How often should you give feedback to online learners?

learning is relational, conversational and multidirectional... feedback practice will be enriched if normalised as part of the learning process with educators, peers and the wider public... some of it could also come from AI. Self evaluation is equally important but also by and for groups of learners... creating a scaffold towards learner autonomy will be extremely valuable.

Feedback is a critical part of the learning process. Depending on the content delivery strategy, feedback should be embedded in the methodology. Feedback frequency allows the adult learner to understand the gaps and correct the learning pace and improve. The most challenging part in the online environment is learner's acceptance of feedback. Most times, feedback provides an opening to the instructor to connect with the learner and measure the learning capacity and speed. Alignment of which becomes critical for all learners in the group. Peer feedback also plays an important part in the learning process

Feedback or feed forward should always be embedded in the learning experience. It should be delivered to build confidence amongst the learning community and it should feel like a natural part of their learning process. The opportunity to pause, reflect and process feed forward is a hugely motivating not to mention an inclusive experience for students and tutors. Not everyone learns at the same pace but everyone seeks affirmation of their knowledge development and application. As such, constructive, consistent, considerate and dynamic feedforward is essential.

Feedback is as essential as digesting food. You don't know the benefits of a meal until it's digested in the body. Similarly, when something is said or done, we don't know if it's met its expectations and intentions. Unless you share feedback the loop will remain open. Exchange of transactions between people needs clarity and feedback gives you that awareness. Instant feedback is the best form of reinforcement for ensuring the establishment of expected behaviour. Both the giver and the taker of feedback must exercise caution and be mindful of the dynamics playing around giving and receiving of feedback eg. Evaluate the status of relationship between parties, time it may take to accept feedback, use of tone, place where feedback is shared.

Student feedback has to be immediate, specific, and consistent. This way students can learn and adjust their approach as they progress through online courses.

Feedback is just harsh noise if the learner isn't motivated to digest it and incorporate it into their understanding of the material. The key to choosing the right feedback strategy is to understand what is motivating the learner to improve. Where there is intrinsic motivation, focus on serving it. Where there isn't, adopt a strategy that provides extrinsic motivation. For example, in a situation where the learner has no intrinsic motivation to take feedback on board (such as routine compliance training), peer feedback can be especially effective, by providing gentle social pressure to engage with the feedback. Once you've adopted a strategy, you can choose from the tools you have access to those which will work best in your use case.

Effectively delivering feedback in the online learning environment entails tailoring strategies and tools to match feedback types, purposes, learner characteristics, and preferences. Encouraging self-assessment and peer feedback fosters intrinsic feedback, while automated and adaptive feedback mechanisms offer extrinsic insights. Synchronous feedback ensures immediacy, while asynchronous feedback allows for a delay, catering to distinct learning needs. The choice between multimedia and text-based feedback can provide either specific or general feedback, enhancing clarity. Striking a balance between praise and constructive criticism is key to maintaining a healthy mix of positive and negative feedback.

Peer reviews, exchange forums and assessments are vital and must be structured as part of the learning journey to make the programs a great success!!

It's important to keep in mind that the content in an e-learning environment is only one part of the experience. Having an instructor, mentor, or facilitator give feedback and context to the content is a huge value-add over purely self-guided learning contexts.

Some brilliant observations here and I agree that feedback needs to take place regularly within an online model of learning. What is important however is that learners understand when feedback is given and how to utilise it to develop their work appropriately. For example when a script is returned many students may just look at the mark achieved rather than read the valuable feedback comments or annotations that may have been provided by tutors. This is a failure on both parts as the tutor hasn’t reinforced the development points and the learner has missed the message. Educators need to make better use of flipped classroom tools such as PBL and peer to peer feedforward and feedback to facilitate deeper learning strategies within students.