How can digital feedback support 21st century learning?

1 What is digital feedback?

Digital feedback is any feedback that is delivered or received through digital tools or platforms, such as online quizzes, video comments, peer reviews, chatbots, or learning analytics. Digital feedback can be synchronous or asynchronous, formative or summative, individual or collective, and qualitative or quantitative. Digital feedback can also be adaptive, meaning that it can adjust to the learner's level, progress, and preferences.

2 Why is digital feedback important?

Digital feedback is essential for 21st century learning as it provides more specific, timely, and actionable information that can help learners improve their performance. It also enables frequent, diverse, and accessible feedback from different sources, such as teachers, peers, experts, or automated systems. Learners can choose, control, and customize their feedback options, goals, and strategies according to their needs, interests, and preferences. Furthermore, digital feedback can help develop learners' skills and attitudes to seek, interpret, apply, and give feedback effectively and responsibly.

3 How to design effective digital feedback?

Designing effective digital feedback requires considering several factors such as purpose, context, content, mode, and timing. To help support 21st century learning, here are some general guidelines to consider: align the feedback with learning objectives and outcomes, make them clear and transparent to learners. Utilize a variety of digital tools and platforms that are easy to use and reliable. Provide feedback that is specific, constructive, and actionable; focus on the strengths and areas for improvement of the learner's work or performance. Balance the amount and frequency of feedback to avoid overloading or overwhelming learners. Finally, encourage learner involvement in the feedback process; provide opportunities for self-assessment, reflection, action, and sharing.

4 How to use digital feedback effectively?

To use digital feedback effectively as a 21st century learner, it’s important to adopt a positive and proactive attitude towards feedback, and develop your feedback literacy skills. To do so, you should actively and regularly seek feedback from different sources and perspectives, interpreting it critically and objectively. You should also apply the most relevant and useful feedback for your learning goals and needs, as well as give feedback respectfully and constructively, using digital etiquette. Finally, you should monitor your feedback practices and outcomes, seeking feedback on your feedback to improve your skills and habits.

5 How to overcome digital feedback challenges?

Digital feedback can present some challenges, such as technical issues, feedback overload, inconsistency, misuse, or resistance. To overcome these, you need to be aware of the pitfalls and limitations and adopt strategies to cope with them. Troubleshoot and resolve any technical issues that may affect delivery or reception of digital feedback. Manage and filter the amount and quality of feedback you receive or provide, using tools or techniques to organize, prioritize, or summarize. Verify and validate the credibility and reliability of sources, using multiple sources or methods to cross-check or triangulate. Use digital feedback responsibly and follow the rules and guidelines of the platforms or tools used for feedback. Embrace digital feedback as an opportunity and a challenge, developing a growth mindset and resilience towards feedback.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?