Suggestions Alternate options To Make eLearning Extra Empowering
Make the virtual classroom more connectable
Although eLearning can provide personalized responses to students’ work, the grading system is still relatively black and white. According to an online assessment, a question is either right or wrong with no answer on what the student should work on to improve in the future. While we know that in general an answer can only be classified as right or wrong, there is a chance that deeper learning occurs through feedback with the right approach. By implementing alternatives to right and wrong, distance teachers can make the virtual classroom more connected, more meaningful and, above all, more empowering.
These are five alternatives to typical assessment systems that trainers can use to develop feedback. Quantity, quality and delivery are essential components of a valuable experience for the learner. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how well or badly someone does on a rating if they only rate their grade at face value. This guide is designed to provide teachers with the foundation they need to create a continuum of learning in their classroom that doesn’t end with any class or exam.
Explanatory answers
Instead of just marking students’ answers as right or wrong, go deeper and provide an answer to each question. If they seem to get questions right but don’t have the details, offer some prompts to help them examine what they already know and deepen their knowledge. There are many high-level students who have got good grades but do not sum up any of the ideas they have acquired.
For those with bad grades, use their wrong answer as a chance to teach them more. Lead with praise; Even trying to answer a difficult question is worth recognition. Instead of seeing a wrong answer as a lack of knowledge, you should use it to clear up misconceptions or close learning gaps. Some learners may not fully master the preliminary material. This can give you an insight into their current knowledge base and help them fill in any gaps that are preventing them from growing in your course.
Explanatory feedback increases learners’ morale and makes them feel better supported than corrective assessment models. While students need to know when they are missing their goals, they also need to know where they went wrong and how to grow. This also helps not to damage a learner’s self-esteem and helps maintain motivation.
Use a breadcrumbs method
Instead of a student having difficulty getting an answer, offer cues to guide their thought process. This is known as epistemic feedback, but the breadcrumb method is a little easier to remember, don’t you think? Just like you would leave a trail to track your steps or guide your path on a hike, this approach uses little clues to help students stay on track with solving a problem.
Rather than just focusing on being right, this structure helps students make stronger connections between different ideas and learn about the broader purpose of a subject. You will think more about why something is a certain type than simply memorizing a desired answer. It is also a great tool for teachers whose students have limited prior knowledge and who have difficulty keeping up with their current subject material.
Create real situations
How many times have students left a classroom after a semester or even an entire academic year of little value? So many courses offer an overwhelming amount of information that is hardly or not at all useful in the everyday life of learners. Instead of teaching concepts and theories, you can create hypothetical real-life situations where knowledge is imparted through experience and skill building exercises.
Simulations, in which the participants have to assume different roles, also offer the possibility for peer-to-peer feedback. By evaluating the work of others, learners also strengthen their own knowledge. You can even create a classroom sample that students can use as instructors. Teaching concepts that they have recently learned allow them to synthesize ideas and explore different methods of applying them.
Another great benefit of this style of teaching is that the feedback you give will ultimately make students better able to help themselves in the real world. Imagine a math teacher who chooses to use real loan calculators to help students research student loans, debts, and repayments. You can teach them what consolidation means and how to consolidate existing debts to avoid multiple payments. All of this is rooted in qualitative thinking but goes beyond formulas and turns into a meaningful skill.
Make learning a game
When students are forced to do the same homework models in a loop, they eventually get bored and stop paying attention to details. To provide targeted feedback, you can turn lesson plans and assessments into games. An incentive may be included to encourage student engagement. It could be something silly like choosing the teacher’s next hairstyle or a small cash reward like a $ 25 Amazon gift card or a lunch from DoorDash.
Games are faster than traditional lessons, so the feedback given is ultimately processed faster. The nature of the games is also repeated, so errors are recognized earlier and corrected more strictly than with conventional evaluations. There are times when teachers teach a class for weeks only to find at the end of a unit that half of their learners have not understood a core concept. If you make up for this, the entire course will reset and those who understood the lesson will get bored and undervalued in future classes.
Offer complete solutions
Go through various issues that need to be resolved and use teamwork to provide feedback and draw conclusions. Instead of just watching you work through something, learners are encouraged to discuss the thought process and work together on different solutions. As a trainer, you can provide pointers by completing part of a problem and asking students what they think should happen next. If they get stuck, add a little more to the board. You can accept and submit suggestions they offer to see if they work. Some learners may start creating their own work before even solving a problem. If a problem is solved incorrectly, you can discuss where something might have gone wrong. This creates a circular feedback loop that makes the class more engaging and educational.
