D293 – DETERMINING LEARNING ANALYTICS STRATEGY – SECTION 3 OF 4
Section 3: Evaluating the Quality of Feedback Learners Receive
Lesson 1: Goals, Types, and Methods of Feedback
1.1: Goals of Feedback
1.2: Types of Feedback
1.3: Methods of Feedback
Lesson 2: Characteristics of Quality Feedback
2.1: Specific Feedback
2.2: Actionable Feedback
2.3: Timely Feedback
Lesson 3: Aligning Assessment Feedback
3.1: Aligning Feedback with Assessment Results
3.2: Connecting Feedback with the Audience
3.3: Aligning Feedback with the Learning Objective
Lesson 1: Goals, Types and Methods of Feedback
Lesson 1.1: Goals of Feedback
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
Define feedback and explain its role in the learning process.
Identify the primary goals of effective feedback.
Explain how feedback improves student learning, motivation, and self-regulation.
Differentiate effective feedback from praise, criticism, and grading.
Apply the goals of feedback to K–12, higher education, and workforce development
scenarios.
Recognize WGU D293 Objective Assessment (OA) questions related to the goals of
feedback.
Introduction
Imagine a student receives an assignment with only the grade 72% written at the top. The
student knows the final score but has no idea:
What was done correctly?
What mistakes were made?
How can performance improve?
What should be done differently next time?
Now imagine another student receives:
"Your claim is well organized, but your evidence needs stronger supporting details. Review
paragraph three and add one additional example to strengthen your argument. After revising,
compare your work to the rubric before submitting the final draft."
Both students receive information, but only one receives feedback that promotes learning.
Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on achievement because it helps learners
understand:
where they are,
where they need to go,
Page 1 of 116
, and how to get there.
The purpose of feedback is not simply to evaluate learning—it is to improve learning.
This lesson focuses on the goals of effective feedback, a concept that frequently appears on the
WGU D293 Objective Assessment (OA).
What Is Feedback?
Feedback is information provided to learners about their current performance that helps them
improve future learning and achieve instructional goals.
Good feedback answers three questions:
1. Where am I going?
2. How am I doing?
3. What should I do next?
These three questions guide continuous improvement.
The Primary Goal of Feedback
The primary goal of feedback is:
To improve future learning and performance.
Feedback should not simply tell learners whether they were right or wrong.
Instead, effective feedback helps learners:
understand mistakes,
recognize strengths,
identify learning gaps,
improve future performance,
become independent learners.
Major Goals of Feedback
Goal 1 – Improve Learning
Feedback helps learners recognize:
misconceptions
errors
strengths
areas for improvement
Instead of simply identifying mistakes, feedback explains how to improve.
Example
Instead of:
"Incorrect answer."
Provide:
"Review the difference between formative and summative assessment. Your explanation
describes formative assessment rather than summative assessment."
Goal 2 – Close the Learning Gap
Every learner has a current level of performance and a desired learning goal.
Feedback helps learners move from:
Current Performance
↓
Desired Performance
This difference is called the learning gap.
Good feedback reduces that gap.
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,Goal 3 – Promote Self-Regulated Learning
Effective feedback encourages students to:
monitor their own learning
reflect on mistakes
revise their work
set learning goals
evaluate progress
Eventually, learners become less dependent on teachers.
Goal 4 – Increase Motivation
Constructive feedback increases learner confidence when it:
recognizes progress
focuses on improvement
provides achievable next steps
Feedback should encourage growth rather than discourage learners.
Goal 5 – Guide Instruction
Feedback benefits both students and teachers.
Teachers use learner responses to determine whether they should:
reteach concepts
differentiate instruction
provide intervention
accelerate learning
modify instructional strategies
Feedback supports instructional decision-making.
Goal 6 – Encourage Continuous Improvement
Feedback is not a one-time event.
Learning follows a continuous cycle:
Learn
↓
Receive Feedback
↓
Revise
↓
Improve
↓
Receive Additional Feedback
↓
Continue Learning
This cycle promotes long-term achievement.
Characteristics of Goal-Oriented Feedback
Effective feedback should be:
Specific
Focus on exactly what needs improvement.
Instead of:
"Good job."
Use:
Page 3 of 116
, "Your introduction clearly states the claim, but your conclusion should summarize your
supporting evidence."
Actionable
Tell learners what they should do next.
Example:
"Add two supporting examples to strengthen your explanation."
Timely
Feedback should be provided while learners still remember the task and have opportunities to
improve.
Constructive
Feedback should focus on improvement rather than criticism.
Goal-Oriented
Feedback should connect directly to the learning objective or rubric.
Feedback Is NOT the Same As...
Praise
Praise:
"Excellent work!"
Although encouraging, praise does not explain how learning can improve.
Grades
A score of 85% communicates achievement but does not explain:
why the score was earned,
what was done well,
how to improve.
Criticism
Comments such as:
"You need to work harder."
provide little instructional value because they lack specific guidance.
Comparison Table
Feedback Praise Grade Criticism
Explains improvement Encourages Measures achievement Identifies problems
Specific General Numerical Often vague
Actionable Usually not No Rarely
Supports learning Supports motivation Supports evaluation May discourage learning
Feedback and Learning Analytics
Learning analytics provide valuable evidence for feedback.
