Immediate Feedback’s Impact on Student and Instructor Success
By Michelle Estes, EdD, ET, ABD, Director of Professional Learning at Paradigm Education Solutions
Let’s admit it, we all like feedback. Either positive or negative. Students rely on feedback to see their learning progress. Computer-based feedback can provide meaningful direction for students and instructors alike. Ultimately, it improves student academic performance and saves instructors time.
After teaching in the classroom for many years where students were required to turn in paper copies or test results on scantron sheets and then had to wait on my feedback, I knew there must be a better way. Fortunately, I was at a point in my teaching career where learning management systems were introduced to me and that was the start of computer-based feedback for my students.
The timing was perfect! I started teaching online and needed to seek out courseware that could be integrated in my learning management system that would provide students with immediate feedback. After exploring my options, Paradigm Education Solutions provided me with the best course materials where I could integrate computer-based feedback into Blackboard, my college’s learning management system. The best part was that Paradigm was able to provide students with immediate feedback right into my Blackboard grade book. As an instructor who had more than 100 students on roster each term, this was a game changer for me. Not only did it improve my students’ academic performance, but it saved me time.
What I appreciated the most about the computer-based feedback that Paradigm’s products provided me with was its timeliness. Students knew exactly what they needed to improve on, and I knew which next steps to take to assist my students. This type of computer-based feedback helped me determine if I needed to provide additional instruction or if the student could be self-sufficient and move forward with their assignments.
Now, let’s talk about how computer-based feedback empowers me to save time. As many instructors can relate, grading by hand can be a difficult task and evaluating student work and providing constructive feedback often takes days to complete. With Paradigm’s products you are able to select course content where there is no grading involved and feedback is immediate to the student.
Paradigm has taken computer-based feedback and instruction a step further. Cirrus is the next-generation learning solution for Microsoft® Office 365 and computer concepts. Cirrus seamlessly delivers complete course in a cloud-based learning environment that puts students on the fast track to success on day one. Rising above status quo training and assessment platforms, Cirrus delivers a personalized digital learning experience, providing a suite of tools to help students develop skills mastery.
About Paradigm
We deliver educational technology that blends engaging instruction with hands-on learning experiences. This approach accelerates skill development, challenges students to think like professionals, and provides context for how students’ skills are relevant in the real world.
Our learning solutions for computer technology, health careers, business technology, and career development support learners in thousands of post-secondary programs, K-12 institutions, correctional facilities, and workforce programs nationwide. Learn more.