Encouraging Productive Online Interaction and Feedback in Higher Education
Encouraging Productive Online Interaction and Feedback in Higher Education

Summary/Abstract: This paper aims to shed some new light on the role of feedback and interaction in higher education (HE), more specifically, productive use of feedback and interaction in online environments in HE. The paper outlines the current conceptualization of feedback and interaction, moving beyond the shared assumption that feedback relates only to positive comments and communication. We start by introducing up-to-date studies by leading feedback researchers and reformers of HE, maintaining that there is always an interplay between inputs and outputs: the output is dependent on the input. In our paper, we discuss the implications stemming from the new paradigm of feedback. We provide numerous examples from researchers that illustrate how technology can facilitate productive dialogue feedback. We endorse the findings of these researchers, who suggest that feedback is most effective when students engage actively in making sense of cues and information. We then explore possibilities of interaction in online environments and introduce several purposes for which feedback and interaction can be used in online environments in HE, starting with ice-breaking activities, socialization, to continue with motivation, fulfilment of learning goals, self and peer evaluation, assessment and evidence of engagement, among other stages of learning and involvement. We conclude that feedback should not go unnoticed or neglected, but it should contribute to future improved students’ performance.

• Details
• Contents