Re-examining our feedback model: strategies for enhancing student learning and cultivating feedback literacy through formative assessments

Abstract

Distance education has increased steadily since the onset of Covid-19. As online offerings become a staple in programs of study, rather than the exception, it is important to consider how instructors design their courses to incorporate feedback as well as how they promote active student involvement in feedback processes. In this paper, the authors revisit a feedback model proposed for the online environment, which includes intentional strategies to alleviate potential pitfalls in the feedback cycle, first by conducting a citation analysis of how the model was interpreted and applied by others in their practice and scholarship, and then by describing how they adjusted the model for further inquiry with fully online graduate students. Finally, the authors detail how their model aligns to the four features of the feedback literacy framework. Findings discuss the importance of formative assessments within online coursework to provide space for the application of feedback as well as strategies for creating individualized dialogue with students around their feedback and learning. The findings warrant additional research regarding how the model may provide a structured approach to developing students’ feedback literacy.