What are the best practices for providing academic writing feedback that aligns with course objectives?

1 Clarify the objectives

Before you give any feedback, make sure that you and your students are clear about the purpose and expectations of the assignment. What are the learning outcomes that the assignment aims to assess and develop? How are they related to the course objectives and the discipline standards? What are the criteria and rubrics that you will use to evaluate the students' work? Communicate these objectives to your students in advance and provide them with examples and guidelines. This will help them understand what you are looking for and how to approach the task.

2 Balance the feedback

Feedback should be balanced between positive and constructive comments. Positive feedback acknowledges the strengths and achievements of the students' work and encourages them to continue their efforts. Constructive feedback identifies the areas and aspects that need improvement and suggests specific strategies and resources to address them. Feedback should also be balanced between global and local issues. Global issues are those that affect the overall structure, coherence, argument, and logic of the writing. Local issues are those that relate to the language, style, grammar, and mechanics of the writing. Focus on the global issues first, as they have more impact on the quality and clarity of the writing. Then, address the local issues that are relevant and significant for the students' development.

3 Prioritize the feedback

Feedback should be prioritized according to the importance and urgency of the issues and the students' needs and goals. You cannot address every single issue in one round of feedback, nor should you overwhelm your students with too much information. Instead, you should select the most critical and relevant issues that will help your students achieve the learning outcomes and improve their writing skills. You should also consider the students' level of proficiency, previous feedback, and personal interests when prioritizing your feedback. For example, you may want to focus on different aspects of the writing for novice and advanced students, or for students who have different disciplinary backgrounds or career aspirations.

4 Customize the feedback

Feedback should be customized to suit the individual needs and preferences of each student. Feedback is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a dialogic and interactive process that requires adaptation and responsiveness. You should tailor your feedback to the specific strengths and weaknesses of each student's work, as well as their learning style, personality, and motivation. You should also vary the mode and format of your feedback according to the context and purpose of the assignment. For example, you may use written or oral feedback, or a combination of both, depending on the type and length of the assignment, the time and resources available, and the students' expectations and feedback literacy.

5 Follow up on the feedback

Feedback should be followed up with opportunities for action and reflection. Feedback is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. The ultimate goal of feedback is to help students improve their writing and learning, not just to grade their work or correct their errors. Therefore, you should provide your students with chances to apply your feedback, revise their work, and monitor their progress. You should also encourage your students to reflect on your feedback, evaluate their own work, and set their own goals for improvement. This will help them develop their self-regulation, metacognition, and critical thinking skills, which are essential for academic success and lifelong learning.

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?