TEACHING SCIENCE AT UNIVERSITY KNOWLEDGE-TO-PRACTICE BRIEF #2

POWERFUL FEEDBACK
How can I give my students effective feedback?

Even though you discussed clearly outlined learning goals for

This brief will…
• Describe how feedback is
meant to support teaching and
learning.
• Provide tips for and examples
of giving effective feedback.
your geology course during the first week of class, results of a
mid-term exam show low scores. A closer look shows that
about half of your students think that continents do not move
(!). This is foundational knowledge on which a lot of
subsequent lessons are based. Where is this gap in
understanding coming from? How can you avoid such
misunderstandings earlier next time?

Using feedback to close the gap between

What research says current and desired understanding
A study by John Hattie (2009) What students take from our lectures and learning activities is
indicates that feedback is among not always what we want them to know. The best thing you can
the top ten influencers of student do is to periodically check student understanding and then
achievement in the classroom. give feedback when it does not match intended learning goals.
This study emphasizes that the
type of feedback students receive
matters. Examples of effective
feedback are provided in this
brief.
learning goals
Findings from Hattie’s 2009 study (instruction)
also show that the majority of
feedback comes from peers and
is incorrect. It describes how
prompts can help peers provide
more accurate, helpful feedback.

student understanding
Students’ culture (assessment)

Be aware that students’ cultural

targeted feedback
backgrounds can influence how (adapting)
they perceive feedback. Students
from collectivist cultures, for
When you give students feedback during course activities, it
example, some Asian countries,
gives them insight into their progress and helps them guide
prefer indirect and anonymous
their own learning. As a first step, strive to describe clear
feedback. Students from
learning goals for your course and for individual course
individualistic cultures, such as
meetings. After some instruction, use assessment strategies to
the USA and UK, prefer direct and
gain insight into students’ understanding. Based on what you
individual feedback.
learn through assessment, target feedback so that it reduces
the gap between what students understand and what you
would like them to understand.

Find our MOOC at: www.coursera.org/learn/teachingscience 1

 TEACHING SCIENCE AT UNIVERSITY
Assessing student
understanding
An important approach for
understanding students’ current
knowledge, concepts, and ideas
is formative assessment.  A set of
strategies called classroom
assessment techniques (CATS)
have been developed to conduct
formative assessment.  CATs can
sometimes also provide effective
feedback.  One example is the
‘Background Knowledge Probe,’
which helps teachers assess how
much prior knowledge students
have on a specific subject matter. 
For more information about
formative assessment and CATs,
see Brief #1, “Formative
Assessment.” 
Know your students
If students feel they are being
monitored too closely, they may
become self-conscious or
nervous and tune out. Also,
communicating feedback need
not always involve pointing out
individual mistakes.
Start by offering one or two
pieces of feedback for students
to focus on. If they indicate they
can use these tips, explore
whether they are ready for more.
For a complete list of references plus links, please go to: https://www.coursera.org/learn/teachingscience/resources/DUygt
KNOWLEDGE-TO-PRACTICE BRIEF #2
Tips to try today
Categorize your feedback
Give students specific feedback about different levels of
learning: the task, the process, or student self-regulation.
Task (or product): learning something new, learning to carry
out a lab. Powerful feedback here is information focused: Is the
answer correct or incorrect?
Process: how the student created the product or completed the
task. Powerful feedback here helps students develop better
strategies for error detection, work more efficiently, reassess
approaches to problems, etc.
Self-regulation: how the student monitors his or her own
learning. Powerful feedback here can improve students’ self
evaluation skills, willingness to seek and accept feedback, and
their confident engagement in learning.
Feedback is most effective when it is:
1. Offered soon after a misunderstanding is identified.
2. Focused on the task or learning process, rather than the
person.
3. Linked to learning goals.
• When correcting writing, mark grammar and syntax
points that you emphasized when giving the assignment.
4. Transparent and consistent.
• Let students know why and how you are monitoring their
progress and how they can use feedback.
• Help students recognize when you are about to give
them feedback by doing it similarly each time.
• Find out how students are using feedback.
5. Concise and authentic.
• Focus on just one or two points.
• Be specific about what is correct and what can be
improved.
• Avoid overly positive or overly negative feedback.
Useful Resources
• 7 Things to Remember about Feedback
• 5 Research-Based Tips for Providing Students with
Meaningful Feedback
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