Digital Feedback in the Age of AI

Outline

0–5 minutes | Welcome and Framing the Problem – Feedback That Matters
Content:
Open with a relatable scenario: a teacher buried in digital grading and AI tools promising “instant feedback.”

Introduce the essential question: How can we make digital feedback effective, equitable, and empowering in the AI era?

Brief overview of key feedback principles: actionable, specific, timely, and targeted.

Engagement:
Live poll: “How confident are you that your digital feedback leads to learning?”

Display a word cloud of what participants associate with “good feedback.”

5–15 minutes | Foundations of Effective Feedback
Content:
Review research on effective feedback (Hattie & Timperley, Wiggins, etc.).

Highlight digital best practices: feedback that feeds up, back, and forward.

Explore examples using familiar digital tools
Engagement:
Participants engage in a feedback critique: reviewing two examples (one effective, one not) via a shared Padlet or slide deck.

Quick “thumbs up/down” reactions to vote on which better promotes learning.

15–25 minutes | Feedback in the Age of AI – Opportunities and Cautions
Content:
Demonstrate how AI tools can assist in feedback generation.

Discuss when AI feedback enhances learning versus when it risks depersonalization or bias.

Share examples of AI feedback prompts that encourage student reflection.

Engagement:
Participants test an AI tool or provided demo to generate feedback for a sample student response.

Quick group discussion: “Would you give this feedback to your student? Why or why not?”

25–40 minutes | Design Challenge – Crafting Better Digital Feedback
Content:
Participants apply feedback principles to design or refine a feedback example for their own context.

Encourage blending AI assistance with authentic teacher voice.

Engagement:
Participants choose one of three design paths:

Redesign a digital feedback comment using UDL and feedback principles.

Create an AI prompt for generating formative feedback.

Develop a student reflection question to pair with feedback.

Volunteers share examples in a live gallery walk (Padlet, Jamboard, or shared doc).

40–50 minutes | Reflection and Takeaways – Feedback as a Learning Dialogue
Content:
Summarize key insights: quality feedback is relational, reflective, and intentional.

Emphasize that AI should enhance, not replace, the teacher-student feedback loop.

Engagement:
Participants complete a short exit reflection: “One feedback shift I’ll make tomorrow.”

Final poll revisiting the opening confidence question to visualize growth.

Share QR link to digital resource hub (AI prompts, feedback templates, reflection tools).

Outcomes

Participants will gain practical strategies and digital tool knowledge to provide effective, actionable, and timely feedback, leveraging both traditional and AI-supported methods, to empower student learning. The core focus will be on the characteristics of truly effective feedback—actionable, specific, timely, and targeted—and how to apply these principles in a digital learning environment. Participants will leave with practical strategies to enhance their feedback practices and empower student learning in the AI era.

Supporting research

https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/seven-keys-to-effective-feedback

https://www.edutopia.org/article/8-steps-making-feedback-more-effective?fbclid=IwAR3h5fnMqArnoZRobNi38d4MwEo4n0UZ04KcUHjp-sSjYtaLx6GHN-cUdnY

https://www.nctq.org/research-insights/the-robots-are-here-and-they-have-feedback-can-ai-improve-teacher-effectiveness/