16 - Practice Principle #3: Provide Effective Feedback

Brief Definition

Clark and Mayer (2011) point out that while just the right amount of practice increases learning in e-courses, adding effective feedback to explain incorrect responses is the proper use of Practice Principle #3. However, research shows that there is a perfect amount and method for providing explanatory feedback. In broad content common in science, the creation of such feedback can be quite complicated and add significant time to course development.

An Artifact

A very common grammar error, correctly distinguishing between the words “Affect” and “Effect”, is tackled in an e-lesson by GrammarMonster.com. With a similar setup as the previous example, the user must take the time to read through the lesson. For this lesson, there are no graphics - only text. And then, for a quick check, the user can take a few minutes to click through the practice sentences in the interactive test. When I checked to see whether the platform offered feedback, I was disappointed to see that it was only a big red X. Something as simple as ‘Remember, “affects” is a verb and in this sentence, a verb is required’ may have benefited learners and met Practice Principle #3.

References

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.