Feedback is a very important part of learning. Feedback is the mechanism that lets the learner know whether they are on the right track. The dictionary.com definition of feedback is "The return of information about the result of a process or activity; an evaluative response."

Assessment and measurement strategies provide feedback to both the student and instructor. Students learn more effectively if they receive frequent, meaningful, and rapid feedback. Feedback may come from the instructor directly, from assignments and assessments which have feedback built into them, or even from other students.

Feedback to learners about where they are and where their instructors want them to be comes in many different ways, such as:

• instructor participation in a discussion assignment
• writing assignments that require submission of a draft for instructor comments and suggestions for improvement
• self-mastery tests and quizzes that include informative feedback with each answer choice
• interactive games and simulations that have feedback built in

Technology can provide automated assessments which provide instant right or wrong feedback. Interactive media provide feedback when they add a visual change to indicate mouseover, or a sound to accompany an action. This very simple form of feedback lets the learner know their input has been received. More sophisticated technologies can offer constructive criticism. Technology can also help by gathering and organizing student performances and making it easy to offer feedback. However, human participation is often a necessary part of feedback.

< PREV [Types of assessments]	NEXT > [Grading and online gradebooks]