Feedback Timing

Knowledge Refinement

Principle in Action

Open Learning Initiative (OLI), developed by CMU experts, is a massively open online courses (MOOC) platform that can provide immediate feedback after each exercise. This allows students to instantly correct mistakes and refine their understanding in real-time. By offering timely corrective guidance, OLI helps learners address misconceptions precisely when they occur.

Open Learning Initiative (OLI)

Learners receive timely corrective guidance during practice sessions

Learners receive timely corrective guidance during practice sessions

Discuss in your team

How do you support your learners to recognize their mistakes in real-time?

What is the optimal timing and format for providing feedback to learners?

How do you determine errors that should be fixed immediately versus those needing longer-term corrections?

How can the error correction process be designed to feel constructive rather than discouraging?

Principle Definition

Provide timely feedback to correct errors and reinforce the right answer. Students benefit from feedback on their performance, but the optimal timing depends on the learning goal, the nature of the task, and the learner's capabilities. Immediate feedback is effective for difficult tasks, preventing errors, enhancing retention, and supporting low-achieving learners. In contrast, delayed feedback encourages deeper processing, problem-solving, and transfer of learning, making it more suitable for simple tasks and higher-achieving or more advanced learners.

Limitations

Immediate feedback helps correct mistakes quickly, particularly for procedural knowledge, making it beneficial for difficult tasks. However, it can disrupt the learning process, especially for higher-achieving students or complex tasks, as interrupting a student immersed in problem-solving can hinder deeper cognitive processing. Delayed feedback, on the other hand, is more effective for promoting the transfer of learning, particularly for concept-formation tasks. If the task is simple, delayed feedback may be preferable to allow learners more time for deeper processing and problem-solving.

Feedback Timing

Knowledge Refinement

Principle Definition

Provide timely feedback to correct errors and reinforce the right answer. Students benefit from feedback on their performance, but the optimal timing depends on the learning goal, the nature of the task, and the learner's capabilities. Immediate feedback is effective for difficult tasks, preventing errors, enhancing retention, and supporting low-achieving learners. In contrast, delayed feedback encourages deeper processing, problem-solving, and transfer of learning, making it more suitable for simple tasks and higher-achieving or more advanced learners.

Limitations

Limitations

Immediate feedback helps correct mistakes quickly, particularly for procedural knowledge, making it beneficial for difficult tasks. However, it can disrupt the learning process, especially for higher-achieving students or complex tasks, as interrupting a student immersed in problem-solving can hinder deeper cognitive processing. Delayed feedback, on the other hand, is more effective for promoting the transfer of learning, particularly for concept-formation tasks. If the task is simple, delayed feedback may be preferable to allow learners more time for deeper processing and problem-solving.

Relevant Principles

Relevant Principles

Principle in Action

Open Learning Initiative (OLI)

Open Learning Initiative (OLI), developed by CMU experts, is a massively open online courses (MOOC) platform that can provide immediate feedback after each exercise. This allows students to instantly correct mistakes and refine their understanding in real-time. By offering timely corrective guidance, OLI helps learners address misconceptions precisely when they occur.

Learners receive timely corrective guidance during practice sessions

Discuss in your team

How do you support your learners to recognize their mistakes in real-time?

What is the optimal timing and format for providing feedback to learners?

How do you determine errors that should be fixed immediately versus those needing longer-term corrections?

How can the error correction process be designed to feel constructive rather than discouraging?