Writing and New Technologies
IMPROVING FEEDBACK QUALITY IN ONLINE FORUMS
Dr. Tobias Zimmermann¹, Alex Rickert²
¹Zurich University of Teachers Education (Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich), Zurich, Switzerland ²Zurich University of Teachers Education (Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich), Zurich, Switzerland
Lecturers frequently initiate online discussion platforms as a learning tool that accompany their courses. The students’ task is to give feedback to other students’ contributions. However, the exchange in such forums is demanding, and often lecturers as well as students perceive these written discussions as inefficient. Research has proven that feedback in learning contexts is especially effective in terms of learning if it challenges, differentiates or elaborates statements from previous contributions by learning partners (Fischer 2002). Zimmermann (2014) developed a complex framework with categories that allow to assess the quality of written online feedback. Based on this extensive framework we deducted a concise version and tested its practicability by conducting a survey in a university course setting. The aim was to improve both the textual quality of the feedbacks and the learning effects in written online discussions by introducing the framework to the students. Therefore, we analyzed the effects of our framework in supporting students to generate high quality online feedback that supports their learning. The results of the survey are discussed in this presentation. Our contribution shows the usability as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the framework in practical use. Overall, our findings suggest that frameworks focusing on feedback quality can help to establish written online discussions as effective learning instruments.
References
Fischer, F. (2002). Gemeinsame Wissenskonstruktion – Theoretische und methodologische Aspekte. Psychologische Rundschau , 53 (3), S. 119–134.
Zimmermann, T. (2014). Transaktivität in Rückmeldungen. Linguistische und soziokognitive Analysen zur Bezugnahme auf andere Texte in OnlineForen . Universität Zürich: Dissertation. http://opac.nebis.ch/ediss/20142168.pdf