Feedback, much like a tasty cup of coffee, can make all the difference in a student's academic journey. That's why, thanks to Full Fabric, lecturers and staff members alike can easily share feedback on both published and unpublished grades. This article will brew up a perfect blend of how this feature works and what students will see when they check their grades, so make sure to keep reading. ☕📚
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External Comments on Student Grades: What Are They and Why Make Them?
External grade comments are feedback messages provided by lecturers or staff members that are visible to students. These comments offer insights into a student's performance on specific assignments, exams, or overall course progress. The aim is to guide students, highlight their strengths, and identify areas for improvement. By making these comments available, students can better understand their grades and the rationale behind them. 💡
For simplicity, each registered student in a course has a single feedback input area that remains open for continuous updates until the final grade is published, with no character limit, instead of separate sections for partial grades (like exams and group projects) and final grades.
Examples of External Comments
To illustrate the utility of external comments, we've included some examples below:
"Your performance on the exam was solid, but your assignment lacked critical analysis. Make sure to evaluate sources more thoroughly and also spend more time on your research to support your arguments more effectively next time."
"The final grade reflects a deduction for your insufficient participation in class discussions and inconsistent attendance."
"There were several calculation errors in your math exams. Please review the steps carefully to avoid these in the future."
"Excellent work on the group project. Your leadership skills were evident. Additionally, your individual essay was well-structured, and your arguments were compelling."
"In subsequent courses, I advise you to focus more on the details in your lab reports. Precision is key."
Benefits of External Comments
Transparency and Counsel: Students gain clarity on their grades, understanding their successes and areas for growth. 🤔
Motivation: Positive reinforcement can uplift student spirits and motivate ongoing progress, even following a course failure. 💪
Engagement: Personalised comments foster a stronger connection between students and school personnel. 💗
How Do I Add Feedback to Someone's Grade?
When staff members access the grades page for a specific course, they will now see a FEEDBACK column in the list of registered students. To access and use it:
1) Choose the appropriate course from the academic calendar
2) Navigate to the Grades tab
3) Scroll left to reveal the FEEDBACK column, and scroll down to locate the relevant student
4) Lastly, enter your message in the FEEDBACK column; the system will automatically save it
For instructions on grading students, kindly check out the article Course Grades.
Please be aware that feedback entered by staff is immediately displayed to students for prompt communication, independent of when the grades are published. Each student's feedback input field is editable until their final grade has been published, regardless of the resulting pass or fail status. Should the need arise, you can unpublish the final grade to revise the feedback—just remember to republish the final grade afterwards. 😉
As you might suspect by now, your grade feedback isn't just visible to students; it's also accessible to other lecturers and staff members, even those not directly involved in the course in question.
TIP: Feedback should not be mistaken for notes, which are private remarks made only internally, typically for administrative purposes, and never disclosed to students. This dual-comment system protects the confidentiality of sensitive information while offering students the feedback they need. 🔐
How Do Students View Grade Feedback?
With the exception of printed transcripts, which do not reproduce grade comments, students can view their grade feedback in the same way that they view their grades. This is because when students access the grades page for a given course, they will currently find a FEEDBACK column alongside their grades, similar to the backoffice side. 🎓 The step-by-step process for students is as follows:
1) Choose the appropriate course from the academic calendar
2) Navigate to the Grades tab
3) Finally, consult the FEEDBACK column, where any feedback previously shared will be present
As stated before, once feedback for a grade has been left by a staff user or lecturer, it will be instantly displayed to the respective student, even if no grade has been published yet. Please refer to the screenshot below to see an example:
In contrast, the following screenshot demonstrates a post-grade publishing view:
Naturally, students cannot see one another's feedback (or grades, for that matter).
Since feedback can be updated at any time, students should periodically visit the grades page for the most recent information. 🔄
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PUBLISHED: June 25, 2024
LAST UPDATED: June 25, 2024, at 10:12 p.m. London time, by Cláudia Duarte