Examples include:
assessment scores
assignment completion
LMS participation
discussion activity
Page 4 of 116
Section 3: Evaluating the Quality of Feedback Learners Receive
Lesson 1: Goals, Types, and Methods of Feedback
1.1: Goals of Feedback
1.2: Types of Feedback
1.3: Methods of Feedback
Lesson 2: Characteristics of Quality Feedback
2.1: Specific Feedback
2.2: Actionable Feedback
2.3: Timely Feedback
Lesson 3: Aligning Assessment Feedback
3.1: Aligning Feedback with Assessment Results
3.2: Connecting Feedback with the Audience
3.3: Aligning Feedback with the Learning Objective
Lesson 1: Goals, Types and Methods of Feedback
Lesson 1.1: Goals of Feedback
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
Define feedback and explain its role in the learning process.
Identify the primary goals of effective feedback.
Explain how feedback improves student learning, motivation, and self-regulation.
Differentiate effective feedback from praise, criticism, and grading.
Apply the goals of feedback to K–12, higher education, and workforce development
scenarios.
Recognize WGU D293 Objective Assessment (OA) questions related to the goals of
feedback.
Introduction
Imagine a student receives an assignment with only the grade 72% written at the top. The
student knows the final score but has no idea:
What was done correctly?
What mistakes were made?
How can performance improve?
What should be done differently next time?
Now imagine another student receives:
"Your claim is well organized, but your evidence needs stronger supporting details. Review
paragraph three and add one additional example to strengthen your argument. After revising,
compare your work to the rubric before submitting the final draft."
Both students receive information, but only one receives feedback that promotes learning.
Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on achievement because it helps learners
understand:
where they are,
where they need to go,
Page 1 of 116
, and how to get there.
The purpose of feedback is not simply to evaluate learning—it is to improve learning.
This lesson focuses on the goals of effective feedback, a concept that frequently appears on the
WGU D293 Objective Assessment (OA).
What Is Feedback?
Feedback is information provided to learners about their current performance that helps them
improve future learning and achieve instructional goals.
Good feedback answers three questions:
1. Where am I going?
2. How am I doing?
3. What should I do next?
These three questions guide continuous improvement.
The Primary Goal of Feedback
The primary goal of feedback is:
To improve future learning and performance.
Feedback should not simply tell learners whether they were right or wrong.
Instead, effective feedback helps learners:
understand mistakes,
recognize strengths,
identify learning gaps,
improve future performance,
become independent learners.
Major Goals of Feedback
Goal 1 – Improve Learning
Feedback helps learners recognize:
misconceptions
errors
strengths
areas for improvement
Instead of simply identifying mistakes, feedback explains how to improve.
Example
Instead of:
"Incorrect answer."
Provide:
"Review the difference between formative and summative assessment. Your explanation
describes formative assessment rather than summative assessment."
Goal 2 – Close the Learning Gap
Every learner has a current level of performance and a desired learning goal.
Feedback helps learners move from:
Current Performance
↓
Desired Performance
This difference is called the learning gap.
Good feedback reduces that gap.
Page 2 of 116
,Goal 3 – Promote Self-Regulated Learning
Effective feedback encourages students to:
monitor their own learning
reflect on mistakes
revise their work
set learning goals
evaluate progress
Eventually, learners become less dependent on teachers.
Goal 4 – Increase Motivation
Constructive feedback increases learner confidence when it:
recognizes progress
focuses on improvement
provides achievable next steps
Feedback should encourage growth rather than discourage learners.
Goal 5 – Guide Instruction
Feedback benefits both students and teachers.
Teachers use learner responses to determine whether they should:
reteach concepts
differentiate instruction
provide intervention
accelerate learning
modify instructional strategies
Feedback supports instructional decision-making.
Goal 6 – Encourage Continuous Improvement
Feedback is not a one-time event.
Learning follows a continuous cycle:
Learn
↓
Receive Feedback
↓
Revise
↓
Improve
↓
Receive Additional Feedback
↓
Continue Learning
This cycle promotes long-term achievement.
Characteristics of Goal-Oriented Feedback
Effective feedback should be:
Specific
Focus on exactly what needs improvement.
Instead of:
"Good job."
Use:
Page 3 of 116
, "Your introduction clearly states the claim, but your conclusion should summarize your
supporting evidence."
Actionable
Tell learners what they should do next.
Example:
"Add two supporting examples to strengthen your explanation."
Timely
Feedback should be provided while learners still remember the task and have opportunities to
improve.
Constructive
Feedback should focus on improvement rather than criticism.
Goal-Oriented
Feedback should connect directly to the learning objective or rubric.
Feedback Is NOT the Same As...
Praise
Praise:
"Excellent work!"
Although encouraging, praise does not explain how learning can improve.
Grades
A score of 85% communicates achievement but does not explain:
why the score was earned,
what was done well,
how to improve.
Criticism
Comments such as:
"You need to work harder."
provide little instructional value because they lack specific guidance.
Comparison Table
Feedback Praise Grade Criticism
Explains improvement Encourages Measures achievement Identifies problems
Specific General Numerical Often vague
Actionable Usually not No Rarely
Supports learning Supports motivation Supports evaluation May discourage learning
Feedback and Learning Analytics
Learning analytics provide valuable evidence for feedback.
Examples include:
assessment scores
assignment completion
LMS participation
discussion activity
Page 4 of 116
