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Imagine for a minute that you’re taking an asynchronous e-learning course. Throughout the course, they ask questions to assess your knowledge. On occasion, you answer incorrectly but aren’t given a reason to explain why your response was incorrect. You flip back through your notes and the course to find the content and better understand why your answer was incorrect. After doing this several times, you become frustrated, stop researching the correct answers, and leave the course feeling discouraged.
Now, imagine a learner in your organization. What would the consequences be for that employee if they had this experience? Feedback in an asynchronous e-learning course needs to be meaningful, just like in a synchronous learning environment.
There are two ways to provide feedback in asynchronous e-learning—direct and reflective.
Direct Feedback
What is it?
- Feedback is generated from an outside source and presented to learners.
- Can range from a simple correct/incorrect answer to a more complex and detailed explanation.
How can I implement direct feedback?
- Replicate the consequence of the action a learner selects in a scenario. This will allow the learner to see the impact of their decision instead of simply being exposed to the right answer (e.g., an incorrect answer could result in a picture of an unhappy customer along with a written letter to the head office).
- Use an avatar to present feedback after a quiz question as this can help personalize the feedback.
- Include a direct link to the section of the course the learner should review to be able to accomplish the task.
Tips for writing direct feedback for correct and incorrect answers:
1. Provide feedback while the question and selected answer is still visible.
2. Provide feedback for all correct and incorrect answers.
- Provide positive feedback for all correct answers.
- Provide complete and constructive feedback for all incorrect answers:
- Use a neutral term such as “incorrect” instead of “wrong” or “no.”
- Avoid vague terms such as “almost” or “close.”
- Restate the question.
- Provide the correct answer.
- Include a brief explanation of why the answer was correct or incorrect or provide an option that links learners to a detailed explanation.
- State where the correct answer can be found in the course.
- 3. Consider a “restudy” option if learners get a question wrong.
- 4. Never present new content in the feedback.
- 5. Tie the feedback to the objectives.
- Emphasize how doing something differently can improve a certain skill/behavior.
Reflective Feedback
What is it?
- Debrief-style questions to allow the learners to provide their own feedback.
- Provide answer keys, performance checklists, and other materials to allow learners to compare and evaluate their own work.
How can I implement reflective feedback?
- After a short answer reflection, provide an ideal response, or specific criteria. Let the learner evaluate their own response before moving on.
- After a scenario, include various examples of correct responses so the learner can assess and replicate this behavior.
- Use an avatar to present the learner with a reflective feedback opportunity.
By using direct and reflective feedback (or a combination of the two) in your asynchronous e-learning courses, along with the tips for writing feedback for correct and incorrect answers, your courses will provide meaningful feedback to your learners in the moment.
If you’d like to learn more about designing effective e-learning courses, have a look at these two workshops: Instructional Design for e-Learning and Interactive e-Learning.
