Digital feedback formats
Forum individual/collective feedback
In a forum (such as a Learning Management System (LMS) like Moodle, a closed Facebook group, blog, or chat), written feedback can be exchanged between the teacher and student or a group of students. The forum can also be used for exchanging feedback between students, with the teacher taking on a more facilitating role and providing feedback in a more reserved manner. The use of the forum depends on the type of feedback process desired.
Navigate the different aspects of the activity here
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
- The forum (e.g., Moodle, Facebook, blog, chat) allows for an ongoing dialogue on the feedback given, making it easier to ask clarifying questions
- Feedback history enables both teacher and students to revisit previous comments, enhancing motivation by highlighting progression
- The feedback history makes it possible for both the teacher and the student to track the progression. It can sometimes be difficult to sense or feel personal development, but by revisiting past feedback, one can see in writing what has changed. This experience can be motivating
- Written feedback provides a different reflection process compared to audio or video recordings, as the recipient unlike while recording, can walk to and from the writings, and thus carefully reflect about the content
- Adapting to the recipient is important in written feedback. The feedback should consider the recipient’s age and reading skills to ensure the message is clear and accessible
- Visual support can enhance written feedback, as images can help convey complex points or illustrate key ideas
- Dialogue in a forum allows students to feel closer to the instructor and/or other students, creating a more connected learning environment
- Combining text with audio or video is also possible in a forum, providing multiple ways to give and receive feedback
- If a forum is used to share feedback with a group:
- The whole group can benefit from the feedback, whether it is directed at an individual student or the entire group.
- Students can give feedback to each other, learning how to both give and receive constructive feedback. This process allows them to benefit not only from the feedback they receive but also from the reflection involved in giving feedback
Disadvantages
- Formulating written feedback can feel cumbersome, as one strives to express oneself clearly and understandably
- Depending on one’s experience with giving written feedback, it can be challenging to express oneself in writing. Some may feel more comfortable with oral feedback or audio or video recordings
- The history created in a forum can hinder further development. Sometimes, it may be beneficial to start from scratch (add a new dialog page / mail thread or similar)
- Rather than giving a sense of progression, the accumulated history can create a sense of ongoing criticism, which can be difficult to handle and may become demotivating
- Engaging in dialogue with the instructor in a forum can be challenging for students, either because they lack experience or feel intimidated, which can lead to one-way communication
- Written feedback can be hard to interpret, and misunderstandings or misinterpretations may arise
- If a forum is used to share feedback with a group:
- It can be challenging and uncomfortable for students if the instructor’s feedback is shared publicly in a group. Receiving criticism can be a vulnerable thing and when others can see it, it can become demotivating
- When students are asked to give feedback to each other, it can be challenging and uncomfortable, especially if they lack experience or are concerned about upsetting one another. Competition among students may also arise, which can negatively impact the quality of feedback given
- The instructor’s voice and feedback may dominate the forum. This can devalue students’ feedback and undermine the purpose of peer exchange
- It can be difficult for students to provide meaningful feedback if they lack clear guidelines and focus areas to work from. Later, as they gain more experience, the format can be made more flexible
Experiences with the activity
Piano teacher Søren Rastogi has used a forum for feedback where students at the Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg provided each other feedback in the activities “Video used for recording improvisation exercises in relation to artistic expression & Make Practice Perfect”.
Experiences with the activity
Piano teacher Jakob Alsgaard Bahr has also used a forum for feedback, where both he and students at the Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg provided feedback in the activities “Exam preparation: Feedback and reflection module with practice/performance videos” & “Concert preparation: Feedback and reflection process with practice/performance videos“
