The aim of this blog is to share some hints and tips about correspondence tuition that I’ve picked up over the years. The genesis for this blog came from an email from a fellow tutor who had been thinking about similar things. The comments that follows are, of course, my own. There is no right and wrong way to write effective correspondence tuition.
Feedback and Feedforward
An important principle of correspondence tuition is the concept of ‘feedforward’ (which is about how to do things better), which complements the notion of ‘feedback’ (which is about what could have been done better).
In very simple terms, feedforward comments (future altering comments) can be more easily shared on the eTMA summary page, whereas feedback comments can be left on a student’s script – although this distinction is a little artificial. You can provide feedback on an eTMA summary form, and targeted feedforward on a script.
I’ve also noted that feedback should be clear, specific, objective, constructive, actionable, supportive, and prompt.
In addition to the concept of feedforward and feedback, there’s also the idea of levels of comments.
Levels of comments
In one of the AL development sessions, I summarised a bit of research that outlined different levels of teaching comments that can be provided on a student’s script:
Depth 1 comments: comments on content and skills that indicate that there is a problem (e.g. ‘more needed here’ or ‘Structure needs attention’)
Depth 2 comments: comments on content and skills that correct a problem (e.g. ‘you needed to mention why this is an important issue’ or ‘your structure would have been better if you had started with an introductory paragraph’)
Depth 3 comments: comments that not only correct, but explain the correction (e.g. ‘you needed to mention why this is an important issue because by doing this you would provide a clearer context for the next section’ ….) Build on the student’s attempt or answer.
The depth 3 comments are all about trying to close student’s gaps in understanding; to take them from where they were to where they need to be.
Praise, pointers and expectations
A further broad category of comment can be broadly termed ‘praise and pointers’, which also relates to the important of encouragement.
It’s not enough to leave comments. It’s also important to give students a bit of direction, and a good way to do this is to shine a light on what topics and subjects are on the horizon (and maybe say why some of them are important in the context of the module). Context setting is really important, since it enables students to understand the purpose of an assessment in addition to what they had gained from an assessment.
Praise is absolutely essential. Whenever I’m marking a TMA, I always have a couple of related questions in my head, such as: “what do I like about this submission?” or “what has been done well?” A positive tutor attitude has the potential to create a positive student attitude.
I once remember hearing a comment from a colleague that has really stuck with me. It has stuck, because it was so simple, and so obvious. It was: always be sure to respect the effort that has gone into producing the work that you are marking or assessing. This links to another point about praise that I have been taught, which is: “praise the effort that has gone into something, rather than praising the work itself”.
A final point in this section is something that is simple, but is also really important. Comments to students can also be used to set expectations, which means that tutors can provide explicit encouragement. For example, a tutor might write: “I thought what you did in part 1 of the TMA was excellent. If you adopt a similar approach when you submit your TMA 2, and carefully work though these comments and the block material, I think that you will be able to get a higher score”.
Being critically positive
It is important to position yourself in relation to the feedback that you are sharing. A useful suggestion that I picked up from a fellow tutor was to avoid the word ‘but’. ‘But’ can sometimes sound inadvertently very critical. Even if used in a way that was intended to be positive, it can also give the impression of giving faint (or begrudged) praise. For example: ‘part one of the answer needed a stronger title, but your overall answer was very good’. A ‘but’ can also add ambiguity, when students desire clarity.
There are ways to express what was missing in a gentle way. If an answer lacks something… you could say, “I did feel that there was the opportunity to…” or “what would really lift this paragraph if you…”. Showing students what you were expecting, or modelling of answers using their own words is, of course, a depth 3 comment.
It can be useful to blame someone else. A tutor is a representative of the module team. Although the feedback and feedforward comments that you share are always you own, a useful phrase I have sometime used is: ‘the module team is looking for … because….’. This phrase can take the heat out of a critical comment, since you’re signalling that the feedback isn’t coming directly from you, but from a wider community of academics.
Sometimes, it might be useful to signal that you have high expectations for a student. If there is a feeling that a submission was rushed, a useful phrase might be: “I did feel that you are capable of submitting a stronger assignment…”. In these situations, you might mention that an extension is sometimes possible. Do also consider suggesting whether your student might benefit from an additional support session.
Adding value
Tutors are the most important people in the university because of their experience. A really useful and obvious question to ask when you’re writing feedback is “what value can I add?” It can be helpful to bring something of yourself into your feedback, since you may be able to contextualise the learning material. If you have had a job outside the university, you might, for example, be able to share comments about why the module team consider certain learning outcomes to be important.
Too many comments?
