Digital written feedback to promote motivation and engagement. A case study in Higher Education

The scientific literature highlights that feedback is one of the most important factors in supporting study and promoting academic achievement. Indeed, it provides the students with information about their own learning, also making them aware of both the level of understanding achieved and the gap to the goal. Providing formative feedback in progress is relevant: pointing out strengths and weaknesses in one's work allows learners to understand whether they are moving in the right direction and to develop metacognitive awareness. A key element is learner accountability to feedback: the receipt of it should not in fact be viewed passively, but it is important for the learner to reflect and act proactively on the feedback provided in order to use it productively, which requires the learner to be engaged and feedback literate. In higher education, motivation can be shaped by feedback on performances and thus be able to affect the achievement of learners. Students, in fact, benefit from feedback when they perceive that paying attention to it will move them from their current state to their desired state, increasing self-efficacy. Receiving feedback on one's performance is an invaluable part of the learning process that advantages students far more than simply receiving appreciation or punishment. When feedback focuses on the task exerts a positive influence on performance, facilitating the process of knowledge construction: besides fixing mistakes, it allows the learner to monitor his or her own progress by regulating learning. Written feedback is crucial, as it becomes the absolute empirical link that can be examined to reveal the teacher's intentions and ultimately provide the learner with a key to interpret the messages. The context of the case study is the laboratory of "Educational Technology" (1 CFU) delivered in a.y. 2022/23. It is a compulsory course included in the first year of the blended master's degree course in "Media Education" at Catholic University of Milan. The laboratory aims to introduce students to the design of e-learning courses through online hands-on activities. Structured in five classroom meetings, it required the 22 enrolled students, divided into groups, to design a blended course starting from a provided scenario, working collaboratively in Google Drive over four weeks. The teacher provided written feedback in progress, using the "comments" function. In order to gather students' perceptions of the working method adopted, an exploratory survey was conducted at the end of the course by administering a semi-structured anonymous questionnaire using CAWI methodology (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing). The purpose of the study is to understand how much the teacher's release of written feedback helped students feel motivated and involved in their participation at the lab.