

Other Posts in this Series:

Resources:

Gonzalez, J. (2021, August 19). Meet the single point rubric. Cult of Pedagogy. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/single-point-rubric/

Gonzalez, J. (2021, November 18). Moving from feedback to Feedforward. Cult of Pedagogy. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/feedforward/

Grading & Feedback. Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning. (2020, January 14). Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://dcal.dartmouth.edu/resources/evaluating-student-learning/grading-feedback

How do I use mastery paths in course modules? Instructure. (2022, December 17). Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-use-Mastery-Paths-in-course-modules/ta-p/906

Louden, K. (2021, August 19). Delaying the grade: How to get students to read feedback. Cult of Pedagogy. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/delayed-grade

Stuart , D. (2020, September 4). How (and why) to leave audio feedback on student work this year, whether during in-person or distance learning. Dave Stuart Jr. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://davestuartjr.com/how-and-why-to-leave-audio-feedback-on-student-work-distance-learning/ 

Tucker, Catlin  (2022). Side-by-side assessments: Grading with students. Dr Catlin Tucker. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://catlintucker.com/2022/05/side-by-side-assessments/


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