6 · E-coaching

Feedback

In the broadest sense, feedback is merely ‘a reaction of the receiver on the message of the transmitter’. When we talk about studying, we mean ‘a reaction of the teacher on the learning activities performed by the student’. In this component we want to teach you the following:

• do not underestimate the importance of feedback in the learning process;
• be aware of the different kinds of feedback;
• keep into account the different tips for giving feedback;
• pay attention to the specific characteristics of online (e-) communication.

You can give feedback as a teacher, but you can also ask the students to give mutual feedback on tasks or one student (the tutor) guides the other students (tutees) (this is called peer feedback). The tutor – often a student who is more advanced in his learning trajectory- partly takes over the tasks of the teacher. Consequently, in the context of peer-teaching, the teacher gets a different role, namely not the transferring of knowledge or skills, but the coaching of the tutors with the guidance of the tutees. In the in-depth study of the module “Collaborative learning”, peer teaching is being discussed in more detail.