Evaluation Methods and Communication Practices (Communicate 4.1.1)

Evaluation and feedback is vital in any classroom, but is especially important in a virtual classroom. In an online English or writing course, providing meaningful feedback is critical.  When a student produces a piece of writing, most English teachers are able to score that writing quickly and accurately.  But if a teacher wants that student to improve his writing, then the teacher needs to provide thorough and meaningful feedback.  This feedback should be sure to address positive qualities of the work in order to build trust with the students and prevent students from becoming too defensive when receiving feedback.  

Giving valuable feedback to students is one of the most difficult and time-consuming jobs of the English teacher.  I can spend up to 30 minutes per paper writing notes on papers, correcting errors and scoring essays.  At the end, the paper is messy and it can be difficult to decipher the teacher notes.  To streamline this process--to work smarter, not harder--I made a long list of all of the different notes that I write on student papers.  Then I worked with the computer science teacher at my school to drop that information into a checklist.  Now, when I grade student essays, I can use the checklist to check off the feedback that applies to that specific paper and then give the 1-2 pages of typed, specific feedback to the student.  The entire process takes between 3-5 minutes per paper, but the product is superior to the antiquated teacher scribbling.  The checklist also allows me to author new or different feedback when I see a need.  When I use this approach for evaluating papers and providing feedback, my students' writing improves tremendously.

An online instructor could use a similar approach to provide feedback on student writing.  The feedback could be a great substitute for the in-person conferencing that traditional classroom teachers can employ in a classroom.  Virtual instructors have a host of other options as well, such as video conferences, instant messaging, or simple email.  By taking measures to provide meaningful and personal feedback, a virtual instructor can enhance student performance and establish relationships with the students.