Feedback - Highlights and Response to Readings

Providing Feedback in Computer Based Instruction - Mason & Bruning
   
    Mason & Bruning hit the nail on the head in the opening paragraph of this reading. They state:
   
         Among the most important outcomes of
        feedback are helping learners identify errors and become aware of
        misconceptions and to motivate further learning.
   
    It wasn’t surprising to me that later on in the article they seemed to come to the conclusion that learning was effected positively when a combination of verification and elaboration existed. Although there can be variations in the specific types of feedback given, the more feedback that is provided the more potential the to increase the effectiveness of the learning. Mason & Bruning point to two items of research which thought this to be true:
   
        Roper theorized that the increased amount of feedback information provided
        students with enhanced knowledge from which they could correct
        misunderstandings. All of these studies provide evidence for increased
        learning in response to CBI programs incorporating elaborated feedback.
        The research by Whyte et al. (1995) also showed that the
        greatest learning gains in response to CBI came with the highest (most
        elaborate) levels of feedback.
   
    In determining how much / what type of feedback to give the user of a CBI, the learner control method seems to be a reasonable solution. This would enable the user to "opt-in" or "opt-out" of feedback. The user could then only receive they feedback they find most useful and consequently the feedback they are most likely going to use.
   
    The research on when to give feedback was insightful. I agree with the reasoning to provide low ability learners with immediate feedback and delay feedback for higher level learners. However, I feel that more research needs to be done as to when and how to provide delayed feedback for higher level learners.
   
Brooks & Schraw: Performance Related Feedback - The Hallmark of Efficient Instruction

    This article seemed to state the obvious. Their claims about feedback seemed to be overly generalized to the point that I'm not sure they made much of a point. At one point the authors state: " In other words, best instruction provides learners with much more feedback than does conventional instruction." Much more? What is conventional?
   
    The authors write about feedback being necessary for our cognitive development. From what I gathered from a few seemingly disconnected statements, Brooks & Schraw seem to believe that feedback is the cognitive filter we use to make sense of the world around us.
   
    It was interesting to see that the section on "explicit suggestions about teaching". In this section were some very common teaching practices. I've never thought of these practices being effective because of the way that they provide feedback.


Pashler, Cepeda, & Wixted: When Does Feedback Facilitate Learning of Words and Facts?

    Near the fist of this writing the author states:
   
     "a number of recent reviews have argued that while providing full feedback (i.e., knowledge of what the correct response would have been on the previous trial) tends to improve performance during training, it often does so at the expense of later retention (Bjork, 1994; Rosenbaum, Carlson & Gilmore, 2000; Schmidt & Bjork, 1992)."
   
     I found this statement to be intriguing due to the previous papers read on the subject of feedback. In the other papers read, feedback was always (as far as I can recall) referred to as something that either had no effect on the learning process or positively affected it. I had a hard time interpreting their findings in relation to feedback negatively affecting retention. The overall conclusion of the study found that feedback was effective when the student didn't already know the correct answer. If the student could answer the question correctly they did not benefit from the feedback.

Shute, Valerie (2008): Focus on Formative Feedback
   
    I found the authors findings on motivation and feedback to be interesting. I found their connection to the uncertainty of the students performance to a lack of motivation. It also makes sense that if the students receive more formative feedback it will reduce the cognitive load. This could also have a positive effect on the motivation of the learner due to the fact that the learning experience could now be more manageable.
   
    Shute states:
        Motivation has been shown to be an important mediating factor in learners’ performance
        (Covington & Omelich, 1984), and feedback can be a powerful motivator
        when delivered in response to goal-driven efforts. Some researchers suggest
        that the learner’s goal orientation should be considered when designing instruction,
        particularly when feedback can encourage or discourage a learner’s effort
        (Dempsey et al. 1993).
   

I like the way that, in this context, formative feedback can be formative towards the learners goals and not solely based on whether they got the correct answer or not.