Guidelines for Feedback

The ATLAS team is here to support you in developing a meaningful feedback and assessment plan for your courses. Reach out to us at teach@wit.edu, and a member of our team will be happy to consult with you. 

Wentworth’s Office of the Provost developed Guidelines for Timely and Useful Graded Feedback to support faculty to set students up for success. These include timeliness standards to ensure that students receive actionable feedback in time to put it into practice in their work. 

The guidelines also include principles of effective feedback, which ATLAS has expanded upon below. 

Feedback is most beneficial to students when it is: 

Timely

Given within a timeframe that allows students to apply feedback to future assignments or assessments. 

Feedback is an ongoing process. Design feedback loops into your course to create dialogue between faculty and students that structures in iterative improvement throughout the process of learning.  

Constructive

Provide specific, actionable suggestions for improvement.  

There are many different kinds of feedback that you can use to create a culture of healthy feedback in your classroom. Try multiple strategies that suit your disciplinary context. 

Clear and Understandable

Written or recorded and readily accessible for student reference when completing future assignments.   

Set expectations with your students about how you will provide feedback and what you expect them to do with your feedback. Coach students on how to seek out and productively apply feedback to their work, providing examples of both what works well and what doesn’t work well in your context. 

Aligned with Learning Outcomes and Assignment Rubric / Expectations

Focused on the objectives and expectations of the assignment, course, and program.

Feedback should be meaningfully linked to student learning outcomes and program assessment rubrics, which are anchored in career readiness, helping students see the relevance and value of your course. 

Equitable and Consistent

Delivered fairly and uniformly across all students.   

Be inclusive by providing feedback opportunities in multiple modalities, such as: verbal, written, video/audio, peer feedback, etc. Ensure that students have ample opportunity to practice what they are learning and implement your actionable feedback before major assessments. 

Balanced

Address both strengths and opportunities for improvement. 

Positive reinforcement is essential to support growth mindset and the motivation to engage deeply. When doing peer reviews or critiques, coach students on how to give, receive, and act on feedback, providing structure to ensure that students receive both strengths-based and constructive feedback. Create opportunities for self-reflection to help students deepen their metacognitive understanding of their own learning processes. 

Brightspace Integration

You can Brightspace in many ways that support these best practices, including:

  • Give students feedback on assignments, discussions, and quizzes directly within the learning management system. 
  • You can give feedback in writing, via audio, or via video, all within Brightspace. 
  • Use the Brightspace gradebook to keep students informed of their progress along with meaningful, actionable feedback that they can use to work toward mastery in your courses. 

Resources and References

Do you have specific tips, tips, or approaches you use in your discipline? We’d love to hear more about them! Reach out to us at teach@wit.edu.