In tutor development sessions, I have sometimes heard the reflection that the amount of comments that can be left is inversely proportional to the size of an assignment submission. Another reflection that I have heard was: if you end up writing more than what a student has written, you’re certainly leaving too much feedback. A very practical approach to take when writing eTMA summary pages is to leave behind three key comments. These comments should be strategic; they should help your student to get a practical sense of what they need to do to improve for the next assignment. If more than three high level strategic comments are given, there is a risk that your student might well be overwhelmed with what they need to do.
Deconstructing correspondence tuition
A fellow tutor (and reader of this blog), Karl Wilcox, sent me three excerpts of his own correspondence tuition, which I’m going to gently deconstruct. Karl tutors on a number of computing modules, which is reflected in some of the comments he has left.
Example 1: Encouragement
This was largely fine, you introduced a small mistake into your file as you where editing it after you have completed question one and I don't think you validated it again. This has cost you a few marks, but is not a big deal. I would not disagree with all the changes that you made, I think they were all sensible however there were some areas where you could have gone a little bit further, for example in making the two pages look consistent and also in formatting of the table. However there is nothing here that gives me any concern about your understanding of the block material and you have made good use of what you have found. The next block involves some programming, I don't know how much previous experience you have had but if it is new to you, I would strongly recommend the introductory tutorials, I am sure that you will find useful. You have made a good start to the module and I hope that you can continue to improve as we work through the remaining assessments. I look forward to working with you and seeing your next TMA.
What I liked about this example was the encouragement, and the playing down of the loss of marks. The excerpt has clear and direct praise, with the words: “You have made a good start to the module”. There’s a pointer to the next part of the module and a suggestion about attending tutorials, which is a really good thing to do; this reflects my point about how tutors can ‘add value’.
Example 2: Reflections on the marks
Congratulations on submitting your first TMA. I am pleased to confirm that all your files validate correctly and you have resolved all the standards compliance issues in the supplied files and made a good start in the module. I think you could have expanded on some sections, especially those that discuss the issues, as there were many marks available for these. It was good to show that you can do referencing correctly, that in a document of this length I would expect to see several more references present, and again this could have gained you further marks. I am sure that if you take this feedback on board you will be able to score at least as well if not better and the remaining assignments.
Just like the previous example, this excerpt presented a really positive and friendly tone that clearly acknowledges the work that has been done.
This example also explicitly mentions referencing, explicitly highlighting the link between referencing and marks. In some respects, this was a depth 2 comment because it directly mentioned that referencing was important. Taking a critical approach, a depth 3 comment might also say that “referencing is important because…” and go onto say it is an important academic skill to show where information was obtained from, and will be even more important when the student goes onto studying a project module where the student needs to write a dissertation. This said, it is always a judgement call about what to include, and what not to include. Sometimes, not leaving a comment on one part of a submission might help to emphasise the importance of other comments that have been left.
In this second example, Karl clearly sets an expectation, suggesting that this student ‘will be able to score at least as well if not better’ in future assignments.
Example 3: Boilerplate text
Like Karl, I include bits of ‘boilerplate text’ on some of the TMAs I return. Karl shared a couple of fragments:
Block 2 Materials are available NOW. This is a large block with lots to learn but also a great deal of support available to you, especially the many tutorials. Please try to attend or watch the recordings of as many of these as you can.
JavaScript Getting Started Tutorial Wednesday: 4th December, Further JavaScript Tutorial: Monday 9th December, "Open House" Q&A Session: Tuesday 17th December, PHP Getting Started Tutorial: Monday 16th December, Further PHP Tutorial Wednesday: 8th January 2020. Finally, the TMA02 deadline: Thursday 30th January.
This is another really good example of how, as tutor, we can add value. This also an example of joining everything together (blog post) https://learn1.open.ac.uk/mod/oublog/viewpost.php?post=287426 ; connecting correspondence teaching to tutorials, and to module materials.
Practical tips
When marking assignments, here are some of my own tips that might helpful:
- Create some boilerplate text or phrases that can be used as starting points for both feedforward and feedback comments.
- Begin from where the student was in the last assignment. If you are marking a second assignment, make sure you remind yourself about what was submitted in their previous submission.
- Use multiple screens. You might use one to give feedback (the submitted eTMA document) and might use the other for feedforward (the eTMA summary page).
- If your marking is ever challenged by a student, always remember to apply humility. I can and have made mistakes. If my marking is correct (as suggested by the marking guidance from the module team), use the opportunity to provide further teaching comments and guidance.
Further practical tips from fellow tutors, shared under the correspondence tuition tag .
Reflections
As mentioned at the very start of this post, there is no right and wrong way to write effective correspondence tuition; you need to find your own workflow. It has taken me years to become confident, and I really do feel that it takes at least three presentations to feel confident that you know the module materials, even if you are intimately familiar with the subject area.