The Efficacy of Several Writing Feedback Systems

Abstract

Over the years, a number of systems have been developed or adapted for use in grading the work of students in written business communication courses.Although the "perfect" system most likely has not been developed, a number of those currently used fulfill theirgoal of helping students become more proficientwriters. Some systems undoubtedly fulfill their goal more effectively than others, however. Regardless of which feedback system an instructor uses, he/she needs to be aware of its advantages and disadvantages as well as ways to maximize its effectiveness. This article provides a review of three different systems: written comments, conferences, and peer evaluation.WRITING F E E D B A C K is essentially &dquo;input from a reader to a writer...&dquo; (Keh, 1990, p. 294). In the business communication classroom, feedback has three primary uses: (i) to help the writer revise, (2) to provide the writer with knowledge to prevent the same error(s) in future writing, and (3) to assess the worth of written work. In an educational setting, the third use will likely be a factor in determining an appropriate grade. Pearce and Ackley (1995) indicate that writing instructors seem continually to be looking for more effective ways to give their students sufficient feedback. One problem is that some systems provide too few remarks. Another problem is that students don't understand the feedback they do receive.To overcome these problems, business communication instructors have developed a number of writing feedback systems, often applications of approaches originally used in English composition classes. Nothing in the literature suggests the feedback systems are not comparable in their efficacy in various types of writing-oriented classesat DALHOUSIE UNIV on April 13, 2015 bcq.sagepub.com Downloaded from 110 whether they are business writing, technical writing, or English composition-or for students of various grade levels, ranging from high school through college. This article discusses three systems: written comments, conferences, and peer evaluation..411 systems vary in ways ranging from the minor to the significant in terms of the following factors:i. Ease with which the system is understood by the learner (written comments, the most widely used system, appear to be most , difficult for the learner to understand).2. Frequency of use (written comments are used more frequently than the other systems).3. Amount of teacher time involved in using (peer evaluation consumes less grading time than written comments or conferences). 4. Effect on students' attitudes about writing (according to the research, written comments of a negative nature tend to have a detrimental impact on student attitudes about writing). 5. Effect on helping students improve writing skills (according to the research, written comments generally do not have a positive impact on overall improvement of students' writing skills). 6. Involvement of students in the process (students are extensively involved with the conference and peer-evaluation feedback systems and...

Successfully Incorporating Writing Across the Curriculum with Advanced Writing in Nursing

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