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On January 18, 2018, Jo Axe, director of the School of Education and Technology, and Theresa Bell, writing centre manager, presented an hour-long lunch and learn session on giving feedback in student writing that empowers the student to learn and develop writing skills.
For a PDF version of the PowerPoint slides, please visit Green-Lighting Student Feedback.
This guide is a tool for instructors who would like information and examples to assist them with giving feedback on writing by students who are using North American Academic English. The items are presented in alphabetical order within the categories, and the document should be used as a reference guide for instructors versus an instructional tool. If students need information on any of the issues addressed within the document, please invite them to contact the Writing Centre via WriteAnswers or direct them to the Writing Centre website.
We’re providing information that reflects the typical requirements of North American Academic English and APA Style (7th ed.); students who use other World Englishes may be more comfortable with other systems of grammar, punctuation, citation, etc. In the Writing Centre, we advise students to consult with instructors if they have questions regarding how their conventions of written English will mesh with an instructor’s expectations. We similarly encourage you to be transparent about the version of English you expect students to use for your course(s) and to recognize that there are many varieties of written and spoken English, all of which are valid. We strongly encourage you to share constructive, specific, actionable feedback that reflects your experiences and expectations as a reader of North American Academic English, versus from the position of telling the student that their use of English is not “correct” e.g., explain why a different choice would help to clarify your understanding, versus “wrong verb tense”, “incorrect”. For more resources on giving effective feedback, see the linked resources below.
This guide is not intended to be a comprehensive overview of all elements of writing that could be addressed in feedback; rather, it presents information on common choices made by students that don’t align with the rules of North American Academic English and/or the APA Style (7th ed.) rules. Please note that the information provided may not reflect professor- or program-specific expectations; please check with your program offices to determine if there are program-specific requirements for student writing. Also, the sample comments provided are bare minimum suggestions of a starting point for feedback and aren’t intended to be exclusionary of an instructor’s approach and development of the comments with more information.
Please feel welcome to contact the Writing Centre if you have any questions on the contents of this guide.
Commenting on Student Writing (The Teaching Center, Washington University in St. Louis)
Five Steps to Giving Feedback on Writing
Guiding Questions on Writing Concerns
Five Misconceptions on Writing Feedback (Center for Teaching & Learning, University of Colorado Boulder)