The Vermont State Educator – December 2024

Reflecting on the Semester

We’re very aware that December is a busy and high stakes time of the semester. Students are feeling the pressure of final projects and exam; faculty are feeling the intensity of grading. And we can relate, being experienced educators ourselves. I (Jen) teach every few semesters at CCV, as a part-time gig on top of my full-time job in the CTLI, and I’m currently entering Week 14 of the semester in an asynchronous, online, first-year seminar course. I feel both delight at the learning and growth my students have exhibited and fatigue as I count up the hours of work I still have to put forth in giving end-of-semester feedback. With all of this awareness of the stress you’re likely feeling, we are sending you good energy for the push through these last few weeks heading into the December break, which will be welcomed by many of us in higher ed – students, faculty, and staff alike.

Our theme of the newsletter this month is feedback loops, recognizing that the close of one semester before the start of the next is a good opportunity to think about those small changes that will have a positive impact the next time you teach the class.

Stephen Brookfield (2017), author of the wonderful book Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher describes critical reflection as “the sustained and intentional process of identifying and checking the accuracy and validity of our teaching assumptions (p. 3).

One approach to engaging in critical reflecting on the semester is to, on a course-by-course basis, use the Gibbs Reflective Cycle (Gibbs, 1988, pp. 49-50), which takes into account not only what happened, but also how the semester felt for you. We’ve created a handy worksheet with guiding questions for each of the 6 steps of the cycle.

Taking an hour, in January, to capture your thoughts will be a benefit to your future self. And whether you use the guiding questions or take a more holistic approach to reflecting on your courses, we encourage you to focus on what went well in addition to the changes you might like to make. If you are contemplating changes in your teaching and would like a thought partner or help finding resources, please schedule a consultation with us!

Jen Garrett-Ostermiller, Director
Jeff Tunney, Associate Director
Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation @ VTSU
Get to know us!

References

Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. https://stephenp.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/learning-by-doing-graham-gibbs.pdf

Brookfield, S. D. (2017). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.

Engaging Students with Effective Feedback Loops

_{Jeff Tunney
Associate Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation}

Have you ever had an upset student who came to you when they received an unexpected grade on a summative assessment or claimed they had no idea how they were doing in the course? These situations are fairly common in higher education, and they can be minimized when we are intentional in the use of feedback during the course of the semester.

What is a feedback loop?

Simply put, a feedback loop is a continuous process in which an instructor provides feedback to students about their work. Then, the students use the feedback to improve their learning, and in turn, the faculty member adjusts their instruction based on the feedback. This dynamic creates a process for ongoing improvement and adaptation within the classroom environment.

Feedback loops established between students and faculty members are driven by three basic questions:

• Where am I going?
• Where am I now?
• Where am I going next?

Feedback loops are much more than just positive or negative reinforcement. They involve intentional processes that help students identify goals, evaluate and synthesize ideas, discuss their work constructively with others, and take actions to improve their performance. Engaged students also develop self-regulation, critical thinking skills, and practice a growth mindset (Zywica, 2023).

What are the benefits of feedback loops?

• Improved student learning – Constructive and structured feedback helps students identify areas for improvement and make adjustments accordingly.
• Increased student engagement – When students feel part of a process in which their own feedback is valued, they are more likely to remain engaged. 
• Improved instructional effectiveness: An analysis of student feedback allows faculty members to identify potential areas for improvement that can be applied to future weeks, units, and courses.

What are some instructional strategies?

• Actively seek out and listen to feedback from your students as a feedback loop isn’t intended to be a one-way street. In addition to the agency the students will gain, this process can help you to tweak your instruction to better meet their needs, identify areas for improvement, and foster a more inclusive and engaging learning environment.
• Prioritize active learning in the classroom. Feedback is part of an iterative process in which students learn and develop skills, such as reflection, self-evaluation, and interpersonal communication. The feedback cycle itself can also be a form of active learning as students practice and improve upon these skills (Zywica, 2023).
• Focus on the formative! As a feedback loop requires students to interpret evidence of learning and take responsive action, they will need regular feedback throughout the semester. As a result, the use of formative activities and assessments that are tied to course objectives and evaluated using rubrics is advantageous.
• Clearly articulate the intended objectives and goals at the beginning of each lesson. When students understand the goals, it becomes easier for them to process your feedback and take corrective action.
• Encourage students to adopt growth rather than fixed mindsets (Puff, 2017). It can be the difference between a student feeling like this is “what I am” (e.g., I’m just bad at math) versus this is “what I can be” (e.g., Math might be hard, but I’m committed to improving).
• As an instructor, close the loop by reflecting on your aims. Examples of questions to explore include: Did students meet the desired learning of the day’s aim? Could they move to a different level of proficiency? Could they ask for more feedback? Are there any other areas to revise? (Meredith, 2015).

Resources

• Meredith, T. (2015, May 15). Starting Student Feedback Loops. Edutopia; George Lucas Educational Foundation. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/starting-student-feedback-loops-taylor-meredith
• Puff, R. (2017, September, 19). Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/meditation-modern-life/201709/growth-mindset-vs-fixed-mindset
• Zywica, J. (2023). Moving Forward with Effective Feedback. Opportunity Education Foundation. https://opportunityeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OE_Moving-Forward-with-Effective-Feedback_vRGBFinal.pdf