Feedback and ICT
With students nowadays submitting much of their work in typed and electronic formats, a useful new way to provide feedback is to employ the marking tools available in word processing packages. This means students can submit work electronically and the tutor can mark it without having to first print it out and can also return it electronically. See Figure 13.1 for an illustration of this based on an extract from a short essay written by an intermediate student of German:
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Mein Sommerurlaub Mein Freund und ich waren diesen Sommer in Koln Köln und wir hatten ein unangenehmes Erlebnis, denn wir waren von Taschendiebe Taschendieben am Bahnhof beraubt. Wir waren gerade nach langer müder ermüdender Fahrt aus dem Zug gestiegen ausgestiegen und mein Bruder, der die Koffer tragte trug, folgte mir. Aber weil wir den Bahnhof nicht kennten kannten, stellten wir die Koffer unten ab, um uns in an der Information nach einem Hotel zu erkunden erkundigen. Mein Bruder setzte setzte sich auf eine Bank und las die Zeitung, während ich zum Informationsbüro ging…….. |
Figure 13.1 Example of on-screen marking and feedback
The words and phrases highlighted in yellow above contain comments that appear as the mouse is passed over them.
This on-screen editing is very simple to set up in Microsoft Word (1997):
- Bring up the Reviewing toolbar (View/Toolbars/Reviewing)
- Click on Track Changes on the Reviewing toolbar
- Type corrections directly onto the text or, to give for more detailed feedback, use the Insert Comment icon on the Reviewing toolbar.
Additional features are available in the Word 2000 version.
In providing detailed feedback the tutor can choose either to give the correct form and an explanation, as in the second and third highlighted examples in Figure 14.1, or just an explanation, as in the first example, leaving the student to self-correct and maybe submit a second draft at a later date.
Activity 5
Now have a go yourself. Use the on-screen editing tool in Word to mark and provide feedback on the following letter of application for a job as a holiday rep., written by a student of English as a foreign language.
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Dear Sir/Madam, I write about your advertisement in Guardian newspaper to find student rep for the summer works. I am all those things you write about and in particular am get on well with all people I know. I work in supermarket on evenings after my study. I French and Spanish speak very good and little Portuguese. I have last summer worked hardly in tourist office in Barcelona and so having had expereince of such work. I apply for this job beause I am loving your country a lot since I go on holiday there with my family and because I want in the future to do work in tourist industry and this will give me abundant expereince. Also I like work with young people in all ages and size and I think I will make up a good group leader for young groups. I send with this letter my CV. I hope you like my application and I look forward to hearing your reply. Yours faithfully,
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The major objection to this approach to feedback is that it can be quite time-consuming to type in different text for each individual student. One way to reduce the burden is to use the type of agreed system of annotations (V for verb, P for passive, etc) mentioned earlier; see, for example, Appendix 4, and also Module 14, section 14.2.5.
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